Blake was born in
Limerick, Ireland. He was the son of Peter Blake of
Corbally Castle (c. 1805 – bur.
St. Ann's,
Dublin, 19 November 1850), a
Galway-born county
Inspector of the
Irish Constabulary, and wife (m.
Mobarnan,
County Tipperary) Jane Lane (
Lanespark, County Tipperary, 5 March 1819 – ?), daughter of John Lane of
Lanespark, County Tipperary, and paternal grandson of Peter Blake of Corbally Castle,
County Galway (? – 1842, bur.
Peter’s Well, County Galway) and wife (m. 14 May 1800) Mary Browne, daughter of The Hon. John Browne and wife Mary Cocks and paternal granddaughter of
John Browne, 1st Earl of Altamont, and wife Anne Gore. He was included among the descendants the Blakes of Corbally Castle,
Kilmoylan,
County Galway, the descendants of Peter Blake (? – 1712), who was granted the lands of Corbally, Kilmoylan, County Galway, on 20 December 1697, and wife Magdeline Martin,
the Blakes. Peter Blake was a son of
Sir Richard Blake and wife Gyles Kirwan. Blake started out as a clerk in the Bank of Ireland but lasted only 18 months before resigning and commencing a cadetship in the Irish Constabulary in 1857. He became a special inspector two years later. In 1876, he was appointed Resident Magistrate to
Tuam, an especially disturbed district in the west of Ireland, where he was noted as judicious and active. In 1882, he was promoted to Special Resident Magistrate. ==Early colonial services==