Robert Bowcher Clarke

Sir Robert Bowcher Clarke (1803–1881) was a Barbadian barrister, Solicitor-General, and Chief Justice of Barbados and St. Lucia.

Early life and career

Clarke was born in 1803 in Barbados, the son of Robert Bowcher Clarke and his wife Elizabeth (née Waple).^[1][2]

Clarke attended Codrington Grammar School^[3][4] before studying at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated in 1827.^[1][2] That same year, he was called to the Bar of England and Wales at the Inner Temple.^[1][2] In 1829, Clarke married Emily Maxwell Spooner.^[1][2][5]

Clarke began his legal career in Barbados, serving as Solicitor-General from 1837 to 1842.^[1][2] He later became Speaker of the House of Assembly.^[1][4]

On 13 December 1841,^[4] Clarke was appointed Chief Justice of Barbados,^[1][2] a position he held until his retirement in 1874. Between 1850^[6] and 1859,^[1][2] he also served as Chief Justice of St. Lucia.  

Dispute over future of Codrington College

Clarke's alma mater, Codrington Grammar School, had been founded in 1745 with the profits from the bequest of Christopher Codrington. Codrington had intended the school to be a university modelled on Oxford and Cambridge, unusually for the time, to benefit the Afro-Caribbean population of Barbados.^[3]

The school was initially, however, established as a grammar school. In 1830, it was converted to a theological college.^[3]

Clarke, a former student, became a central figure in a heated debate about the future of the institution.^[3] Clarke opposed the transformation of the school into a theological college and lobbied influential figures, including the Secretary of State for the Colonies, to restore the college to its earlier role.^[3]

Awards and honours

Clarke was knighted in 1840 for his contributions to the emancipation of slaves.^[1][2] He also received the Companion of the Order of the Bath (Civil Division) in 1848.^[1][2][7]

Death

Clarke died on 25 January 1874 at his home "Eldridge" in Chislehurst, England^[1][2] He was 78.^[1][2]  

External links

• Profile for Sir Robert Bowcher Clarke at the Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery