Queer Places:
Eton College, Windsor SL4 6DW, United Kingdom
University of Cambridge, 4 Mill Ln, Cambridge CB2 1RZ

George Holmes Blakesley (June 1, 1846 – April 21, 1922) was born on June 1, 1846, the eldest son and heir of Joseph Williams Blakesley, a prominent clergyman, don, and Dean of Lincoln who was himself a member of the elite Cambridge Apostles secret society. Following in his father's academic and intellectual footsteps, George Blakesley attended Eton College as a scholar before being admitted to King's College, Cambridge, on October 15, 1864, at the age of eighteen. At Cambridge, he distinguished himself academically as a prizeman, achieving a First Class in the Classical Tripos and graduating with a BA in 1868, followed by his MA in 1871. Reflecting his father's legacy, George Blakesley was also a member of the Cambridge Apostles. He was elected as a Fellow of King's College, serving from 1869 to 1879.

Expanding his professional pursuits beyond academia, Blakesley entered Lincoln's Inn on April 20, 1868, and was called to the Bar in 1872, establishing a successful career as a barrister. Over the subsequent decades, he assumed several notable legal and administrative offices. He was appointed Chancellor of the Diocese of Peterborough in Northamptonshire in 1890, became a Professor of Law at Gresham College in 1896, and later served as the Clerk to the Mercers' Company starting in 1907.

In his personal life and later years, Blakesley resided at Abbotsmead in Kingston Hill, Surrey. Regarding historical records or scholarly discourse concerning LGBTQ links, the Cambridge Apostles—to which both he and his father belonged—notably fostered intense, intimate intellectual and emotional bonds among its members during the 19th and early 20th centuries, though explicit documentation regarding Blakesley's personal romantic life in this context remains sparse. Blakesley passed away at the age of seventy-five on April 21, 1922, at his home in Kingston Hill, Surrey, survived by his brothers John, Thomas, William, and Arthur.

References:

The Cambridge Apostles, 1820-1914: Liberalism, Imagination, and Friendship in British Intellectual and Professional Life 1st Edition by W.C. Lubenow

Other references:

• King's College Admission Registers: A Register of Admissions to King's College, Cambridge, 1850–1900 (recording his scholarship details, entry date, degrees, fellowship, and family background).
• The Times: Issue dated April 24, 1922 (containing contemporary notices and records regarding his death on April 21, 1922).
• The Antiquaries Journal: Vol. 2 (1922), published by the Society of Antiquaries of London, featuring formal obituary notices acknowledging his passing on April 21, 1922.
• Lincoln's Inn Admission Registers: Records detailing his admission date (April 20, 1868) and call to the Bar (1872).
• Gresham College Institutional Archives: Historical records detailing his appointment as Professor of Law in 1896.
• Trinity College Wren Library (Cambridge Manuscripts): Archival holdings containing correspondence and manuscript material involving George Holmes Blakesley and the Cambridge Apostles.
• Genealogical Reference Works: The Baptismal, Marriage, and Burial Registers of the Cathedral Church of Christ and Blessed Mary the Virgin at Durham, 1609–1896, which documents genealogical linkages concerning the Blakesley and Gilly families.

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