Edith Bernal Blake

Edith Bernal Blake, Lady Blake ( Osborne; 7 February 1846 – 18 April 1926) was an Irish botanical illustrator and writer, noted for her work on the flora and fauna of countries such as The Bahamas, Jamaica and Ceylon.

Early life Blake was born on 7 February 1846 in Newtown Anner House, near Clonmel, County Tipperary. Though her date of birth is often cited at 1845. She was the eldest daughter of Catherine Isabella Osborne and Ralph Bernal Osborne, who took his wife's surname following their marriage in 1844. The Osbornes appear to have become estranged early in their marriage, with her father living in London, seeing Edith and her sister Grace raised by her mother alone. Mrs Osbourne was a talented artist, and encouraged both her daughters to take up artistic pursuits. Edith developed an interest in botany around this time, corresponding over the years with Newtown Anner's garden designer Joseph Paxton. Fanny Currey was a frequent visitor to the house, with the pair collaborating on illustrating envelopes from 1858 to 1868.

In 1907, together with Sister Sudharmamachari (Catherine de Alwis Gunatilaka, born into a Christian family in Bentota before converting into Buddism), Blake opened a Buddhist nunnery which was named in her honour in Sri Lanka. Lady Blake Aramaya has since been renamed Sri Sudharma Upasikaramay.

Later life Upon Henry's retirement in 1907, the Blakes returned to Ireland. They settled in Myrtle Grove, Youghal, County Cork, where many of Blake’s sketchbooks are still held. The staircase was decorated by her with botanical illustrations. As Lady Blake she published 3 plays: Samhain's eve, The quest of Edain, and The swan, all adapted from Irish mythology. The Blakes are buried together in the garden of the house.

Her collection in the Natural History Museum, London was conserved in 1984 and is noted for its scientific value.

Selected publications Non-fiction Twelve Months in Southern Europe. London, 1876. The Realities of Freemasonry. Chapman and Hall, London, 1879. "The Maroons of Jamaica" in The North American Review, Vol. 167 (1898), pp. 558-568.

Plays Samhain's Eve The Quest of Edain The Swan