Sir Frederick Palgrave Barlee (6 February 1827 – 8 August 1884) was Colonial Secretary of Western Australia from 1855 to 1875; Lieutenant-Governor of the British Honduras (now Belize) from 1877 to 1882; and Administrator of Trinidad in 1884. Frederick Barlee was born in Worlingworth, Suffolk, England on 6 February 1827. He was educated privately and at local schools, and in 1845 he entered the public service as a clerk to the Ordnance Department in Chatham and Woolwich. In 1851, Barlee married Jane Oseland. Later that year he was posted to Sierra Leone, where he served initially as a barrack-master and storekeeper. In 1853 he became clerk to the Executive and Legislative Councils, and private secretary to the Governor of Sierra Leone Arthur Edward Kennedy. In 1855, Kennedy was appointed Governor of Western Australia, and he arranged for Barlee to be appointed Colonial Secretary. Both men arrived in Western Australia in June 1855, and commenced work the following month. As colonial secretary, Barlee became a nominated member of the Western Australian Legislative Council. Kennedy immediately embarked on a range of reforms, with Barlee largely responsible for their implementation. Kennedy's reforms were unpopular, and Barlee made numerous enemies during this time. However, by 1856 Barlee and Kennedy had fallen out; after this, Barlee often opposed Kennedy on important issues, and his influence declined. From January 1856 to March 1857, Barlee was Acting Commissioner of Police. In 1862, Governor Kennedy was succeeded by Governor John Hampton, and Barlee returned to a position of influence. In 1863, he became permanent chairman of the Board of Education. The following year he gave Bishop Matthew Hale financial help in establishing the Bishop's Collegiate School (now Hale School), and was appointed first Governor of the school. That year, he also invested in the unsuccessful attempt to establish a pastoral settlement at Roebuck Bay. Eventually, Barlee again fell out of favour with the governor, this time through disagreements over the treatment of convicts, and the management of the convict system in general. During the period from November 1868 to September 1869 Colonel John Bruce was acting governor and there was a great deal of friction between Bruce and Barlee. John Bruce was replaced by Frederick Weld in 1869, and Barlee again became an influential figure. Weld and Barlee shared an enthusiasm for representative government, and together they worked to promote it. Largely due to their efforts, Western Australia