Sir John Robinson, 1st Baronet, of London (10 January 1615 – February 1680) was an English merchant and politician who sat in the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
between 1660 and 1667. He was
Lord Mayor of London
The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional pow ...
in 1662.
Family
Robinson was the son of Archdeacon
William Robinson, who was half-brother of Archbishop
William Laud
William Laud (; 7 October 1573 – 10 January 1645) was a bishop in the Church of England. Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by Charles I in 1633, Laud was a key advocate of Charles I's religious reforms, he was arrested by Parliament in 1640 ...
, and nephew of Sir
William Webbe
William Webbe (floruit, fl. 1568–1591) was an English critic and translator. He attended Trinity College, Cambridge, and was a tutor for distinguished families, including the two sons of Edward Sulyard of Flemyngs, Essex, and later the children o ...
, who was Lord Mayor in 1591.
[ 'Notes on the aldermen, 1502-1700', The Aldermen of the City of London: Temp. Henry III - 1912 (1908), pp. 168-195. Date accessed: 15 July 2011]
/ref>
Career
He was a city of London merchant and a member of the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers. He was one of the court assistants with the Levant Company from 1651 to 1653 and from 1655 to 1656. On 18 December 1655 he was elected an alderman of the City of London for Dowgate
Dowgate, also referred to as ''Downgate'' and ''Downegate'', is a small ward in the City of London, the historic and financial centre of London. The ward is bounded to the east by Swan Lane and Laurence Poutney Lane, to the south by the River Th ...
ward. He was Master of the Clothworkers Company in 1656. He was Sheriff of London
Two sheriffs are elected annually for the City of London by the Liverymen of the City livery companies. Today's sheriffs have only nominal duties, but the historical officeholders had important judicial responsibilities. They have attended the ju ...
from 1657 to 1658. In 1658 he became alderman for Cripplegate
Cripplegate was a gate in the London Wall which once enclosed the City of London.
The gate gave its name to the Cripplegate ward of the City which straddles the line of the former wall and gate, a line which continues to divide the ward into ...
ward. He became a Colonel of the Green Regiment in 1659, holding the position until 1680.[ 'Chronological list of aldermen: 1601-1650', The Aldermen of the City of London: Temp. Henry III - 1912 (1908), pp. 47-75. Date accessed: 16 July 2011]
/ref>
In 1660 Robinson was elected Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
for the City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...
in the Convention Parliament.[History of Parliament Online- Robinson, John]
/ref> He was knighted on 26 May 1660, and on 22 June 1660 he was made a baronet
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...
. He was Lieutenant of the Tower of London
The Lieutenant of the Tower of London serves directly under the Constable of the Tower. The office has been appointed at least since the 13th century. There were formerly many privileges, immunities and perquisites attached to the office. Like the ...
from 1660 to 1680 and became vice-president of the Honourable Artillery Company
The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) is a reserve regiment in the British Army. Incorporated by royal charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII, it is the oldest regiment in the British Army and is considered the second-oldest military unit in the w ...
in 1660.[
In 1661 Robinson was elected MP for Rye in the ]Cavalier Parliament
The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from 8 May 1661 until 24 January 1679. It was the longest English Parliament, and longer than any Great British or UK Parliament to date, enduring for nearly 18 years of the quarter-century reign of C ...
.[ He became president of the Honourable Artillery Company in 1661 and remained until 1680. In 1662 he was elected ]Lord Mayor of London
The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional pow ...
. In 1663 he became alderman for Tower
A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures.
Towers are specifi ...
ward. He was on the committee of the East India Company from 1666 to 1667, from 1668 to 1674, and from 1675 to 1677, In 1670 he became deputy-governor of the Hudson's Bay Company.[
]
Reputation
Samuel Pepys wrote of Robinson as "a talking bragging bufflehead . . . . as very a coxcomb as I would have thought had been in the City . . . . nor hath he brains to outwit any ordinary tradesman". However an account of the aldermen in 1672 said "he hath been most industrious in the civill government of the cittie, watchfull to prevent anything that might reflect any prejudice or dishonour upon the King's government, happy in dispatch of businesse, to the great contentment of the people."[
]
Succession
Robinson was succeeded by Sir John Robinson, 2nd Baronet.
References
*
Notes
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, John
1615 births
1680 deaths
17th-century English merchants
Robinson baronets, of London
Lieutenants of the Tower of London
Lord-Lieutenants of the Tower Hamlets
Members of the Parliament of England for the City of London
English MPs 1660
English MPs 1661–1679
17th-century lord mayors of London
Directors of the British East India Company
Hudson's Bay Company people