John Roland Robinson, 1st Baron Martonmere, (22 February 1907 – 3 May 1989) was a British Conservative Party politician who was a Member of Parliament from 1931 to 1964. Subsequently, he served as

Governor of Bermuda The governor of Bermuda (officially Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Somers Isles (alias the Islands of Bermuda)) is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Bermuda. For the purposes of this arti ...

from 1964 to 1972.

Early life

Robinson was born on 22 February 1907. He was the son of solicitor Roland Walkden Robinson of

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

and the former Mary Collier Pritchard, a daughter of Joseph Pritchard, also of Blackpool. He was educated at

Trinity Hall, Cambridge Trinity Hall (formally The College or Hall of the Holy Trinity in the University of Cambridge, colloquially "Tit Hall" ) is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1350, it is th ...

, and was called to the Bar at

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

in 1929.

Career

Robinson was elected at the 1931 general election as Member of Parliament (MP) for

Widnes Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2021–2022 United Kingdom censuses, 2021 census had a population of 62,400. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, ...

, a seat he held until

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...

, when he was elected for

. He held that seat until the constituency was divided at the 1945 election, when he was elected for Blackpool South, holding that seat until he retired from the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, 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 ...

at the 1964 general election. Robinson never held ministerial office, but he was Chairman of the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Commonwealth Affairs Committee in the House of Commons from 1954 to 1964. He was knighted in 1954, and admitted in 1962 to the Privy Council. In 1964, he was raised to the peerage as

Baron Martonmere Baron Martonmere, of Blackpool in the County Palatine of Lancaster, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1964 for Roland Robinson, 1st Baron Martonmere, Sir Roland Robinson, a Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Par ...

, of Blackpool in the

County Palatine of Lancaster Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

. During the latter year, he was also appointed as

, a post he held until 1972. He was further honoured when he was awarded a in 1966 and a GBE in 1973.

Personal life

In 1930, Robinson was married to Maysie Gasque, daughter of Clarence Warren Gasque. After moving to

Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...

, they spent summers at Romay House in Tucker's Town and winters at

Lyford Cay Lyford Cay is a private gated community located on the western tip of New Providence island in the Bahamas. The former cay that lent its name to the community is named after Captain William Lyford Jr., a mariner of note in Colonial and Revolutio ...

Nassau, Bahamas Nassau ( ) is the capital and largest city of The Bahamas. It is on the island of New Providence, which had a population of 246,329 in 2010, or just over 70% of the entire population of The Bahamas. As of April 2023, the preliminary results of ...

. They had one son and one daughter: * Richard Robinson (1935–1979), who married Wendy Patricia Blagden, a daughter of James Cecil Blagden of Bapchild Court, in 1959. * Loretta Robinson (1939–2022), who married Edward S. Rogers Jr., a Canadian businessman who founded

Rogers Communications Rogers Communications Inc. is a Canadian communications and media company operating primarily in the fields of wireless communications, cable television, telephony and Internet, with significant additional telecommunications and mass media ass ...

, in 1963. Robinson died at his home in

(Nassau, Bahamas) in May 1989, at the age of 82. He was succeeded in the Barony of Martonmere by his grandson, John Stephen Robinson (b. 1963).

Descendants

Through his daughter Loretta, he was a grandfather of Lisa Anne Rogers (adopted), Edward S. Rogers III, Melinda Mary Rogers, and Martha Loretta Rogers.

Arms

References

External links

Cracroft's Peerage page
*
John Roland Robinson, 1st Baron Martonmere
at

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London that houses a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. When it opened in 1856, it was arguably the first national public gallery in the world th ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martonmere, Roland Robinson, 1st Baron 1907 births 1989 deaths Robinson, Roland Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Robinson, Roland Robinson, Roland Robinson, Roland Robinson, Roland Robinson, Roland Robinson, Roland Robinson, Roland UK MPs who were granted peerages Governors of Bermuda Alumni of Trinity Hall, Cambridge 1 Hereditary barons created by Elizabeth II Members of Lincoln's Inn