Brooke Robinson

{{short description|British politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2016}} {{Use British English|date=August 2016}} '''Brooke Robinson''' (1836–1911) was a British Conservative Party politician, who was MP for Dudley and held a number of public posts including that of County Coroner for Dudley. He also was an art collector and benefactor whose legacy was the Town Hall and a museum in the town of Dudley.

==Biography==

Brooke Robinson, son of William Robinson and Harriet (née Johnson),<ref name="Brooke Robinson Museum"/> was born at Dudley on 11 September 1836. His unusual first name, Brooke, was the maiden name of one of his great-great-grandmothers and had subsequently been adopted as a given name by some of her descendants.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/86167-redirection|title=Genealogical memoirs of the family of Brooke Robinson of Dudley : together with the kindred families of Wood, Hector, Brooke, Persehouse, Saffery, and Johnson|last=Robinson|first=Brooke|year=1896|website=familysearch.org|publisher=Nichols and Sons|publication-place=London|access-date=2017-11-17}}</ref> Robinson was educated at Rugby.<ref name="Worcester">{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/cu31924030495141#page/n195/mode/2up|title=The parliamentary history of the county of Worcester|last=Williams|first=W.R.|year=1897|website=archive.org|page=184|publication-place=Hereford|access-date=2017-08-23}}</ref> He was admitted as an Attorney at Law and Solicitor in Chancery in 1857.<ref name="Worcester"/> He practiced in Dudley until 1874.

He was elected unopposed as county coroner for the Dudley district on 9 August 1860 at a special County Court held at the New Town Hall, Dudley.<ref name="Coronership">{{cite news |title=The Coronership |work=Worcestershire Chronicle |volume=23|issue=1,182|page=3|date=15 August 1860}}</ref> His father, William Robinson, had been the previous holder of the post.<ref name="Aris The Coronership">{{cite news |title=The Coronership |work=Aris's Birmingham Gazette |volume=119|issue=6195|page=5|date=4 August 1860}}</ref>

Robinson married Eugenia Collis, the daughter of George Richard Collis of Stourton Castle, on 10 March 1870.<ref name="Worcester"/>

He was a lieutenant in the Worcestershire Yeomanry between 1871 and 1877.<ref name="Worcester"/>

Brooke Robinson first stood for Parliament at Dudley in 1885 when he was defeated by the long-established sitting MP, Henry Brinsley Sheridan.<ref name=McCalmont>{{cite book|last1=Vincent|first1=J|title=McCalmont's Parliamentary Poll Book|date=1971|publisher=The Harvester Press|location=Brighton, UK|isbn=0855270004|page=72 (Section II)|edition=8th}}</ref> Subsequently, however, he was elected four times as MP for Dudley: in 1886, 1892, 1895 and 1900. He represented the Conservative Party during this time. Robinson was the first local man to be elected as MP for Dudley since Thomas Hawkes resigned the position in 1844. Local Tories emphasized this with the slogan 'A Dudley man for Dudley'.<ref name="Elites"/> Robinson was a supporter of an 8 hour working day, free education, reform of the Poor Law and industrial arbitration.<ref name="Elites">{{cite book|last1=Trainor|first1=Richard|title=Black Country Elites|date=1993|publisher=Clarendon Press|location=Oxford|isbn=0198203551|pages=222–230}}</ref>

He made the decision not to stand for the 1906 election on health grounds.<ref name= "Bugle">{{cite news|title=BROOKE ROBINSON MP AND HIS MUSEUM LEGACY|url=http://www.blackcountrybugle.co.uk/BROOKE-ROBINSON-MP-MUSEUM-LEGACY/story-20122635-detail/story.html|access-date=20 August 2015|work=Black Country Bugle|publisher=Local World|date=6 July 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923191606/http://www.blackcountrybugle.co.uk/BROOKE-ROBINSON-MP-MUSEUM-LEGACY/story-20122635-detail/story.html|archive-date=23 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Brooke Robinson died on 20 October 1911 at his home, Barford House,<ref>{{Cite news|title=Mr. Brooke Robinson|date=23 October 1911|work=Times}}</ref> which is near Warwick, and was buried at St Thomas’s Church, Dudley.<ref name= "Bugle"/>

==Legacy==

Brooke Robinson left a sum of money as well as his collection of art, furniture, ceramics, and other items for the benefit of the town of Dudley. The money was eventually used to construct the Town Hall, a Coroner's Court and a museum.<ref name="Brooke Robinson Museum">{{cite web|title=More about Brooke Robinson Museum|url=https://artuk.org/search/search/search/keyword:brooke-robinson-museum|website=BBC -Your Paintings|publisher=Art UK|access-date=14 August 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101393884-the-town-hall-coroners-court-former-sessions-court-and-brooke-robinson-museum-st-jamess-ward#.WaBB_fsrKM8|title=The Town Hall, Coroner's Court, Former Sessions Court and Brooke Robinson Museum, St James's, Dudley|website=www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk|access-date=2017-08-25}}</ref> The museum, known as the Brooke Robinson Museum, opened on 18 May 1931.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.blackcountryhistory.org/collections/getrecord/GB145_Z22/|title=BROOKE ROBINSON MUSEUM|website=blackcountryhistory.org|language=en|access-date=2017-08-25}}</ref> In 1979, the museum trustees agreed to the collection being moved to the Dudley Museum and Art Gallery.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Dudley Through Time|last=Glews|first=Peter|publisher=Amberley Publishing|year=2009|isbn=9781848686212|location=Stroud}}</ref>

==Parliamentary election results==

{{Election box begin | title=General election 1885 Dudley<ref name=McCalmont/>}}

{{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Liberal Party (UK) |candidate = Henry Brinsley Sheridan |votes =6,377 |percentage = |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Conservative Party (UK) |candidate = Brooke Robinson |votes =5,211 |percentage = |change = }} {{Election box majority| |votes = 1,166 |percentage = |change = }}

{{Election box hold with party link| |winner = Liberal Party (UK) |loser = Conservative Party (UK) |swing = }} {{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin | title=1886 General Election: Dudley}} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Conservative Party (UK) |candidate = Brooke Robinson |votes = 6,475 |percentage = |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Liberal Party (UK) |candidate = Henry Brinsley Sheridan |votes = 4,545 |percentage = |change = }} {{Election box majority| |votes = 1,930 |percentage = |change = }} {{Election box gain with party link| |winner = Conservative Party (UK) |loser = Liberal Party (UK) |swing = }}

{{Election box begin | title=General election 1892 Dudley<ref name=McCalmont/>}} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Conservative Party (UK) |candidate = Brooke Robinson |votes =6,668 |percentage = |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Liberal Party (UK) |candidate = Hon. Howard Spensley |votes =5619 |percentage = |change = }}

{{Election box majority| |votes = 1,049 |percentage = |change = }}

{{Election box hold with party link| |winner = Conservative Party (UK) |loser = Liberal Party (UK) |swing = }} {{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin | title=General election 1895 Dudley<ref name=McCalmont/>}} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Conservative Party (UK) |candidate = Brooke Robinson |votes =6,536 |percentage = |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Liberal Party (UK) |candidate = C.J. Fleming |votes =5,795 |percentage = |change = }}

{{Election box hold with party link| |winner = Conservative Party (UK) |loser = Liberal Party (UK) |swing = }} {{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin | title=General election 1900 Dudley<ref name=McCalmont/>}} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Conservative Party (UK) |candidate = Brooke Robinson |votes =6461 |percentage = |change = }} {{Election box candidate with party link| |party = Liberal Party (UK) |candidate = W. Belcher |votes =5876 |percentage = |change = }}

{{Election box hold with party link| |winner = Conservative Party (UK) |loser = Liberal Party (UK) |swing = }} {{Election box end}}

==References== {{reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{s-par|uk}} {{s-bef | before = Henry Brinsley Sheridan }} {{s-ttl | title = Member of Parliament for Dudley | years = 1886 – 1906 }} {{s-aft | after = Arthur George Hooper }} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Brooke}} Category:1836 births Category:1911 deaths Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Category:People from Dudley Category:19th-century English philanthropists