Transcript

of

Joseph Fletcher Robinson. [Obituary]

Trans. Devon. Assoc. vol. XXXVI, (1904), p. 39.

by

J. Brooking-Rowe (Ed.)

The obituary was read at the Association’s July 1904 Teignmouth meeting. Mr Fletcher Robinson was initially the founder of a general merchant business in Liverpool. Circa 1850, he travelled to South America and was there befriended by Giuseppe Garibaldi.  He fought with distinction in the Guerra Grande beside Garibaldi and the Uruguayans against the Argentine dictator, Juan Manuel de Rosas. His brother, Sir John Richard Robinson (1828–1903), was for many years editor-in-chief of the Daily News and a prominent committee member of the Liberal Reform Club.  Joseph Fletcher Robinson’s son Bertram became a celebrated journalist, editor, author and as well, an Ipplepen resident. He assisted Arthur Conan Doyle in writing The Hound of the Baskervilles' The obituary, from a copy of a rare and much sought-after journal can be downloaded from the Internet Archive. Google has sponsored the digitisation of books from several libraries. These books, on which copyright has expired, are available for free educational and research use, both as individual books and as full collections to aid researchers.

Joseph Fletcher Robinson. Joseph Fletcher Robinson was formerly in business in Liverpool, and was a brother of Sir John Robinson, late managing editor of the Daily News. He was a landowner in the parish of Ipplepen, and exceedingly kind to the poor, by whom he will be greatly missed, and was brought much into contact with them, having been for many years a member of the Newton Abbot Board of Guardians. Mr. Robinson was churchwarden of Ipplepen parish church for a long period up to the time of his death, and was chairman of the School Board to the time of its dissolution. He was also a member of the committee of Newton Abbot Hospital, in which institution he always took a great interest, and to which he was a liberal subscriber. In politics he was a strong Liberal, an active member of the Ipplepen Liberal Club, a personal friend of the late Charles Seale-Hayne, M.P., also a very close friend of Garibaldi. When Robinson was about twenty-five years of age he fought in the South American wars, and was wounded three times. Some of his adventures at this period were very stirring. Once he rode alone from Buenos Ayres to Santiago, and at that time the feat was considered a remarkable one. From the time he was twenty until he was about thirty years of age he was in South America, and took part in several exploring expeditions down the west coast. Twenty-two years ago he retired from business, and purchased Park Hill Estate at Ipplepen, where he resided till his death. He became a member in 1884. Mr. Robinson died 11th August, 1903, aged seventy-eight years.