Joseph Robson was an 18th-century

stonemason Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. It is one of the oldest activities and professions in human history. Many of the long-lasting, ancient shelters, temples, ...

, surveyor and author, best known for writing about the decades he spent constructing forts for the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trade, fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake b ...

. Robson's place and date of birth are unknown. It is known he came to Hudson's Bay in 1733, and spent three years building the stone fort at

Prince of Wales Fort The Prince of Wales Fort is a historic bastion fort on Hudson Bay across the Churchill River from Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. History The European history of this area starts with Henry Hudson sailing into Hudson Bay in 1610. The area was r ...

, and returned in 1744, for another three-year stint, first at

York Factory York Factory was a settlement and Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) factory (trading post) located on the southwestern shore of Hudson Bay in northeastern Manitoba, Canada, at the mouth of the Hayes River, approximately south-southeast of Churchill. ...

, where he held the position of ''"Surveyor and Supervisor of the Buildings"'', and then back at

Fort Prince of Wales The Prince of Wales Fort is a historic bastion fort on Hudson Bay across the Churchill River (Hudson Bay), Churchill River from Churchill, Manitoba, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. History The European history of this area starts with Henry Hudso ...

. Robson surveyed the lower reaches of the

Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from 1 ...

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

and Hayes rivers. After Robson returned to the United Kingdom, Robert Pilgrim the factor (ie governor), would describe Robson's conflict with him amounted to a ''"near-mutiny"''. In 1749 Robson testified before a Parliamentary Committee. In 1752 Robson published his account of his time working in the Hudson's Bay Company's outposts on Hudson's Bay. Historians view his memoirs as particularly valuable. In 1763 he published a second book, on ''The British Mars'', on building fortifications.

References

{{Authority control Robson, Joseph Robson, Joseph Robson, Joseph