Elisha Smith Robinson (1817–1885) was an English businessman and politician.

Early life and business career

Robinson was born in 1817 in

Overbury Overbury is a village and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, midway between Evesham and Tewkesbury south of Bredon Hill. The manor of Overbury was purchased by the banking family of Martin in the 18th century from the Parsons family, mem ...

, on the Worcestershire-Gloucestershire borders where his father Edward Robinson, a paper maker, lived in Silver Rill House. He was apprenticed to his maternal grandfather, Rev. Elisha Smith, a grocer and Baptist Minister in

Blockley Blockley is a village, Civil parish#United Kingdom, civil parish and Parish, ecclesiastical parish in the Cotswold (district), Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England, about northwest of Moreton-in-Marsh. Until 1931 Blockley was an Encl ...

and

Chipping Camden Chipping Campden is a market town in the Cotswold (district), Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. It is notable for its terraced High Street, dating from the 14th to the 17th centuries. A wool trading centre in the Middle Ages, Chipp ...

. In 1840, his father was threatening to replace him within the family business with a Londoner, so he moved to

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

with the help of a small loan. He founded his own printing and packaging business, E. S. & A. Robinson, in 1844. Within 20 years, his firm was the largest buyer of paper in the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

Family

In 1845 he married Elizabeth Ring, with whom he had eight children; she died in 1871. Soon afterwards, he married Louisa Thomas, who died in 1875.

Political career

Robinson became mayor of

in 1866. He was elected as a Liberal Member of Parliament for

Bristol (UK Parliament constituency) Bristol was a two-member constituency, used to elect members to the British House of Commons, House of Commons in the Parliaments of England (to 1707), Great Britain (1707–1800), and the United Kingdom (from 1801). The constituency existed unt ...

in 1870, but was unseated on a technicality. He stood again as an independent in 1880. He had a belligerent attitude to politics; he published his pledges in his own broadsheet, ''The Redcliffe Review'', and was satirized in local cartoons. He served as a Justice of the Peace, as well as chairman of the Bristol Port Railway and Pier (now Severn Beach Line), and president of the Grateful Society in 1880. He was also the president of the

Anchor Society The Anchor Society CIO is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation based in Bristol, England which supports older people in need in the Bristol and Bath, Somerset, Bath region (BS, BA and GL Postcodes). Its work primarily centres around grants to ...

in Bristol in 1859.

Death and memorials

He died in 1885 at Ivy Towers, Sneyd Park, a house he designed. A memorial sermon preached by Reverend Richard Glover at Tyndale Baptist Church was published. He was memorialized in several locations. The foundation stone on the front of Chipping Campden Baptist Church reads "This stone was laid by Elisha Smith Robinson Esq - of Bristol on the 19th June 1872" There is relief at

Bristol Beacon Bristol Beacon, previously Colston Hall, is a concert hall and Grade II listed building on Colston Street, Bristol, England. It is owned by Bristol City Council. Since 2011, it has been managed by Bristol Music Trust. The hall opened as a con ...

, of which he was a founder and benefactor. There is also a monument at

Arnos Vale Cemetery Arnos Vale Cemetery () (also written Arno's Vale Cemetery), in Arnos Vale, Bristol, England, was established in 1837. Its first burial was in 1839. The cemetery followed a joint-stock model, funded by shareholders. It was laid out as an Arcad ...

His family and cricket

Robinson's interest in cricket was inspired by two of his brothers:- *Philip Robinson 1830-1886 founder of

Robinson & Co Robinsons Department Stores Online Pte Ltd (formerly known as Robinsons & Co. Pte Ltd) is an online retail company based in Singapore. The company owned Robinsons department stores in Singapore and Malaysia, which closed in 2021. It also oper ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

and *John Robinson 1820-1886 founder of John Robinsons of Gloucester. In 1878 Charles Parnell of West Town Cricket Club near Bristol proposed to Alfred Robinson, John's son, that he assemble a team to play on the August Bank Holiday. Alfred responded with a team made up entirely of Robinsons. From that day until 1964 Robinsons fielded a cricket XI on that bank holiday against various teams including one made up entirely of Graces in 1891. Robinson first class cricketers descended from Elisha include:- * Arthur Robinson, son of Elisha, 1855-1913 played for Gloucestershire. *Percy Gotch Robinson, grandson, 1881–1951, played for Gloucestershire. * Douglas C Robinson, grandson, 1884–1963, captained Gloucestershire, played for Essex, Marylebone Cricket Club, Gentlemen of England and England in 1924 *Vivian Robinson, grandson, 1897–1979, played for Gloucestershire,

High Sheriff of Bristol This is a list of civic sheriffs and high sheriffs of the County of the City of Bristol, England. The office of high sheriff is over 1,000 years old, with its establishment before the Norman Conquest. The high sheriff remained first in precedence ...

1936 * Foster Robinson, Grandson, 1880–1957, played for London County and Gloucestershire, Chairman of * E. S. & A. Robinson * Crescens Robinson (1864-1941) an English first class cricketer, great nephew. *

Theodore Robinson Theodore Robinson (June 3, 1852April 2, 1896) was an American painter best known for his Impressionist landscapes. He was one of the first American artists to take up Impressionism in the late 1880s, visiting Giverny and developing a close frien ...

(1866-1959) an English first class cricketer, great nephew. Other notable descendants include:- Edward Robinson 1853-1935 was the third son of Elisha Smith Robinson; Lord Mayor of Bristol in 1908. Chairman & managing director E. S. & A. Robinson, Vice chairman of the Bristol Chamber of Commerce, President of the

in 1887, appointed a magistrate in 1889, Vice chairman of the Bristol South Liberal Association.

Arnold Wathen Robinson Arnold Wathen Robinson RWA, FMGP (1888–1955) was an English stained-glass artist. Although Robinson's family, on the paternal and maternal side were involved in local government, he sought a career as a stained-glass artist. During World ...

(1888–1955) an English stained-glass artist, grandson. Thomas Robinson (1827-1897) an English corn merchant and Liberal politician, cousin.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Elisha Smith 1817 births 1885 deaths Mayors of Bristol English industrialists English Baptists People from Wychavon (district) Businesspeople from Bristol 19th-century Baptists 19th-century English businesspeople Burials at Arnos Vale Cemetery