Brooke Robinson

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 was born at Dudley in 1836. He qualified as a solicitor in 1858.^[1]

He became county coroner for the Dudley district in 1860

Brooke Robinson first stood for Parliament at Dudley in 1885 when he was defeated by the long-established sitting MP, Henry Brinsley Sheridan. ^[2] 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. He made the decision not to stand for the 1906 election on health grounds. ^[3]

Brooke Robinson died in 1911.

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.^[4]

Parliamentary election results

General Election 1885 Dudley[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Henry Brinsley Sheridan	6,377
	Conservative	Brooke Robinson	5,211
Majority			1,166
	Liberal hold		Swing

1886 General Election: Dudley
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Brooke Robinson	6,475
	Liberal	Henry Brinsley Sheridan	4,545
Majority			1,930
	Conservative gain from Liberal		Swing

General Election 1892 Dudley[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Brooke Robinson	6,668
	Liberal	Hon. H. Spensley	5619
Majority			1,049
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1895 Dudley[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Brooke Robinson	6,536
	Liberal	C.J. Fleming	5,795
Majority			741
	Conservative hold		Swing

General Election 1900 Dudley[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Brooke Robinson	6461
	Liberal	W. Belcher	5876
Majority			585
	Conservative hold		Swing

References

1. "Brooke Robinson Collection". Dudley MBC. Dudley MBC. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
2. Vincent, J (1971). McCalmont's Parliamentary Poll Book (8th ed.). Brighton, UK: The Harvester Press. p. 72 (Section II). ISBN 0855270004.
3. "BROOKE ROBINSON MP AND HIS MUSEUM LEGACY". Black Country Bugle (Local World). 6 July 2006. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
4. "More about Brooke Robinson Museum". BBC -Your Paintings. BBC. Retrieved 14 August 2015.