Richard Robinson, 1st Baron Rokeby (1708 - 1794) was an Irish ecclesiastic.
Robinson came to Ireland as chaplain to the Duke of Dorset in 1751. He was translated from the See of Kildare to the Archbishopric of Armagh in 1765.
In 1777 he was created Baron Rokeby in the Peerage of Ireland.
In 1774 he founded the County Infirmary. In 1780 he gifted land for the erection of a new prison and in 1778 he founded the Public Library. In 1790 he founded the Armagh Observatory as part of his plan for a university in Armagh. He died on 10 October 1794. His cousin Matthew Robinson, a noted eccentric, inherited his title.
Robert Walpole called Robinson 'a proud but superficial man'. John Wesley accused him of being more interested in buildings than in the care of souls.
Church of Ireland titles | ||
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Preceded by Mordecai Cary |
Bishop of Killala and Achonry 1752–1759 |
Succeeded by Samuel Hutchinson |
Preceded by Thomas Salmon |
Bishop of Ferns and Leighlin 1759–1761 |
Succeeded by Charles Jackson |
Preceded by Thomas Fletcher |
Bishop of Kildare 1761–1765 |
Succeeded by Charles Jackson |
Preceded by George Stone |
Archbishop of Armagh 1765–1794 |
Succeeded by William Newcome |
Peerage of Ireland | ||
New creation | Baron Rokeby 1777–1794 |
Succeeded by Matthew Robinson |
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