William Robinson

Sir William Robinson PC(I) (May 1644 – October 1712) was a British architect, military engineer and politician. He held several posts in the Dublin Castle administration, including as Surveyor General of Ireland from 1671 until 1700. He was an influential figure in the development of classical architecture in Ireland, designing many buildings in the English Baroque style, particularly in Dublin. Towards the end of his life, Robinson was implicated in several financial scandals. for some time its design was erroneously attributed to Sir Christopher Wren. In 1682 Robinson oversaw the construction of Ormond Bridge in Dublin. In 1684 he was appointed auditor and registrar of the Royal Hospital. On 31 October 1684 his patent as surveyor general was renewed again, although this time he shared the appointment with William Molyneux, who paid Robinson £250 in return for a half-share of the patent. In 1686 Robsinson undertook the reconstruction of St. Michan's Church, Dublin. In 1693, he became commissioner for stating the accounts of the army. That same year his portrait was painted by Godfrey Kneller. In 1695, he was elected to sit for Wicklow. In parliament he served on numerous committees. He rebuilt the old Four Courts on St. Michael's Hill in 1695. He was a signatory of the Association of 1696. After 1697, he became one of the commissioners for the Ormond estates, and was also appointed governor of the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham. He resigned as surveyor general on health grounds in April 1700; he was replaced by Thomas de Burgh.

On 19 June 1702, Robinson was knighted and he was appointed to the Privy Council of Ireland the same year. His final major architectural work came in 1703, when he designed Marsh's Library. In 1703, he was elected as the MP for Dublin University. In April and June of that year, he purchased forfeited former Jacobite lands in County Carlow and County Louth. In October 1703 he was accused of fraud in parliament after allegedly misrepresenting the extent of the public debt, causing a major financial scandal. On 16 October 1703 he narrowly avoided expulsion from parliament; a subsequent resolution stated his unfitness for public employment. He was briefly imprisoned in Dublin Castle, but was released on 27 November after the matter was investigated. In 1706 he left Ireland and returned to England amidst allegations of defrauding the army's clothing accounts and extorting its suppliers; in 1709 he was found to have defrauded other moneys intended for maintenance purposes.

On 18 January 1677, Robinson had married Margery Tooke (d.1708) of Hertfordshire. Robinson, who had no children, died in October 1712, and was buried in St Martin-in-the-Fields, London. He owned residences in Carlow, Dublin, Lancashire, and Surrey, and at the time of his death was reputedly worth in excess of £50,000.

List of works by William Robinson St. Mary's Abbey, Dublin (1676) – partial demolition Essex Bridge (1676) Charles Fort (1677–82) Chichester House (1677–78) Lismore Cathedral (1679) Ormonde Bridge (1682) Dublin Castle (prior to 1685) Chapelizod House (prior to 1685) St. Michan's Church, Dublin (1686) Old Four Courts, Winetavern Street (1695) Royal Hospital Kilmainham (1679–87) St Mary's Church, Mary Street, Dublin (1700–01) Marsh's Library (1705)

Gallery of major works