Captain Mark Robinson Junior

The copy of the 1805 Times was not however the only old newspaper taking up space in Harold Eldridge’s boxfile. There was also an original copy of the Morning Advertiser for Saturday February 8th, 1794. 

Scouring this newspaper for items of family significance revealed only the following short item of news for February 6th in Portsmouth:

Sailed out of harbour, the Niger of 32 guns, Captain Legge, and Brilliant, of 28 guns, Captain Robinson, to Spithead.

This was Captain Mark Robinson (1754-1834). The obituary of Mark tells us that:

From the 1799 Naval Chronicle

Admiral Mark Robinson attained the rank of Commander prior to the conclusion of the first American war; and after serving in that capacity on board the Trimmersloop was advanced to Post-rank 21 Sept. 1790. He commanded the Brilliant frigate at the reduction of Calvi, in Corsica, in 1794; the Arethusa 38, in Sir John Borlase Warren’s expedition against Quiberon in 1795; the Swiftsure 74, alluded to in our Memoir of his son; the Royal Sovereign 100, as Flag-Captain to Sir Rich. Bickerton in the Mediterranean during Lord Nelson’s pursuit of the combined squadrons to the West Indies; and subsequently the Gibraltar 80. He became a Rear-Admiral 28 April, 1808, a Vice-Admiral 12 Aug. 1818, and a full Admiral 27 May, 1825. He died 21 Feb. 1834, at Freshfield, near Bath, aged 80.

It was at Calvi in August 1794, that Nelson was to lose one of his eyes. Mark meanwhile, as the obituary reports, had an illustrious career which ended with his appointment as a full admiral. He had just one son, Thomas Pitt Robinson.

Was this then, a relative of the Robinsons of Farmer Street, Shadwell, and that brief snippet of information in the Morning Advertiser the reason the paper was so carefully folded up and kept?