William Robson

Born in Surrey in 1785 or 1786, William Robson was educated at Chertsey and began his career as a teacher. He later became headmaster of Chingford Lodge Academy in Edmonton, and through his friendship with the publisher John Taylor he found a place on the edges of London’s lively literary world, in the same orbit as The London Magazine.

After financial setbacks as a schoolmaster, Robson devoted himself more fully to writing. He produced works such as The Walk, or the Pleasures of Literary Associations, The Old Playgoer, and The Life of Cardinal Richelieu. He also translated major French authors into English, including Joseph François Michaud, Alexandre Dumas, and Balzac.

Robson’s later years were difficult, and he died in poverty on November 17, 1863. Even so, his career shows the range of a hardworking Victorian man of letters: teacher, biographer, translator, and observer of the stage and literary life around him.