George Robinson (swindler)
Encyclopedia
George Robinson was an English stockbroker and swindler in the 1720s and early 1730s. A banker in Lombard Street
, he was appointed the circulating cashier of the Charitable Corporation
. He and several officers of the Corporation obtained money from it by pawning false pledges, and proceeded to engage in a large scale speculation in the shares of that company and York Buildings Company
, also borrowing against the shares purchased so that his partners failed to get what they bought.
Robinson obtained a seat in the House of Commons
, but was unable to sit before the affair began to come to light. He fled to France with John Thomson
, the warehouse-keeper, in October 1731. They were both declared bankrupt. Robinson was back by 25 November and appeared before the General Court of the Company. By 18 December, he was in hiding again because the Company would not supersede the Commission of bankruptcy against him. He had "seen fit to absent himself from the kingdom", according to William Goostry, his attorney. Robinson was expelled from the House in absentia on 3 April 1732 for "indirect and fraudulent Practices in the Affairs of the Charitable Corporation, and for having never attended the Service of the House, although required to do so".
His estate at Moor Place, Great Marlow (with a farmhouse, 300 acres (1.2 km²) of land and 230 acre (0.9307778 km²) of woods) was advertised for sale in January 1734. An earlier advertisement had also mentioned Temple Mills and a lock
at Great Marlow
. However, the bankruptcy proceedings continued for over 15 more years, a dividend being declared from his estate in 1748. As an Act of Parliament has been passed making him a felon
if he did not return by a certain date, it it likely that he remained abroad for the rest of his life. Thomson returned after the Act was amended to extend the time for him doing so.
Lombard Street, London
Lombard Street is a street in the City of London.It runs from the corner of the Bank of England at its north-west end, where it meets a major junction including Poultry, King William Street, and Threadneedle Street, south-east to Gracechurch Street....
, he was appointed the circulating cashier of the Charitable Corporation
Charitable Corporation
The Charitable Corporation was an institution in Britain intended to provide loans at low interest to the deserving poor, including by large-scale pawnbroking. It was established by charter in 1707. Its full title was "Charitable Corporation for the relief of the industrious poor by assisting them...
. He and several officers of the Corporation obtained money from it by pawning false pledges, and proceeded to engage in a large scale speculation in the shares of that company and York Buildings Company
York Buildings Company
The York Buildings Company was an English company in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.-Waterworks:The full name of the company was The Governor and Company for raising the Thames Water at York Buildings...
, also borrowing against the shares purchased so that his partners failed to get what they bought.
Robinson obtained a seat in the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, but was unable to sit before the affair began to come to light. He fled to France with John Thomson
John Thomson (fraudster)
John Thomson was warehousekeeper to the Charitable Corporation, but participated in a fraudulent scheme that deproved it of the bulk of its assets.- Charitable Corporation :...
, the warehouse-keeper, in October 1731. They were both declared bankrupt. Robinson was back by 25 November and appeared before the General Court of the Company. By 18 December, he was in hiding again because the Company would not supersede the Commission of bankruptcy against him. He had "seen fit to absent himself from the kingdom", according to William Goostry, his attorney. Robinson was expelled from the House in absentia on 3 April 1732 for "indirect and fraudulent Practices in the Affairs of the Charitable Corporation, and for having never attended the Service of the House, although required to do so".
His estate at Moor Place, Great Marlow (with a farmhouse, 300 acres (1.2 km²) of land and 230 acre (0.9307778 km²) of woods) was advertised for sale in January 1734. An earlier advertisement had also mentioned Temple Mills and a lock
Lock (water transport)
A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
at Great Marlow
Great Marlow
Great Marlow is a civil parish within Wycombe district in the English county of Buckinghamshire located north of the town of Marlow and south of High Wycombe. The parish includes the hamlets of Bovingdon Green, Burroughs Grove, Chisbridge Cross and Marlow Common, and Danesfield Base, a housing...
. However, the bankruptcy proceedings continued for over 15 more years, a dividend being declared from his estate in 1748. As an Act of Parliament has been passed making him a felon
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
if he did not return by a certain date, it it likely that he remained abroad for the rest of his life. Thomson returned after the Act was amended to extend the time for him doing so.