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Grocers’ Company, London; and a personal application at that 
Company’s Hall for information about William Robinson having 
been met with the utmost courtesy and attention, it was ascertained 
that the William Robinson who left a benefaction to Topcliffe 
Grammar School, as mentioned in my former paper, was another 
and earlier man, and a native of Topcliffe. The information 
obtained about the benefactor of Penrith was, that his will was 
dated August oth, 1661, and proved on the 2oth of the same 
month, thus fixing the time of his death within a few days. Then 
with a view to ascertaining his age at death, so as if possible to 
find the entry of his baptism in the Penrith registers, the registers 
and monuments of his parish church, St. Dunstan’s, in the east of 
London, were searched; but of the munificent grocer no trace 
could be found. 
However, with the ascertained date of the proving of his will, I 
soon had the satisfaction of perusing that document in its entirety 
at Somerset House. From it we learn that he was an owner of 
property in Penrith, which property he bequeathed to his sister 
Barbara, wife of John Stephenson of Penrith, besides considerable 
money bequests to her and her son William and daughter Mabel, 
the latter then living with him at London; both nephew and neice 
being minors. Other legacies were left to his cousins Richard 
and Thomas Bresby of Penrith, also to his cousin John Stephenson 
of the Nuke (Nook), Penrith, and others, all of whom can be 
identified in the Penrith registers, as also can the place-name 
“Nuke.” 
William Robinson’s place in the registers cannot be determined 
with certainty, in consequence of the very numerous Robinson 
entries at that period. But I take him to be the William, son of 
Thomas Robinson, baptized August 29th, 1613, the said Thomas 
being no doubt the Thomas Robinson who in 1606 married Mabel 
Bresby, aunt, we may suppose, of William Robinson’s cousins 
Richard and Thomas Bresby, to whom he left the legacies men- 
tioned in his will. 
