356 Obituary Notices of Fellows deceased. 



ISAAC EOBEETS. 18291904. 



William Roberts, the father of Isaac, was married in 1825. Like 

 his father before him, William was a farmer, and he lived at Groesback, 

 near Denbigh. It was here that Isaac was born, January 27, 1829. 

 Though Isaac, while yet in his childhood, ceased to reside in Wales, 

 he retained throughout his life his knowledge of the Welsh language? 

 which he spoke and wrote fluently. It may also be mentioned here 

 that all his life Isaac was passionately attached to music, as well as to 

 science. No doubt the second purchase he made out of his savings was 

 a microscope, but the first was a piano. He had an excellent bass 

 voice, and in after years became an enthusiastic practising member of 

 the Liverpool Philharmonic Choral Society. 



On November 12, 1844, Isaac Roberts was bound as an apprentice 

 for seven years to the firm of John Johnson & Son, Builders and Lime 

 Burners in Liverpool & firm established sixty years previously, with a 

 reputation for good building and prosperity. Mr. Peter Robinson (the 

 father of Isaac Roberts' future partner) had been with that firm for 

 30 years, and in 1847 was admitted a partner, so that Roberts 

 completed his apprenticeship with the new firm of Johnson & Robinson. 

 From serving an apprenticeship with freemen, Roberts became a free- 

 man of the City of Liverpool. He was remarkable for his industry 

 and desire for information, and was cited as an example for imitation 

 by the other apprentices. He was by nature a student, and did not 

 care for many of the usual amusements of young people. His evenings 

 were passed at the school of the Mechanics' Institute in Liverpool. 

 For his master, Peter Robinson, Roberts had a deep admiration, and 

 tried to imitate his many excellences. 



Peter Robinson died in 1855, and Roberts was then made manager 

 of the business of the firm. In 1856 the other partner, John Johnson, 

 died, and Roberts was engaged to wind up the contracts and affairs of 

 the firm. In 1859 Roberts began business in a small way as a hard- 

 working builder in Liverpool, and was very persevering, and in 1862 

 Mr. J. J. Robinson, son of Peter Robinson, joined him as partner, and 

 the firm became Roberts & Robinson. It is to this partner, the 

 lifelong intimate friend of Roberts, that I am indebted for these 

 particulars. 



The first contract of the firm was the construction of the Birkenhead 

 Water Works, situate on Flaybrick Hill, Cheshire, and this was 

 followed by an important undertaking for the Liverpool Gas Company. 

 The contractor for the erection of the Lime Street Station Hotel, at 

 Liverpool, belonging to the London and North- Western Railway Com- 

 pany entrusted the carrying out of the brickwork and mason's work to 



