Robinson , Henry Crabb , 1775-1867 , diarist

Henry Crabb Robinson was born at Bury St Edmunds on 13 March 1775. After education at small private schools, he was articled in 1790 to an attorney at Colchester. Coming into an inheritance in 1798 he went travelling, mainly in Germany, and acquired a thorough knowledge of the German language. He settled at Jena and entered the University there on 20 October 1802. He left Jena in the autumn of 1805 and returned to England. He took a post at The Times as a correspondent, which involved him travelling a good deal. In 1809 he joined the Middle Temple and was called to the Bar on 8 May 1813. He joined the Norfolk circuit. In 1828 he retired. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1829. He died at the age of 91 in London. Apart from his posthumous Diary, letters and memoranda, Robinson wrote little that is noteworthy, but he had acquired the friendship of the most notable men in the United Kingdom, France and Germany. He was involved in founding the Athenaeum Club and University College London.