Sir Hercules George Robinson (1824–1897)
Lord Rosmead, formerly Sir Hercules George Robert Robinson, died suddenly last night. Hercules Robinson—he was only given a peerage last year—was among the best known of Australian governors. After a military training he had a coaching in home administration during the Irish famine, and then was successively Governor or Lieuteuant-Governor of Montserrat, Leeward Islands, Hong Kong, Ceylon, New South Wales ('72 to '79), New Zealand, and Cape of Good Hope. He was a statesman as well as a figurehead; and that was fully recognised when he was called on to take in hand again the affairs of the Cape when recently Cecil Rhodes and good old well-meaning, but somewhat blundering, Loch mixed them up sadly. His participation in the events of the turf did a good deal to win him great popularity in Australia; amongst other good horses he owned Kingsborough. At his death he was 73 years old.
Original publication
Additional Resources and Scholarship
- Trove search
- profile, Australian Town and Country Journal, 3 February 1872, p 9
- profile, Illustrated Australian News for Home Readers, 28 March 1872, p 76
- arrives in Sydney to take up the position of State governor, Australian Town and Country Journal, 8 June 1872, p 4
- visits Bathurst, Empire (Sydney), 10 March 1873, p 3
- is involved in a buggy accident, Argus (Melbourne), 19 July 1873, p 1s
- his views on horse racing, Argus (Melbourne), 7 January 1874, p 6
- is honoured with a banquet to celebrate his labours in connection with the annexation of the Fijian Islands to the British Crown, Illustrated Sydney News, 19 December 1874, p 2
- his views on physical education, Rockhampton Bulletin (Qld), 15 April 1875, p 3
- opposes betting on horse races, South Australian Register, 25 September 1876, p 7
- his views on federation, South Australian Register, 7 November 1876, p 7
- visits Deniliquin, Australasian Sketcher, 23 December 1876, p 151
- his address at the annual commemoration of the University of Sydney, Queanbeyan Age (NSW), 10 July 1878, p 4
- assessment of his time as governor of New South Wales, Camperdown Chronicle (Vic), 21 February 1879, p 4
- is to depart from New South Wales next week, Sydney Morning Herald, 18 March 1879, p 7
- assessment of his time as governor of New South Wales, Sydney Morning Herald, 18 March 1879, p 5
- departs from Sydney, Sydney Morning Herald, 27 March 1879, p 7
- assessment of his time as governor of New South Wales, Argus (Melbourne), 21 September 1880, p 6
- profile, South Australian Advertiser, 14 February 1881, p 7
- George Folingsby has painted his portrait, Sydney Morning Herald, 28 December 1882, p 4
- his views on federation, Queenslander, 21 February 1891, p 351
- is created a baronet, Australian Town and Country Journal, 10 October 1896, p 20
- funeral, Inquirer & Commercial News (Perth), 5 November 1897, p 9
Related Entries in NCB Sites
- Robinson, Sir Hercules George
- Robinson, Nea Arthur (wife)
- Finlay, Alexander Kirkman (son-in-law)
- Robinson, William Cleaver Francis (brother)
- Clibborn, Thomas Strettel (friend)
- Sutherland, John (business partner)
- Samuel, Saul (business partner)
- O'Reilly, Thomas (acquaintance)
- Martin, James (acquaintance)
- Colls, Thomas (acquaintance)
- Frazer, John (acquaintance)
- Reed, Howard (acquaintance)
- Gardiner, Francis (acquaintance)
- Gardener, Alfred Henry (acquaintance)
- Innes, Joseph George Long (acquaintance)
- Folingsby, George Frederick (artist)
- Simonetti, Achille (artist)
- Robertson, John (political adversary)
- Forster, William (political adversary)
- Buchanan, David (political adversary)
Citation details
'Robinson, Sir Hercules George (1824–1897)', Obituaries Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/robinson-sir-hercules-george-4493/text25362, accessed 9 May 2025.
Hercules Robinson, n.d.
State Library of New South Wales, 11603
Life Summary [details]
Alternative Names
- first Baron Rosmead
- Rosmead, first Baron
Birth
19 December,
1824
Rosmead,
Westmeath,
Ireland
Death
28 October,
1897
(aged 72)
London,
Middlesex,
England
Cultural Heritage
Includes subject's nationality; their parents' nationality; the countries in which they spent a significant part of their childhood, and their self-identity.