Sir Joseph Benjamin Robinson, b15

On the discovery of gold in the Witwatersrand district in 1886, Alfred Beit financed a partnership with ₤25 000. Robinson purchased the Langlaagte and Randfontein estates, but Beit soon dissolved the partnership because of Robinson's temper and business methods. Robinson chose to keep the western portion of their former joint assets, while Beit took the eastern section. His views as to the westerly trend of the main gold-bearing reef were entirely contrary to the bulk of South African opinion at the time, but events proved him to be correct, and the enormous appreciation in value of his various properties made him one of the richest men in South Africa. He founded the Randfontein Estates Gold Mining Company in 1890 which was the largest individual undertaking on the Reef and one of the largest in the world.

SAG, vol. 9, 2003

Lid van die Volksraad vir Kimberley, pionier-mynmagnaat

Sir J. B. was born in 1840. Starting as a trader in livestock and wool, until a few years ago it was possible to read his name on a shop at Dordrecht, Cape Province. When diamonds were found at New Rush on the River Diggings, Joseph was among the prospectors who became wealthy. He was a prominent man in Kimberley from the start and in 1880 became Mayor. A year later he was elected member of Parliament and held the seat for two years. Then came his move to the Rand. Although his claim to have discovered the Main Reef was not accepted, he certainly was one of the first men there, bought the original farm Langlaagte from the Widow Oosthuizen and became one of the greatest magnates on the gold fields. Many of the best-known properties belonged to his firm, including the Randfontein Estates, the Robinson Mine and the Robinson Deep. He started his own bank and many other independent enterprises. In 1908 he became a baronet. "JB", as he was generally referred to, was a stormy personality, whose character and work will long be remembered in South Africa.

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https://books.google.co.za/books?id=vBNhZxzzrWUC&pg=PA67&lpg=PA67&d...

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Name: Joseph B Robinson Event Type: Marriage Event Date: 03 Oct 1877 Event Place: District: Age: Birth Year: Birth Year (Estimated): Spouse's Name: Elizabeth R Ferguson Spouse's Age: Spouse's Birth Year: Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated): Entry Number: GS Film Number: Digital Folder Number: 005583275 Image Number: 00195

Citing this Record "South Africa, Cape Province, Western Cape Archives Records, 1792-1992," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q23Q-JMNS : 15 March 2018), Joseph B Robinson and Elizabeth R Ferguson, 03 Oct 1877; citing Marriage, , Western Cape Archives, Cape Town; FHL microfilm .

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Sir J. B. was born in 1840. Starting as a trader in livestock and wool, until a few years ago it was possible to read his name on a shop at Dordrecht, Cape Province. When diamonds were found at New Rush on the River Diggings, Joseph was among the prospectors who became wealthy. He was a prominent man in Kimberley from the start and in 1880 became Mayor. A year later he was elected member of Parliament and held the seat for two years. Then came his move to the Rand. Although his claim to have discovered the Main Reef was not accepted, he certainly was one of the first men there, bought the original farm Langlaagte from the Widow Oosthuizen and became one of the greatest magnates on the gold fields. Many of the best-known properties belonged to his firm, including the Randfontein Estates, the Robinson Mine and the Robinson Deep. He started his own bank and many other independent enterprises. In 1908 he became a baronet. "JB", as he was generally referred to, was a stormy personality, whose character and work will long be remembered in South Africa

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Created a Baronet of Hawthornden and Dudley House.

GEDCOM Note

<p>The Robinson Baronetcy, of Hawthornden, Wynberg, in the Cape Province of South Africa and Dudley House in the City of Westminster, was created in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom on 27 July 1908 for the South African mining magnate Joseph Robinson. He was nominated for a peerage in 1922 but declined the honour. The second baronet was a member of the Parliament of South Africa.</p>

GEDCOM Note

<p>Sir J. B. was born in 1840. Starting as a trader in livestock and wool, until a few years ago it was possible to read his name on a shop at Dordrecht, Cape Province. When diamonds were found at NewRush on the River Diggings, Joseph was among the prospectors who became wealthy. He was a prominent man in Kimberley from the start and in 1880 became Mayor. A year later he was elected member of Parliament and held the seat for two years. Then came his move to the Rand. Although his claim to have discovered the Main Reef was not accepted, he certainly was one of the first men there, bought the original farm Langlaagte from the Widow Oosthuizen and became one of the greatest magnates on the gold fields. Many of the best-known properties belonged to his firm, including the Randfontein Estates,the Robinson Mine and the Robinson Deep. He started his own bank and many other independent enterprises. In 1908 he became a baronet. "JB", as he was generally referred to, was a stormy personality, whose character and work will long be remembered in South Africa.</p>
Source Link: https://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=6000000192889486212label=@S4@

GEDCOM Note

<p>Sir Joseph Benjamin Robinson, 1st Baronet (3 August 1840 – 30 October 1929) was a South African mining magnate and Randlord. Born in Cradock, Cape Colony, died Wynberg, Cape Town. The son of an 1820 settler, he fought on the side of the Orange Free State in the Basuto War, and later became a general trader, wool-buyer and stock-breeder at Dordrecht. On the discovery of diamonds in South Africa in 1867 he hastened to the Vaal River district, where, by purchasing the stones from the natives and afterwards by buying diamond-bearing land, notably at Kimberley, he soon acquired a considerable fortune. His rather forceful business tactics came in for a lot of criticism, earning him the title of "Old Buccaneer", but even so he became a member of the Mining Board and later chairman. He raised and commanded the Kimberley Light Horse. He was Mayor of Kimberley in 1880, and for four years was a representative of Griqualand West in the Cape parliament. On the discovery of gold in the Witwatersrand district in 1886, Alfred Beit financed a partnership with £25 000. Robinson purchased the Langlaagte and Randfontein estates, but Beit soon dissolved the partnership because of Robinson's temper and business methods. Robinson chose to keep the western portion of their former joint assets, while Beit took the eastern section. His views as to the westerly trend of the main gold-bearing reef were entirely contrary to the bulk of South African opinion at the time, but events proved him to be correct, and the enormous appreciation in value of his various properties made him one of the richest men in South Africa. He founded the Randfontein Estates Gold Mining Company in 1890, which was the largest individual undertaking on the Reef and one of the largest in the world. As a Rand capitalist he stood aloof from combinations with other gold-mining interests, and took no part in the Johannesburg reform movement, maintaining friendly relations with President Kruger. He claimed that it was as the result of his representations after the Jameson Raid that Kruger appointed the Industrial Commission of 1897, whose recommendations had they been carried out would have remedied some of the Uitlander grievances. On 27 July 1908 he was created a baronet of Hawthornden and Dudley House. In June 1922 he was nominated for a UK peerage but declined the honour. The nomination, by UK coalition Prime Minister David Lloyd George was subject to much debate in parliament as Robinson was considered unsuitable for such an honour, only rewarded because of his donation (£30,000, worth over £1m in 2011) to party funds. The air of scandal surrounding the issue tarnished the Coalition government's image, and was somewhat responsible for the Conservatives detachment of Lloyd George's Liberals from the party, later in 1922. The general scandal of sale of peerages led to the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925. A street in Kensington, Johannesburg is named after him. Locatedon this street is a boarding house of Jeppe High School for Boys, namely Tsessebe.</p>
Source Link: https://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=6000000192889486283label=@S337@

GEDCOM Note

<p>Hawthornden</p>
<p>The Hawthorndene Homestead was built by Captain John Spence who owned this part of the original Oude Wijnberg Estate from 1881 until 1888. It was built in the Renaissance manner comprising of more than thirty rooms. This restrained Victorian design includes bay windows, a turret, cast-iron balconies and a french-type mansard roof.</p>
<p>The Prince and Princess Labia</p>
<p>Mining magnate, J B Robinson, bought Hawthornden in 1891. He moved to live in London before returning in 1917, settling in Wynberg with his wife Elizabeth Furgeson. Their daughter, Ida married Count Labia, who later became Prince Labia.</p>
<p>Their descendants still occupy this stately home.</p>
<p>Previous owners of Hawthornden:</p>
<p>Herman Weeckens was granted the land on which he established De Oude Wijnberg farm in 1683. A portion of the farm which included the homestead, was sold to Captain Joseph Hare in 1820. It changed hands a couple of times before it was sold to the future Lord de Villiers in 1874. Captain John Spence bought the property in 1881. Frederick Philipson-Shaw owned the property from 1888 until 1891 whenhe sold to Sir J B Robinson. Ida Robinson, daughter of Sir J B Robinson inherited the home.</p>