John Robinson (7 November 1650 – 11 April 1723) was an English diplomat and prelate. He became the Bishop of London and Dean of Windsor, succeeding to Henry Compton.
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Early life
Robinson was born at Cleasby, North Yorkshire, near Darlington, a son of John Robinson (died 1651) a cooper by trade and Elizabeth Potter. Educated at Brasenose College, Oxford, he became a fellow of Oriel College. He graduated from Oxford in 1673.
In 1680 he became chaplain to the British embassy to Stockholm. He remained in Sweden for nearly thirty years. During the absence of the minister, Philip Warwick, Robinson acted as resident and as envoy extraordinary, and he was thus in Sweden during an important period, and was performing diplomatic duties at a time when the affairs of northern Europe were attracting much attention. Among his adventures, not the least noteworthy was his journey to Narva with Charles XII in 1700.
Career
In 1709, Robinson returned to England, and was appointed Dean of Windsor and of Wolverhampton; in 1710 he was elected bishop of Bristol, and among other ecclesiastical positions he held that of Dean of the Chapel Royal. In August 1711 he became Lord Privy Seal, this being, says Lord Stanhope, "the last time that a bishop has been called upon to fill a political office." Echoing his Scandinavian connections, the motto on his coat of arms is written in runic characters.