Samuel Robinson (1794-1884) was a Unitarian who was acclaimed as the ‘foremost promoter of education in the Dukinfield district’. As a renowned scholar of Persian he was an enthusiastic supporter of education and consequently he founded Dukinfield Library in 1833. This was built on land given by Francis Dukinfield Palmer Astley and the cost was met by public subscription. The library was enlarged by Francis Dukinfield Palmer Astley in 1875 and renamed the Dukinfield Village Library and Astley Institute. Later, a technical school was added.

Samuel Robinson.

Samuel Robinson was born at Manchester on the 23 Mar 1794 where his father was a cotton dealer. He was educated at Manchester New College, then located at York (the college was at York from 1803 until 1840 before returning to Manchester). On becoming a cotton manufacturer, it was initially in Manchester but following his marriage to Mary Kennedy in c.1825 he relocated the business to Dukinfield. Mary was the daughter of John Kennedy of Knocknalling, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. She died on the 25 Aug 1858 and the couple had no issue. Samuel retired from business in 1860. The 1871 Census records that he was then a widower and retired cotton manufacturer resident at Blackbrook Cottage, Wilmslow. He died at cottage on the 9 Dec 1884 and he bequeathed his personal library to Owens College (now Manchester University).

He regularly gave lectures on educational subjects at the Dukinfield library and, additionally, he helped to found one of the British Schools. He was one of the founders of the Manchester Statistical Society in 1833 and he was the society president in 1847/48. From 1867 until 1871 he was president of Manchester New College, a provider of vocational, technical, and adult education. In 1854 there must have been some industrial unrest, which prompted him to send a series of friendly letters to his employees giving them sound advice.

The London Gazette for Nov 1839 records that Samuel Robinson was then in business with Cyrus Armitage at Dukinfield Old Mill and that the firm was styled Robinson and Armitage. The original water-powered mill was erected in c.1792 off the north side of Park Rd, Dukinfield, between the road and the river Tame (53.48231, -2.08521). The site can be located by its close proximity to Old Mill Weir across the river Tame. At some point the original mill was demolished and replaced by a second mill with the same name but this has also been demolished.