How the name of a lass from a Leicestershire village became linked to Scottish nobility! In 1886, a civil action (“ Robinson vs The Duke of Buccleuch “) was brought in the courts by Benjamin Robinson, a labourer of Glen Parva, Leicestershire, against the 6 th Duke of Buccleuch. Twelve years earlier, the Duke had bought property at Knightlow, Warwickshire; but Benjamin asserted that he was the rightful owner of the property according to the will made by a greatuncle, George Robinson, in 1821. The inheritance trail was complicated and Benjamin’s claim to the estate was disputed. William Henry Walter Montagu Douglas Scott, 6th Duke of Buccleuch and 8th Duke of Queensberry – the relevant duke!! Benjamin’s grandfather was said to be George Robinson’s brother John, who had married Hannah Holyland. John and Hannah Robinson had had one son, also John, who was Benjamin’s father. The case was widely reported in newspapers across England. There was some confusion over the bride’s
