He was educated at
St John's College, Oxford, and was a freeman of the
Mercers' Company. He had travelled in continental Europe as a young man. He resided and worked as a merchant in
Tuscany for a period of approximately five years between 1630 and 1635. Robinson’s economic and religious thought bore the imprint of his stay in the Tuscan port city of
Livorno. He was also much influenced by the
Dutch example of tolerance and prosperity. A supporter of the Independent line in religion, against the orthodox
Presbyterians, he was involved in controversy with
William Prynne. In politics he with
Henry Parker lent support in 1649 to Parliament in the
debate over 'engagement', an oath to be required affirming the legitimacy of the Parliamentary regime. In the same year he was appointed to government administrative positions, dealing with accounts and sale of crown lands, and in 1650 with farm rents and acting as secretary to the
excise commissioners. In 1650 he set up as a business, though short-lived, an Office of Addresses and Encounters. It was in
Threadneedle Street in London, and charged 6d. for answers to certain types of queries, concerning real estate and employment amongst other matters. There was a free service for the poor. The creation of such an Office had been pushed for three years by
Samuel Hartlib, who had lobbied for public funds for it. Robinson was an associate of Hartlib, and provided a limited implementation of a grand reformist scheme, which drew also on the French model of
Théophraste Renaudot that had operated by then for 20 years. Through the simple provision of a central Register of Addresses, Robinson argued, employers could find employees. ==Writings==