John Martin Robinson is a well known historian and writer with some seventeen previous major publications to his credit, mainly on aspects of architectural history, country houses and heraldry; including The Dukes of Norfolk (OUP, 1983) and Arundel's Remembrances (Roxburghe Club, 1987). Born in Lancashire, he was educated in Scotland and at Oxford. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries at the early age of twenty-nine. Dr Robinson's working career began in the Historical Buildings Division of the old G.L.C., where he served from 1974 to 1986, having been appointed Librarian to the Duke of Norfolk as early as 1978, a position he still holds. In 1982 he became Fitzalan Pursuivant of Arms Extraordinary and is now Maltravers Herald of Arms. Since 1980 he has been a member of the Executive Committee of the Georgian Group, in 1986 he became a member of the Council of the Society of Antiquaries and since 1991 he has been Secretary of the Roxburghe Club. In 1989 he became a partner in Historical Building Consultants.
