Morris Robinson (1757-1829) was the elder son of Morris Robinson and Jane Greenland. He was born in London and baptised on 9th August 1757. He was educated at Westminster School, attended Trinity Hall, Cambridge from 1775-1777 and was admitted to Lincoln’s Inn in 1775. He never practised law, having received a legacy of £3,000 from Edward Montagu in 1776 and being in the expectation of inheriting the title of Baron Rokeby from his uncle, Matthew Robinson Morris, which did indeed take place on his uncle’s death in 1800. He took the surname Morris in order to inherit his estates at Monks Horton in Kent. He never married but fathered one illegitimate son.

Robinson became MP for Boroughbridge in Yorkshire in 1790 and held the seat for six years. He was nominated for the seat by the Duke of Newcastle but made little impact in parliament until 1794 when he began to speak and vote against William Pitt’s government and in support of the opposition led by Charles Fox and Richard Sheridan. He was particularly opposed to the laws against treason and sedition, and spoke against the slave trade.

He expected to receive a significant inheritance from Rt. Revd. Richard Robinson, Archbishop of Armagh, to whose title he was due to succeed, but received only £2,000 in his will, which was just enough to pay his debts. It was said that the Archbishop ‘loathed’ him, and Elizabeth Montagu criticised Morris for not taking greater care to pay court to his patron in his youth. He left parliament in 1796 and succeeded to the title of 3rd Baron Rokeby four years later. He appears to have been envious of the greater wealth enjoyed by his younger brother Matthew Robinson Montagu, who inherited his titles and property on his death at the age of 71.