[2] Robinson fought on the side of the Orange Free State in the Basuto War, and later became a general trader, wool-buyer and stock-breeder at Dordrecht.

On the discovery of diamonds in South Africa in 1867 he hastened to the Vaal River district, where, by purchasing the stones from the natives and afterwards by buying diamond-bearing land, notably at Kimberley, he soon acquired a considerable fortune.

[3] His rather forceful business tactics came in for a lot of criticism, earning him the title of "Old Buccaneer" around Kimberly, South Africa but even so he became a member of the Mining Board and later chairman.

As a Rand capitalist he stood aloof from combinations with other gold-mining interests, and took no part in the Johannesburg reform movement, maintaining friendly relations with President Kruger.

He claimed that it was as the result of his representations after the Jameson Raid that Kruger appointed the Industrial Commission of 1897, whose recommendations had they been carried out would have remedied some of the Uitlander grievances.

Winston Churchill, at the time Under-Secretary of State for the Colonial Office, wrote to Campbell-Bannerman to let him know that Robinson wanted a baronetcy, the only British hereditary honour which is not a peerage.

When during the Birthday Honours of 1922, Joseph Robinson, who was known as a war profiteer after being convicted of fraud and fined £500,000 (£25M in 2020) whose appeal had been dismissed as recently as November 1921, was nominated for a Barony, for National and Imperial Services, the British public was scandalised.

[7] According to Geoffrey Wheatcroft Joseph Robinson's skullduggery was also notorious throughout South Africa,[8] as he had been previously fined for defrauding the shareholders of his mining companies.

[13] I would wish if I may without discourtesy to yourself and without impropriety, to beg His Most Gracious Majesty's permission to decline the proposal.The scandal surrounding the issue tarnished the Coalition government's image, and was somewhat responsible for the Conservatives detachment of Lloyd George's Liberals from the party, later in 1922.