Robert, the founder of Sabbath schools in England, was born at Gloucester in 1735, and succeeded his father as proprietor and conductor of the Gloucester Journal. The swarms of profane and vicious children let loose upon the streets of Gloucester on a Sunday long engaged his serious attention; and he resolved that some scheme should be tried for putting an end to this evil.

Persons were employed to open a Sunday school in the locality. Every effort was made to induce the children to attend. The school in a short time was crowded; and before his death in 1811, he had the satisfaction of seeing several similar institutions established in most of the large English towns.