Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Lemon, Robert (1800-1867)
LEMON, ROBERT (1800–1867), archivist, born in 1800, was the son of Robert [q. v.] and Sarah Lemon. He was employed under his father in the state paper office, and compiled the indexes to the ‘Valor Ecclesiasticus temp. Hen. VIII’ (Report of Record Comm. 1836, Append. p. 770). He discovered in 1826 an original portrait of Milton (Gent. Mag. 1826, pt. ii. p. 61). In November 1835 he was appointed senior clerk (ib. 1835, pt. ii. p. 545). To Lemon the suggestion of forming and publishing the ‘Calendars of State Papers’ is due, and he first interpreted a cypher which previously rendered large masses of those papers unintelligible. The first two volumes of the ‘Domestic Series,’ 1547–90, were published under his editorship in 1856 and 1865. He died at Brompton, Middlesex, on 3 Jan. 1867 (ib. 4th ser. iii. 261). He was married, and had a large family.
Lemon was elected F.S.A. on 3 March 1836. His single contribution to the ‘Archæologia’ (vol. xxxvii.) consists of a commentary appended to a letter addressed to John Stanhope in 1588, giving particulars of great interest in reference to the Spanish Armada. He also contributed to the ‘Proceedings.’ In 1846 he rearranged the society's library, and compiled catalogues of their valuable collections of broadsides and proclamations. His ‘Catalogue’ of the broadsides, with an introduction by John Bruce, F.S.A., was published by the society in 1866.
[Proc. Soc. Antiq. 2nd ser. iii. 481–2; Athenæum, 24 Jan. 1857, pp. 107–8; Gent. Mag. April 1857, pt. i. p. 446.]