John Roby

John Roby (1793–1850) was an English banker, poet and writer. Born in Lancashire, he died in 1850 in the wreck of the steamship Orion. His most important work is the two-volume The Traditions of Lancashire (1829), in which he collected and retold a large number of local oral legends and tales; he is regarded as one of the representative figures of early British folklore writing. A further collection, The Legendary and Poetical Remains of John Roby, was published after his death. Public information about him is limited, but his works, drawing on local legend, combine literary quality with the recording of folklore and have had some influence on later British writing on local folklore and legend.