PLANT, John (brother of the preceding). b. Leicester Oct. 1819; educ. at the national school and at the mechanics’ institution; articled to T. Paget, surgeon, Leicester; an assistant in his father’s business; hon. sec. of Leicester naturalists’ club 1844; curator of the Literary and philosophical society’s museum; discovered fossiliferous keuper sandstone near Leicester 1844; sec. and librarian of the library, Leicester 1846, where he arranged and catalogued 10,000 books; librarian and curator of the Museum and public library, Peel park, Salford Oct. 1849 to April 1892, it became one of the chief attractions in Manchester and the most popular holiday resort in Lancashire, the library containing 60,000 volumes; F.G.S. 1864; lieut. 56 Salford rifle volunteers 12 April 1873, captain 8 Jany. 1876 to April 1885; made a special study of the coal measure fishes near Manchester, and of the Cambrian fossils near Dolgelly; a selection of his fossils is in the British museum, including the olenus planti named after him; author of Guide to the general collections in the Salford museum 1860; Catalogue of the library of the Manchester geological society 1875; Descriptive catalogue of pictures in the Salford art gallery and museum 1883. d. Rhosnegir, near Holyhead 18 Jany. 1894, portrait placed on walls of Salford free library 1893. Geological magazine June 1892 pp. 286–8 portrait; The Times 10 Jany. 1894 p. 5; The Library vi 93 (1894).
PLANT, Nathaniel (brother of the preceding). b. Leicester 1832; curator of museum of Leicester philosophical and literary society 5 years; spent 16 years in Brazil mining and exploring 1851–67; F.G.S. 1867, F.R.G.S. d. London Aug. 1875.
PLANT, Thomas Livesley (son of George Halewood Plant, iron merchant). b. Low Moor, Bradford, Yorkshire 1819; educ. St. Cuthbert’s college, Ushaw, near Durham; representative in Birmingham of W. H. Smith and Son, the advertising contractors 1849–81; kept systematic records of meteorology 1837 to death, furnished meteorological information to The Times and contributed to the local press; author of Meteorology: its study important for our good, Birmingham 1862. found dead in the train at New st. station, Birmingham 31 Aug. 1883. Athenæum 8 Sept. 1883 p. 310.
PLATT, James (son of Henry Platt of Dobcross, Saddleworth, Yorkshire, maker of woollen machinery, removed to Oldham 1821, d. 1842). b. 1823 or 1824; partner in Hibbert, Platt and Sons, Oldham 1845; member of Oldham town council; M.P. Oldham 31 March 1857 to death; accidentally shot by Josiah Radcliffe when shooting on the moors at Greenfield 27 Aug. 1857, d. Ashway Gap, near Oldham 27 Aug. 1857. Fortunes made in business iii 426–7 (1887).
PLATT, John T. (brother of James Platt, d. 1857). b. Dobcross 15 Sept. 1817; member of firm of Hibbert, Platt and Sons of Oldham 1837, Joseph Platt d. 1845, Mr. Hibbert d. 1846; firm employed 2,500 men, business converted into a limited liability company 1 Jany. 1868, chairman of the company to his death; sheriff of Carnarvon 1863; helped to obtain incorporation of Oldham 1849; mayor 1854, 1855, and a third time; gave large sums to the Oldham lyceum 1847–65; M.P. Oldham 13 July 1865 to death. d. Hotel Maurice, Paris 18 May 1872. bur. Oldham, statue unveiled at Oldham Sept. 1878. I.L.N. lx 537 (1872) portrait; Fortunes made in business iii 419–85 (1887) portrait.
Note.—The commercial prosperity of Oldham is mainly due to his influence as an engineer and a large employer of labour and to his untiring energy.
PLATT, Thomas (4 son of Samuel Platt, clerk of the papers of court of king’s bench). b. Blackfriars, London 14 Sept. 1800; educ. St. Paul’s school 1812–16; barrister L.I. 9 June 1826; author of A practical treatise on the law of covenants 1829; A treatise on the law of leases, 2 vols. 1847. d. Brockley lodge, Finchley, Middlesex 14 Dec. 1886.
PLATT, Sir Thomas Joshua (eld. son of Thomas Platt of Brunswick sq. London, solicitor). b. 1789; educ. Harrow and Trin. coll. Camb., B.A. 1810, M.A. 1814; barrister I.T. 9 Feb. 1816, bencher 1835–45; became a leader on the home circuit; K.C. 27 Dec. 1834; baron of court of exchequer 27 Jany. 1845, retired 2 Nov. 1856; knighted at St. James’s palace 23 April 1845. d. 59 Portland place, London 10 Feb. 1862. bur. Highgate cemet. Ballantine’s Some experiences, 8 ed. (1883) 46–47; Foss’s Judges ix 244–5 (1864).
PLATT, Thomas Pell (son of Thomas Platt). b. London 1798; pensioner of Trin. coll. Camb. 25 Nov. 1815, scholar 3 April 1818, minor fellow 2 Oct. 1820, major fellow 2 July 1823; B.A. 1820, M.A. 1823; librarian of the British and foreign bible society some years and a defender of the society in 1827 from an attack made on their publications in the Quarterly Review June 1827 pp. 1–28; an early member of Royal Asiatic society and acted as one of its oriental translation committee many years; F.S.A.; author of A catalogue of the Æthiopic biblical MSS. in the royal library of Paris and in the library of the British and foreign bible society 1823; edited Evangelia sancta in linguam Amharicam 1824; Evangelia sancta Æthiopice 1826; The Gospels in Syriac 1829; The Ethiopic Didascalia 1834; The books of the Old Testament in Amharic 1871; author of Facts respecting versions of scripture published by the Bible Society in reply to the Quarterly Review 1827, 3 ed. 1828; The literal interpretation of scripture enforced 1831. d. Dulwich hill, Surrey 31 Oct. 1852. T. H. Horne’s Introduction to critical study of the holy scriptures, 10 ed. iv 317–20, 733 (1856); G.M. Dec. 1852 p. 660.
PLAYER, John. b. Elberton, Gloucs. 1808; manager of Gwendraeth iron works 1838; introduced anthracite as a fuel for blast furnaces and steam boilers; a steamer called the Anthracite ran for some time on the Thames below London bridge 1839, which attracted much notice; built many blast furnaces; settled at Philadelphia 1868; invented ‘mineral wool’ from iron slag. d. Philadelphia 11 March 1870.