People and their collections

Robert Plot 1640-96 - scientist & antiquary

Plot always intended to use the administrative area of the English county as the basis of his research into the natural history of England. Publication county by county was the pragmatic approach, a national undertaking being too much for financial support under public subscription. 

The diarist John Evelyn declared that it was a pity that 'more of this industrious man's genius were not employed to describe every county of England, since it would be one of the most useful and illustrious works that was ever produced in any age or nation' (The Diary of John Evelyn, ed. E.S. de Beer 1955 iv, pp 68-9). Oxfordshire and Staffordshire were the only counties Plot published, although towards the end of his life he conducted surveys of Middlesex and Kent for Gibson's new edition of Camden's Britannia, and conducted research for The Natural History of London and Middlesex, which was never completed (see time line 3).  Robert Plot was involved in other published academic undertakings. He edited The Royal Society's Philosophical Transactions from 1683 to 1684. He was succeeded to this post by Edmund Halley, astronomer. 

See also: F. Sherwood Taylor 'Alchemical Papers of Dr Robert Plot' Ambix IV, nos. 1 & 2 (Dec 1949) pp 67-76.
 
 

Table XXXIIII from 1973 reprint of The Natural History of Stafford-shire