Percival Norton Johnson
Encyclopedia
Percival Norton Johnson was the founder of Johnson Matthey
, the United Kingdom
's largest precious metals business.
, Percival Johnson established his own firm in 1817. He specialised in the assaying and refining of precious metals particularly gold
imported from Brazil
: he perfected a method of extracting the Palladium
from the gold
therefore improving the gold's colour. He became a Fellow
of the Royal Society
in 1846. He went into full partnership with George Matthey, a stockbroker, in 1851. His expertise in refining earned his business the appointment of Assayer to the Bank of England
in 1852.
He was also active in silver
-mining and in 1854 moved to Stoke Fleming in Devon
where he had mining interests. He retired in 1860 and died in 1866.
Johnson Matthey
Johnson Matthey plc is multinational chemicals and precious metals company headquartered in London, United Kingdom.It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's largest precious metals business.
Career
Having trained in his father's business as an assayerAssayer
An assayer is a person who tests ores and minerals and analyzes them to determine their composition and value. They may use spectrographic analysis, chemical solutions, and chemical or laboratory equipment, such as furnaces, beakers, graduates, pipettes, and crucibles.An assayer separates metals...
, Percival Johnson established his own firm in 1817. He specialised in the assaying and refining of precious metals particularly gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
imported from Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
: he perfected a method of extracting the Palladium
Palladium
Palladium is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pd and an atomic number of 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself named after the epithet of the Greek goddess Athena, acquired...
from the gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
therefore improving the gold's colour. He became a Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in 1846. He went into full partnership with George Matthey, a stockbroker, in 1851. His expertise in refining earned his business the appointment of Assayer to the Bank of England
Bank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
in 1852.
He was also active in silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
-mining and in 1854 moved to Stoke Fleming in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
where he had mining interests. He retired in 1860 and died in 1866.
Family
He married Elizabeth Lydia Smith in 1817: they had no children. He married a second time, to Georgina Elizabeth Ellis, in 1858.Further reading
- Biography of Percival Norton Johnson, published by Johnson Matthey, 1951