Thomas Plume
Encyclopedia
The Reverend Doctor Thomas Plume, B.A., D.D. (1630 – 20 November 1704) was an English churchman and philanthropist, founder of a school which still stands today, the Plume School, in Maldon
, Essex
.
at Yeldon Hall. Thomas Plume was baptised in All Saints’ Church, Maldon
on 18 August 1630, Thomas, son of Thomas and Hellen Plume.. One John Plume had been the tenant of the Manor under John De Vere, the 16th Earl of Oxford during the reign of Henry VIII
. Plume was educated at Chelmsford, Essex
, and Christ's College, Cambridge
.
In 1658 he was appointed Vicar of East Greenwich
, Kent
, in 1662 Rector of Merston
, Sussex
, and in 1665 Rector of Little Easton
, Essex. From 1679 until his death, unmarried, on 20 November 1704, Thomas Plume was Archdeacon of Rochester, Kent. He was buried at Longfield
, Kent.
At the time of his restoration Thomas Plume was admitted Vicar of Greenwich and subscribed the declaration under the Act of Uniformity on 28 July 1662. This is noteworthy as this time 2,000 to 2,500 ministers were ejected for nonconformity, and his father at Maldon had been a prominent Presbyterian. Thomas was admitted Vicar of Greenwich at the age of twenty-eight, on 22 September 1658. He remained in this role for the next forty-six years. He was the first chairman of the governors of the John Roan school
in Greenwich.
, astronomy
, medicine
, history
and travel
. Among this collection the following can be found:
Even though he lived in Greenwich most of his life, Plume left his collection of over 8,000 books and pamphlets, printed between 1487 and his death, to the town of Maldon. It was kept in St Peter's Church, of which only the original Tower survives; the rest of the building was rebuilt by Plume to house his library. The library was to be "for the use of the minister and clergy of the neighbouring parishes who generally make this town their place of residence on account of the unwholesomeness of the air in the vicinity of their churches". Plume left specific instruction for the use of the library: "any Gentleman or Scholar who desires, may go into it, and make use of any book there or borrow it, in case he leaves a vadimonium [a pledge or surety] with the Keeper for the restoring thereof fair and uncorrupted within a short time". Plume's library continues to grow after his death with contributions from others.
An online catalogue of Plume's collection was completed in 2009 and can be consulted via the Library's website.
at the University of Cambridge
in order to "erect an Observatory and to maintain a studious and learned Professor of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy, and to buy him and his successors utensils and instruments quadrants telescopes etc".
Maldon, Essex
Maldon is a town on the Blackwater estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon district and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation.Maldon is twinned with the Dutch town of Cuijk...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
.
Family life
The Plume family settled in the county of EssexEssex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
at Yeldon Hall. Thomas Plume was baptised in All Saints’ Church, Maldon
Maldon, Essex
Maldon is a town on the Blackwater estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon district and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation.Maldon is twinned with the Dutch town of Cuijk...
on 18 August 1630, Thomas, son of Thomas and Hellen Plume.. One John Plume had been the tenant of the Manor under John De Vere, the 16th Earl of Oxford during the reign of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
. Plume was educated at Chelmsford, Essex
Chelmsford
Chelmsford is the county town of Essex, England and the principal settlement of the borough of Chelmsford. It is located in the London commuter belt, approximately northeast of Charing Cross, London, and approximately the same distance from the once provincial Roman capital at Colchester...
, and Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.With a reputation for high academic standards, Christ's College averaged top place in the Tompkins Table from 1980-2000 . In 2011, Christ's was placed sixth.-College history:...
.
In 1658 he was appointed Vicar of East Greenwich
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, in 1662 Rector of Merston
Merston
Merston is a village in the Chichester district of West Sussex, England. It lies just south of the A259 road 2.4 miles southeast of Chichester....
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, and in 1665 Rector of Little Easton
Little Easton
Little Easton is a small village in Essex, England, which dates from the 12th century. The village has a population of just a few hundred people, one pub, "The Stag", and one church...
, Essex. From 1679 until his death, unmarried, on 20 November 1704, Thomas Plume was Archdeacon of Rochester, Kent. He was buried at Longfield
Longfield
Longfield is a village in the Dartford borough of Kent. It is located four miles south east of Dartford and near Gravesend. It contains several shops, a pub, and a 14th century church...
, Kent.
At the time of his restoration Thomas Plume was admitted Vicar of Greenwich and subscribed the declaration under the Act of Uniformity on 28 July 1662. This is noteworthy as this time 2,000 to 2,500 ministers were ejected for nonconformity, and his father at Maldon had been a prominent Presbyterian. Thomas was admitted Vicar of Greenwich at the age of twenty-eight, on 22 September 1658. He remained in this role for the next forty-six years. He was the first chairman of the governors of the John Roan school
John Roan school
The John Roan School is a secondary comprehensive school in Greenwich, South London that was a member of The Beacon Schools program.- Location :...
in Greenwich.
Plume Library
Although Plume spent most of his life in the Church, he was aware of intellectual changes taking place in other academic fields. He collected books which show his interests in other subjects: chemistryChemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and travel
Travel
Travel is the movement of people or objects between relatively distant geographical locations. 'Travel' can also include relatively short stays between successive movements.-Etymology:...
. Among this collection the following can be found:
- John SpeedJohn SpeedJohn Speed was an English historian and cartographer.-Life:He was born at Farndon, Cheshire, and went into his father's tailoring business where he worked until he was about 50...
's atlas of 1631; - Sir Francis Drake's The World Encompassed, 1628;
- Robert BoyleRobert BoyleRobert Boyle FRS was a 17th century natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, and inventor, also noted for his writings in theology. He has been variously described as English, Irish, or Anglo-Irish, his father having come to Ireland from England during the time of the English plantations of...
's The Sceptical Chymist, 1680.
Even though he lived in Greenwich most of his life, Plume left his collection of over 8,000 books and pamphlets, printed between 1487 and his death, to the town of Maldon. It was kept in St Peter's Church, of which only the original Tower survives; the rest of the building was rebuilt by Plume to house his library. The library was to be "for the use of the minister and clergy of the neighbouring parishes who generally make this town their place of residence on account of the unwholesomeness of the air in the vicinity of their churches". Plume left specific instruction for the use of the library: "any Gentleman or Scholar who desires, may go into it, and make use of any book there or borrow it, in case he leaves a vadimonium [a pledge or surety] with the Keeper for the restoring thereof fair and uncorrupted within a short time". Plume's library continues to grow after his death with contributions from others.
An online catalogue of Plume's collection was completed in 2009 and can be consulted via the Library's website.
Plumian Professor of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy
In 1704 Thomas Plume founded the chair of Plumian Professor of Astronomy and Experimental PhilosophyPlumian Professor of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy
The Plumian chair of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy is one of the two major Professorships in Astronomy at Cambridge University, alongside the Lowndean Professorship. The chair is currently held at the Institute of Astronomy in the University...
at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
in order to "erect an Observatory and to maintain a studious and learned Professor of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy, and to buy him and his successors utensils and instruments quadrants telescopes etc".