Samuel Plimsoll 10 February 1824 – 3 June 1898 Speaking House Commons Shipping Interests 1870 lords
Samuel Plimsoll (10 February 1824 – 3 June 1898) was a British politician and social reformer, now best remembered for having devised the Plimsoll line. Plimsoll was born in Bristol but soon moved to Whitely Wood Hall Sheffield, also spending part of his childhood in Penrith, Cumbria. Leaving school at an early age, he became a clerk at Rawson's Brewery, and rose to be manager. In 1853 he attempted to set up in business in London as a coal merchant. He failed, and was reduced to destitution. He himself told how for a time he lived in a common lodging for 7/2d (or 7 shillings and two pence) a week. Through this experience he learnt to sympathise with the struggles of the poor; and when his good fortune returned, he resolved to devote his time to improving their lot. His efforts were directed especially against what were known as "coffin ships": unseaworthy and overloaded vessels, often heavily insured, in which unscrupulous owners risked the lives of their crews. In 1868, Plimsoll was elected as the Liberal Member of Parliament for Derby, and endeavoured in vain to pass a bill dealing with the subject. In 1872 he published a work entitled Our Seamen, which made a great impression throughout the country. Accordingly, on Plimsoll's motion in 1873, a Royal Commission was appointed, and in 1875 a government bill was introduced, which Plimsoll, though regarding it as inadequate, resolved to accept. On 22 July, the Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, announced that the bill would be dropped. Plimsoll lost his self-control, applied the term "villains" to members of the House, and shook his fist in the Speaker's face. Disraeli moved that he be reprimanded, but on the suggestion of Lord Hartington agreed to adjourn the matter for a week to allow Plimsoll time for reflection. Eventually Plimsoll made an apology to The country, however, shared his view that the bill had been stifled by the pressure of the shipowners, and popular feeling forced the government to pa
Size: 3690px × 4942px
Photo credit: © 19th era / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: -fashioned, 10, 1800, 1824, 1898, 19th, 2d, 3, academic, age, ancient, antique, antiquity, black, book, born, bristol, british, bw, bygone, century, childhood, classical, copy, cumbria., cut, cutout, devised, drawing, duplicate, embossed, empire, engrave, engraved, engraver, engraving, etching, expression, february, figure, formal, front, frontispiece, graphic, hall, hand, heritage, historic, history, illustration, image, imperial, june, late, leaving, lifelike, line., majesty, margin, master, monotone, moved, national, nineteenth, notable, obscure, obsolete, olden, original, paper, part, penrith, period, pictorial, picture, plimsoll, politician, portrait, pre, press, print, printed, printing, prior, proof, publication, publicity, queen, rare, real, realism, realistic, reference, reformer, relief, remembered, replica, represent, representation, repro, reproduce, reproduction, retro, review, romantic, samuel, school, sheffield, social, sp, spending, standard, steel, studio, style, subject, teach, time, title, tool, topic, topical, tract, true, unusual, victoria, victorian, visual, white, whitely, wood, –
