Joseph Planta (librarian)
Encyclopedia
Joseph Planta FRS (21 February 1744, Castasegna
, Switzerland
– 3 December 1827, London
, England
), aka Joseph von Planta, was a librarian
of Swiss
origin who moved to London and became the Principal Librarian of the British Museum
.
Joseph Planta was born at Castasegna
in Grisons, Switzerland
, the son of Reverend Andrew (aka Andreas) Planta (1717–1773). He studied philology
at Utrecht
, Holland and then Göttingen
, Germany
.
Planta travelled for a while and then moved to England in 1752, where his father was a pastor for the German Reformed Church in London and also assistant librarian in the British Museum. He succeeded his father as assistant librarian in 1773. He was promoted to keeper of manuscripts in 1776 and then Principal Librarian in charge of the museum from 1799 until his death in 1827.
At the British Museum, Planta produced a library catalogue for the Cotton
manuscripts.
As Under Librarian, Planta organized the rehousing of the museum's coin collection.
His time as Principal Librarian was a significant period in the history of the British Museum. He improved the facilities available for the public.
Joseph Planta was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1774.
Soon after Planta was appointed as an assistant at the British Museum, he published a paper on the Romansh language of the area Switzerland in which he was born in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. The paper was read to the Royal Society
on 10 November 1775. He was also appointed as one of the secretaries to the Royal Society in 1776.
His son, Sir Joseph Planta
(1787–1847), MP for Hastings
, was born at the British Museum.
Castasegna
Castasegna is a former municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden, right at the Italian border. It's now part of the municipality of Bregaglia. The town is situated in the Bergell valley, above the river Mera.-Geography:...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
– 3 December 1827, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
), aka Joseph von Planta, was a librarian
Librarian
A librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
of Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
origin who moved to London and became the Principal Librarian of the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
.
Joseph Planta was born at Castasegna
Castasegna
Castasegna is a former municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden, right at the Italian border. It's now part of the municipality of Bregaglia. The town is situated in the Bergell valley, above the river Mera.-Geography:...
in Grisons, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, the son of Reverend Andrew (aka Andreas) Planta (1717–1773). He studied philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
at Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
, Holland and then Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Planta travelled for a while and then moved to England in 1752, where his father was a pastor for the German Reformed Church in London and also assistant librarian in the British Museum. He succeeded his father as assistant librarian in 1773. He was promoted to keeper of manuscripts in 1776 and then Principal Librarian in charge of the museum from 1799 until his death in 1827.
At the British Museum, Planta produced a library catalogue for the Cotton
Cotton library
The Cotton or Cottonian library was collected privately by Sir Robert Bruce Cotton M.P. , an antiquarian and bibliophile, and was the basis of the British Library...
manuscripts.
As Under Librarian, Planta organized the rehousing of the museum's coin collection.
His time as Principal Librarian was a significant period in the history of the British Museum. He improved the facilities available for the public.
Joseph Planta was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1774.
Soon after Planta was appointed as an assistant at the British Museum, he published a paper on the Romansh language of the area Switzerland in which he was born in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. The paper was read to 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"...
on 10 November 1775. He was also appointed as one of the secretaries to the Royal Society in 1776.
His son, Sir Joseph Planta
Joseph Planta
Sir Joseph Planta GCH was a British diplomat and politician of Swiss descent. He was the MP for Hastings, England.Joseph Planta was the son of another Joseph Planta , who moved from Switzerland to England and who became the Principal Librarian of the British Museum in London...
(1787–1847), MP for Hastings
Hastings (UK Parliament constituency)
Hastings was a parliamentary constituency in Sussex. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until the 1885 general election, when its representation was reduced to one member....
, was born at the British Museum.
External links
- Joseph Planta & Richard Payne Knight, by William Evans (active 1797–1856), British Museum, 1810.