983J Robert Plot (1640-1696.)
The natural history of Stafford-shire. By Robert Plot. LLD. keeper of the Ashmolean Musæum and professor of chymistry in the University of Oxford·
Oxford : printed at the Theater, anno M.DC.LXXXVI. [1686] SOLD
Folio 35×22.5cm. Signatures: π² a⁴ b² A-3M⁴. (Final two leaves (Mmm3-Mm4) contain list of subscribers.) Lacking the folding map, but it has all 37 engraved plates of which 26 are double page or folding, and mostly of the Great Houses of the County, and their Gardens the other plates illustrate curiosities and natural phenomena. Four issues of the first edition are known, with no priority established. In our issue the author’s name is given in full and there is no reference to price on the title page. Bound in blind tooled calf, rebacked with later calf with gilt-lettered morocco spine label.
Although Robert Plot originally envisioned a natural history of all England and Wales, the scale of the undertaking proved impractical, and he ultimately completed only two county surveys: The Natural History of Oxford-shire (1677) and the present Natural History of Stafford-shire (1686). Staffordshire represents the mature expression of his ambitious program, bringing together geology, mineralogy, paleontology, botany, zoology, archaeology, industry, folklore, and local history within a single systematic survey. Conceived in the spirit of the early Royal Society, Plot’s work exemplifies the new empirical approach to observing and recording the natural world.
Among its most celebrated sections are the chapters “Of the Earths,” “Of Stones,” “Of Formed Stones,” and “Of Arts.” These contain some of the earliest detailed English descriptions of geological formations, minerals, and fossils, together with a remarkable account of the pre-industrial pottery manufacture for which Staffordshire would later become famous. Today these chapters continue to be cited by historians of geology, paleontology, ceramics, and early industry, while the volume as a whole stands as one of the foundational works of English county natural history.
The concluding chapter, “Of Antiquities,” reveals Plot’s conviction that the natural and human histories of a county were inseparable. Ancient monuments, coins, inscriptions, and earthworks are examined alongside the county’s physical landscape, reflecting the close relationship between natural history and antiquarian scholarship in the late seventeenth century. Although some of Plot’s archaeological interpretations—such as identifying certain Roman remains as Saxon—have long since been superseded, they illustrate the formative state of English archaeology and the remarkable breadth of his inquiry.CHAP. I. Of the Heavens and Air.
CHAP. II. Of the Waters.
CHAP. III. Of the Earths.
CHAP. IV. Of Stones.
CHAP. V. Of Formed Stones.
CHAP. VI. Of Plants.
CHAP. VII. Of Brutes.
CHAP. VIII. Of Men and Women.
CHAP. IX. Of Arts.
CHAP. X. Of Antiquities.
Plot undertook the work at the encouragement of Walter Chetwynd (1633–1691) of Ingestre Hall, antiquary, Member of Parliament, and Fellow of the Royal Society, whose collections and local knowledge provided an important foundation for the book. Richly illustrated with thirty-seven engraved plates, including numerous folding views of Staffordshire’s great houses and gardens together with illustrations of fossils, natural curiosities, and antiquities, the volume remains one of the most handsome and influential scientific county histories of seventeenth-century England.
Wing (CD-ROM, 1996), P2588: ESTC No.R21986. https://datb.cerl.org/estc/R21986
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