Richard Platt (c. 1525 – 28 November 1600) was an English

brewer Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with yeast. It may be done in a brewery by a commercial brewer, ...

of the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

, who served as

Sheriff of London Two Sheriffs of the City of London are elected annually by the members of the City livery companies. Today's Sheriffs have only ceremonial duties, but the historical officeholders held important judicial responsibilities. They have attended the ...

and founded

Aldenham School Aldenham School is a co-educational private boarding and day school for pupils aged eleven to eighteen, located between Elstree and the village of Aldenham in Hertfordshire, England. There is also a preparatory school for pupils from the ag ...

and

almshouses An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) is charitable organization, charitable public housing, housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the Middle Ages. They were often built for the povert ...

in his home village in

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

Life

Little is known of Platt's early life, except that he was the son of Hugh Platt, of

Aldenham Aldenham is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the borough of Hertsmere in Hertfordshire, England. The parish includes Radlett and Letchmore Heath as well as Aldenham village itself. The village of Aldenham lies north-eas ...

, and was apprenticed to a London brewer."PLATT, Richard, gent." in ''Transactions of the London and Middlesex Archæological Society'', Vol. 5 (Bishopsgate Institute, 1881)
p. 74
/ref> His date of birth can be inferred from his portrait, which says he was in his 76th year in 1600. He became a master brewer of the

Worshipful Company of Brewers The Worshipful Company of Brewers is one of the ancient livery companies of the City of London. History London brewers are known to have organised as a group in the 13th century. Its first royal charter was granted by Henry VI in 1438. In 16 ...

Emma Hutching
"The school of beer drinking"
''

Borehamwood & Elstree Times The ''Borehamwood & Elstree Times'' is a local newspaper circulated in Elstree and Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England. It is owned by the Newsquest Media Group Newsquest Media Group Limited is the second largest publisher of regional and ...

'', 18 May 2006, accessed 4 February 2021 and the owner of the Old Swan brewery in James Street, London. In 1576 and 1581 he served as Master of the Worshipful Company of Brewers.Malcolm Thick, ''Sir Hugh Plat: the Search for Useful Knowledge in Early Modern London'' (

Prospect Books Marion Boyars Publishers is an independent publishing company located in Great Britain, publishing books that focus on the humanities and social sciences. The company was formed in 1975. When Marion Boyars died in 1999, her daughter Catheryn Ki ...

, 2010, ), p. 5 He also became an Alderman of London."Richard Platt, Alderman" in Alfred Freer Torry, ''Founders and benefactors of St. John's college, Cambridge'' (Cambridge: W. Metcalfe & Son, 1888)
p. 14
/ref> In 1591, Platt was appointed as a governor of

Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet is a boys' grammar school in Barnet, northern Greater London, which was founded in 1573 by Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, and others, in the name of Queen Elizabeth I. It is consistently ranked as one o ...

, at Tudor Hall, and was then a citizen of London who had served as Sheriff of London. In 1596,

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

gave Platt

letters patent Letters patent (plurale tantum, plural form for singular and plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, President (government title), president or other head of state, generally granti ...

to build at

a "Free

Grammar School A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a Latin school, school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented Se ...

and

Almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) is charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the Middle Ages. They were often built for the poor of a locality, for those who had held ce ...

s", and a

foundation stone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...

was laid in 1597, at Boyden's Hill, Aldenham. By a deed dated 18 January 1599, Platt endowed two charities, the grammar school and six almshouses, with land at Aldenham and some twenty acres of pasture at St Pancras, and woodland there, placing the endowments in the care of the Worshipful Company of Brewers.Nicholas Carlisle, "ALDENHAM near Watford" in ''A Concise Description of the Endowed Grammar Schools in England'', Vol. 1 (Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, 1818)
p. 528
/ref> Platt's son Hugh Platt had been educated at

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...

, and Platt gave instructions that when there was a vacancy for a Master of the grammar school, the college was to nominate three

Masters of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

, from whom the Brewers' Company would appoint one. He also provided a house, with a garden and orchard, and a salary to go with the position of £20 a year, . Platt died on 28 November 1600 and was buried on 4 December at

St James Garlickhythe St James Garlickhythe is a Church of England parish church in Vintry ward of the City of London, nicknamed "Wren's lantern" owing to its profusion of windows. Recorded since the 12th century, the church was destroyed in the Great Fire of London ...

, London.''Parish Register of St James Garlickhythe''
p. 96
ancestry.co.uk, accessed 4 February 2021 In his will, Platt provided for the Brewers’ Company to pay the boys of his new grammar school beer money, as the water was not safe to drink. Pupils at

continue to visit Brewers' Hall once a year to receive £5 each.

Wife and descendants

Platt married Alice, a daughter of John Birchells, of Birchells,

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...

. His children included

Sir Hugh Platt Sir Hugh Plat (1552–1608) was an English writer on agriculture and inventor, known from his works ''The Jewell House of Art and Nature'' (1594) and his major work on gardening ''Floraes Paradise'' (1608). Biography Hugh Plat was born in the ...

, an author of Kirby Castle,

Bethnal Green Bethnal Green is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the common la ...

, whose son William Platt (died 1637) of

Highgate Highgate is a suburban area of N postcode area, north London in the London Borough of Camden, London Boroughs of Camden, London Borough of Islington, Islington and London Borough of Haringey, Haringey. The area is at the north-eastern corner ...

, was the founder of fellowships at St John's College, Cambridge.

Arms

Platt's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

was

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

ed "'' or fretty

sable The sable (''Martes zibellina'') is a species of marten, a small omnivorous mammal primarily inhabiting the forest environments of Russia, from the Ural Mountains throughout Siberia, and northern Mongolia. Its habitat also borders eastern Kaz ...

plattée''", with a crest of "''a demi-lion rampant proper holding in the paws a plate''".

Notes

External links

Aldenham Richard Platt
hertsmemories.org.uk {{DEFAULTSORT:Platt, Richard 1520s births 1600 deaths Year of birth uncertain Founders of English schools and colleges English brewers Masters of the Worshipful Company of Brewers People from Aldenham Sheriffs of the City of London Aldermen of the City of London