Thomas Pleasants (1729-1818) was a merchant, property developer and philanthropist in
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
,
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, after whom Pleasants Street in Dublin 8 was named on its opening in 1821.
Life
Pleasants was born in
County Carlow
County Carlow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county located in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region of Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Carlow is the List of Irish counties by area, second smallest and t ...
in 1729, son of William Pleasants and his wife Grace Edwards. His grandfather was Thomas Pleasants, alderman of Dublin.Thomas Pleasants /ref>
His grandfather had leased a large piece of land near
Capel Street
Capel Street ( ) is a predominantly commercial street in Dublin, Ireland, laid out in the 17th century by Humphrey Jervis.
History
Capel Street takes its name from the nearby chapel of St Mary's Abbey (from the Latin Capella – Chapel) altho ...
from Dublin Corporation, which Pleasants inherited some time after his grandfather's death in 1729. His initial income derived from this property, though he also had dealings with his cousins the Pasleys, who were wine merchants at 9 Abbey Street.
He married in 1787 Mildred Daunt, second daughter of George and Hannah Daunt, surgeon in
Mercer's Hospital
Mercer's Hospital () was a hospital in Dublin, Ireland. It was converted into a clinical centre and medical library for the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 1991.South William Street, Dublin.
He and his wife (died 1814) were buried in the churchyard of
St Bride's Church
St Bride's Church is a Church of England church in Fleet Street in the City of London. Likely dedicated to Bridget of Kildare, Saint Bridget perhaps as early as the 6th century, the building's most recent incarnation was designed by Sir Christo ...
. On his wife's death he inherited a large fortune estimated to be around £90,000 resulting in a lawsuit between Pleasants and the Daunt family who wanted him to receive an annuity.
Donations
In his final years and in his will Pleasants left many large sums to various charitable causes.
He donated £700 to the
Royal Dublin Society
The Royal Dublin Society (RDS) () is an Irish philanthropic organisation and members club which was founded as the 'Dublin Society' on 25 June 1731 with the aim to see Ireland thrive culturally and economically. It was long active as a learned ...
in 1815 for building of a pair of porter's lodges in the
Botanic gardens
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...
in Glasnevin upon which he became an honorary member. He also donated them his large library.
£8,000 was donated for the building of the
Meath Hospital
The Meath Hospital () was a general hospital in the Earl of Meath's Liberty in Dublin, Ireland. It was absorbed into the Tallaght Hospital in June 1998.
History
The hospital was opened to serve the sick and poor in the crowded area of the Li ...
.
He also financed the reprinting of ''Reflections and resolutions proper for the gentlemen of Ireland'' by Samuel Madden.
Among his donations were over £13,000 in 1814-15 for the erection of the Stove
Tenter
Tenterhooks or tenter hooks are hook, hooked Nail (fastener), nails used with a device known as a ''tenter'', a wooden frame, used since at least the 14th century in the process of making wool, woolen cloth, over which wet cloth would be st ...
House off
Cork Street
Cork Street is a street in Mayfair in the West End of London, England, with many contemporary art galleries, and was previously associated with the tailoring industry.
Location
The street runs approximately north-west from the junction of Burl ...
for poor weavers in the
Liberties
Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...
who prior to this would have had to suspend work in rainy weather.
Pleasants asylum
On his death in 1818, Pleasants bequeathed his own house at 67
Camden Street
Camden Street () is a street in Dublin 2. It links Ranelagh/Rathmines ( Dublin 6) to the southern city centre of Dublin. It is divided into Camden Street Upper (southern end) and Camden Street Lower (northern end).
History
The name is likely d ...
(modern day number 75) for the provision of a protestant girls' school and orphanage along with his largest donation of £15,000 and £1,200 per annum to run it. Extra money was provided for dowries for the girls (only applied to Protestants) to marry. His friends and relations including Reverend Thomas Gamble, Joshua Pasley and Samuel Coates acted as the first three governors and their names were inscribed on a plaque on the front of the building.
The building had originally been acquired by Pleasants in 1814 after his move from South William Street and was likely built around 1790.
The orphanage was amalgamated with Kirwan House orphanage and the T.P. Dormer Trust in 1949.