born Feb. 10, 1824, Bristol, Gloucestershire, Eng.
died June 3, 1898, Folkestone, Kent
British reformer.
A London coal merchant, he served in Parliament (1868–80). With his book Our Seamen (1873), he helped overcome resistance to the Merchant Shipping Act, which instituted such reforms as the loading limit for cargo ships. A load line (the Plimsoll mark or line) was marked on the hull of every cargo ship, indicating the maximum depth to which the ship could be safely loaded.