Business History – Plaisted Publishing House Logo

The Plaisted surname has an exceptionally interesting history. It isn’t a made up name. It certainly doesn’t mean playground or arena like many websites suggest. Plaisted was originally Du Plessis – which is a name still used today. There are now over 25 spelling variations of this surname.  My husbands branch went to England from France in about 1200’s with John du Plessis.  This man was a servant to his King and became the Earl of Warwick via his marriage to an heiress.  Unusual, though it was there are records of this actually happening. John du Plessis was buried in Buckinghamshire.

John du Plessis line via his eldest son died out. However his younger sons lived to tell the stories of how the name changed and became Plaisted.  My husband’s connection is complicated – to say the least.  

We start with Thomas John Plaisted born in 1777. He was the son of John Plaisted.  They family probably originated in Buckinghamshire (Not proven yet). It is noted a lot of the families from there went to London in the late 1700s and early 1800s

In Woolwich London there is – until recently, a pub called ‘Coopers Arms’ It was also known as Plaisted Wine House.  This pub was established in 1790, however we are not sure if it was by the Plaisted family (there is rumour of a William Plaisted a possible uncle of Thomas) or not.  We do know Thomas had the pub by 1826 and left it to his two eldest sons John Plaisted & Thomas Wilkes Plaisted.

Photographer Link

If you go down Woolwich High Street today, you can still see this pub.  On the walls of the upper floor it says ‘Plaisted’s.’  Outside the pub is an old lamp – gas light…with the words ‘Plaisted Wine House,’ written on them.  This is where my business logo comes from.  The Plaisted’s ran the pub for close to 100 years or more. The pub has been there for well over 200 years.  

Sadly today it is a Hairdressers.  So on the inside a huge piece of history is now missing. Cleaned out for a business.  I had heard it had a wonderful wooden bar and quite a bit of history inside.  The family are lucky to have been given a copy of the coat of arms for this Plaisted line by the then bar owner/manager.  This copy lives with another relative in America, though he sent me a copy which we also use on the family history blog about the Plaisted line.

So now you know where my business logo came from.  It was designed by Lauren Waters a young graphic designed in Australia.