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JayW has posted 139 annotations/comments since 7 August 2015.

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Third Reading

About Saturday 10 November 1660

JayW  •  Link

I assumed it would be written out neatly by a clerk and then signed off by Sir William Batten.

About Tuesday 14 August 1660

JayW  •  Link

I do not like thee, Doctor Fell, The reason why - I cannot tell. But this I know, and know full well; I do not like thee, Doctor Fell.

About Thursday 2 August 1660

JayW  •  Link

Alter Kacker
It’s about 3 miles from the Navy Office to St James’ Palace so about an hour’s walk these days. By water would depend on the way the tide was flowing on the Thames.

About Friday 22 June 1660

JayW  •  Link

Re ‘the three nations’ mentioned in Evelyn’s diary entry quoted by San Diego Sarah on 19/6/2022. They would be Scotland, Ireland and “England and Wales”. England and Wales are still classed as the same country for legal purposes such as domicile at date of death.

About Friday 18 May 1660

JayW  •  Link

A knot garden is a garden of formal design in a square frame, consisting of a variety of aromatic plants and culinary herbs including germander, marjoram, thyme, southernwood, lemon balm, hyssop, costmary, acanthus, mallow, chamomile, rosemary, Calendula, Viola and Santolina. Wikipedia

About Thursday 3 May 1660

JayW  •  Link

The copy of the King’s letter which was read out to the Navy by Samuel Pepys is being auctioned again at Sotheby’s in The Coronation Sale closing at 2pm BST on 4 May 2023. No bids yet with 12 hours to go.

About Tuesday 6 March 1659/60

JayW  •  Link

In the 2 lists of the Great 12 livery companies above, eagle-eyed readers may notice the transposition at numbers 6 and 7 of the Skinners and Merchants Taylors companies. They were in dispute about which should take precedence and be at number 6, which is the origin of the phrase ‘to be at sixes and sevens’ .

Second Reading

About Monday 15 March 1668/69

JayW  •  Link

There is still a court building in London called The Rolls Building where the Chancery Court sits. The senior judge is called the Master of the Rolls.
Wikipedia says:
The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the President of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales and Head of Civil Justice. As a judge, he or she is the second in seniority in England and Wales only to the Lord Chief Justice.

About Wednesday 10 February 1668/69

JayW  •  Link

SDS - I think it’s no coincidence that CABAL contains the initials of the people involved. I have previously heard that is how the word developed.

About Friday 6 November 1668

JayW  •  Link

Recent comments in my newspaper about putting toothpaste on brush suggest that Prince Charles had hurt one arm playing polo which was why he couldn’t put his own toothpaste on his brush.

About Saturday 10 October 1668

JayW  •  Link

From the entry for Monday 11 October:
to the King’s playhouse, and I afterwards by water with them, and there we did hear the Eunuch (who, it seems, is a Frenchman, but long bred in Italy) sing, which I seemed to take as new to me, though I saw him on Saturday last, but said nothing of it;

A glimpse into today? A visit to the theatre which Bess knew nothing about? Or maybe Saturday 3rd?

About Wednesday 30 September 1668

JayW  •  Link

Milford and Pembroke.
Milford Haven is in Pembrokeshire. I suspect that might be the explanation for John Howell apparently sending letters from different addresses.

About Wednesday 23 September 1668

JayW  •  Link

SDS - you wanted ideas. Here are mine.
Blount is in prison in Bruges. He is willing to betray Granger and says he (Blount) is the only one who knows where to find him and the false names he uses.
There is only a civil action against Blount so the Bruges magistrates won’t deport him.
The author of the letter is willing to help arrange the deal so long as it’s kept secret.
Granger says he can corrupt all the postmasters. He is planning to invest £1,000 in a bill of exchange which he will use to make a counterfeit for £5,000 or £6,000 and has already sent an agent off to get it.
Granger will soon go somewhere away from London for the winter and that’s when he could be arrested most easily.

About Thursday 2 July 1668

JayW  •  Link

Yes please carry on with the correspondence Sarah. It does give an insight into the work of the Navy Office. Thanks!

About Tuesday 26 May 1668

JayW  •  Link

Hodsden and Tibalds. Both local to me, and the road would probably have been what is now the A1010 which runs through Hoddesdon, Cheshunt, Waltham Cross and on through North London to Bishopsgate. What little remains of Tibalds (Theobalds Palace) is in what is now Cedars Park, where I used to walk in my lunch hour occasionally when I was working. Theobalds Park is on the other side of the dual carriageway of the A10, cut off from the site of the old palace. Until a few years ago, the original Temple Bar was in Theobalds Park, but it has now been returned to the City and is close to St Paul’s Cathedral.

About Theobalds Palace (nr Cheshunt, Herts)

JayW  •  Link

The Palace of Theobalds was situated in what is now Cedars Park, which is now separated from Theobalds Park by the A10 dual carriageway. There are still a few ruined walls remaining at Cedars Park