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Saturday 10 March 1659/60

In the morning went to my father’s, whom I took in his cutting house,1 and there I told him my resolution to go to sea with my Lord, and consulted with him how to dispose of my wife, and we resolved of letting her be at Mr. Bowyer’s. Thence to the Treasurer of the Navy, where I received 500l. for my Lord, and having left 200l. of it with Mr. Rawlinson at his house for Sheply, I went with the rest to the Sun tavern on Fish Street Hill, where Mr. Hill, Stevens and Mr. Hater of the Navy Office had invited me, where we had good discourse and a fine breakfast of Mr. Hater. Then by coach home, where I took occasion to tell my wife of my going to sea, who was much troubled at it, and was with some dispute at last willing to continue at Mr. Bowyer’s in my absence. After this to see Mrs. Jem and paid her maid 7l., and then to Mr. Blackburne, who told. me what Mr. Creed did say upon the news of my coming into his place, and that he did propose to my Lord that there should be two Secretaries, which made me go to Sir H. Wright’s where my Lord dined and spoke with him about it, but he seemed not to agree to the motion. Hither W. Howe comes to me and so to Westminster. In the way he told me, what I was to provide and so forth against my going. He went with me to my office, whither also Mr. Madge comes half foxed and played the fool upon the violin that made me weary. Then to Whitehall and so home and set many of my things in order against my going. My wife was late making of caps for me, and the wench making an end of a pair of stockings that she was knitting of. So to bed.

  1. His father was a tailor, and this was his cutting-out room.

11 Mar 1660 9 Mar 1660

Temperature: 6°C / 43°F (Mar 1660 avg.)

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In Parliament

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Translations

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  • “half foxed”:
    “foxed” is (as you might expect) ‘intoxicated, drunk, stupefied’ (OED).

  • Mr. Hater:
    The Companion lists him as “Hayter, Thomas” and says that he was already established as a clerk in the Navy Office; it also points out that Pepys usually refers to him (in distinction to the other clerks) as “Mr” and mentions that he had neat handwriting.

  • PEOPLE
    BOWYER, Robert (drowns in 1664) — “usher of the receipt” a post senior to Pepys’s at the Exchequer Office. He has a home in Huntsmoore.

    RAWLINSON, Daniel (1614-79) — “landlord” (owner) of the Mitre tavern “one of the busiest and most elegant of London taverns” (Pepys was at a different Mitre tavern on 21 Jan. and 18 Feb.), a royalist, friend and relative of Pepys’s Uncle Wight, and a man Pepys consults about private investments. Apparently either Mountagu also trusts Rawlinson with money (Pepys is giving Rawlinson 200 pounds of it for safekeeping), or Mountagu trusts Pepys to park the money in a safe spot (I think Mountagu has, at the least, given his approval for where Pepys will park it after a careful explanation).

    BLACKBURNE — Admiralty official. His page: http://www.pepysdiary.com/p/508.php

    WRIGHT, Sir Henry — husband of Ann Crew, who is the sister of Edward “My Lord” Mountagu’s wife, Jemimah. This makes him Mountagu’s brother-in-law, and Mountagu seems to be pretty close to him.

    MADGE/MAGE, Humphrey (d. 1679) — He can probably play the violin quite well, even when he’s three-quarters-foxed. He’s a pro. Of course, Pepys has things on his mind, so this horsing around makes him “weary.” We met Mr. M. (correct spelling of his name is unknown) playing at the home of Dr. “Whores” (Hoares) with fellow professional musicians John Harding and Thomas Mallard.

    MR. HILL — first name unknown. Possibly a servant to Mountagu. The index volume has a separate listing for the Mr. Hill who brought the message from Worcestershire (14-15 Feb.).

    STEVENS — Anthony Stephens, cashier to the Navy treasurer.

  • The above note took me forever to complete. I can’t do this every day. From now on, I will provide these “people” or “cast” notes regularly on dates ending in 1 and 5 (on the 1st, 5th, 11th, 15th, 21st, 25th, 31st of the month). I hope some others will volunteer to take up the slack.

  • Sources of the “People” note above:
    The usual — L&M index and companion volumes (vols. 10 & 11).

  • “a pair of stockings that she was knitting of”

    Fascinating! The maid had already learned a trade at which (and for another 200 years) it was then possible to make a reasonable living. Frame knitting - not much more productive in stockings-per-week - was then new. Skivvying chez Pepys must have had advantages!

    With knee-length breeches stockings had, of course, a fashion significance but could be political, too, with colour indicating political allegiance. The short-lived parliament of 1653, sometimes Barebones Pariament (see above) was also called the Blue-Stocking Parliament.

    Happy to discuss this off list, if there’s anyone else on the planet interested!

  • We like what you do, David Q.

    The “People” entries are excellent … would that I had the L&M index, and could help (given the demands of work and parenthood, I’ll be lucky to acquire and read the Tomalin bio). Hopefully, others can help supply info as needed on your “days off” … otherwise, whatever you can find time for is okay by this reader.

  • stockings questions

    Don’t be so modest, Maureen! Benefit us with your evident knowledge of fashions and textiles. My questions:

    1) How many pairs of stockings would someone like Sam have in his wardrobe? How often were they changed, washed?
    2) I assume the stockings would be wool - would they be scratchy? Would Sam’s “wench” get the yarn already spun and dyed? From whom? were there grades of yarn? Or did they use cotton or linen or silk?
    3) How did they keep knee-length stockings from falling down? Garters, one assumes?
    4) How long would it take to make a stocking using frame-knitting? How long would they last?
    5) Did all men wear stockings at this time? They must have gotten filthy walking through the London streets! Was it only for the well-off? Did women wear stockings?
    6) You mentioned the blue stockings —-I think of the 18th century French “blue stockings” (bas-bleus) or female intelectuals. What color would Sam be wearing? We are so used to seeing 17th and (more usually) 18th characters on stage, in portraits(?). and in movies in white stockings.

    I love the nitty-gritty. In many ways, Sam is just like us; in other ways, he (and all his contemporaries) are totally exotic, dealing with even trivial matters (like stockings) in ways that are a wonder. He can’t or didn’t (as all of us can do) just buy a half-dozen or a dozen pairs of uniform-quality socks at a department store or clothing shop for a trivial cost.

  • “Navy Office” vs. “Admiralty” —

    In response to steve h’s question from yesterday, in today’s terminology it looks to me like the Admiralty represented the policy-making authority asserting governmental control and the Navy Board/Navy Office represented the operational authority of the seagoing services.

    Here’s a link —

    http://www.hmsrichmond.org/admiralty.htm

  • Thanks for the info on the Navy Board.

    All that I’d been able to discover was that it was one of several subordinate bodies to the Board of Admiralty, lasted until 1832, and apparently dealt with the routine administration, not what I would understand as operational control.

  • Could Sam’s stockings have looked like this?
    http://www.kipar.org/paintings/1660/saltonstall_1660.jpg
    The Family of Sir Richard Saltonstall, painted by David des Granges circa 1660. Note the soles of Sir Richard’s shoes!

  • “…Note the soles of Sir Richard

  • Knitted stockings - Steve H and others, I’ve asked Phil to set this topic up as background information. Am now writing this up. Please check back Wednesday for as many of the answers as I can manage!

  • Those soles…
    Red heels in France at this time were the perogative of the nobility…don’t know if the same held true in England?

  • Thanks, Maureen

    For an expert discussion of stockings. Check it out in the background info area under fashion.

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