Saturday 2 June 1660

Annotations

• N Paul Brewster on Tue 3 Jun 2003, 12:36am

  to get Mr. Edward Montagu for Weymouth and Mr. George for Dover
  “One only of these two was elected, for Bullen Reymes became M.P. for Weymouth on June 22nd.”
  Wheatley footnote.

• N Paul Brewster on Tue 3 Jun 2003, 01:09am

  Bullen Reymes is going to show up again

  In the north aisle of the Parish Church of St. Peter in the Dorset village of Portesham near Weymouth is the Chafin memorial with a reference to Bullen Reymes. In 1695 he was found lying wounded in a street in Weymouth, perhaps after a tavern brawl, and was brought home to Waddon Manor to die. His father, COLONEL BULLEN REYMES, (1613-1672), who also lived at Waddon Manor, was a much worthier character. A Cavalier, friend of Pepys, Vice-Admiral of Dorset and MP for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis, he was laid beside his wife in a vault under this aisle.

  http://regionalwebs.co.uk/hosting/portesham-pcc/

  I left in the reference to the son for a bit of local colour …

• N Paul Brewster on Tue 3 Jun 2003, 01:32am

  He seems to have played a minor part in the diary but it turn out there is a connection of a sort to our musical Mr. Pepys:

  “Bullen Reymes (1613-72) was a lute-playing English nobleman who went on the Grand Tour between 1631 and 1637. Later, he served as a colonel in the Royalist army in the Civil War, and at the Restoration he became an MP and vice-admiral of Dorset. An invaluable constellation of his papers survive: not only important lute tablatures, with 126 pieces in seven different tunings … but a diary of his travels, and letters to his family from the time of his Paris stay, 1631-4. …

  Evidently a noted player from his teens, Reymes was a bit of lute-obsessive, who made several references a day in his diary to the lute (rather fewer to the guitar). In 1632 Mesangeau agreed to give him free lessons, and then kept failing to turn up, so he had lessons with Merville instead, paying him

• N john lauer on Tue 3 Jun 2003, 03:07am

  “the best story that ever I heard…”
  is great praise for a gentleman-and-country-fool oyster story. Can anyone find it?

• N Paul Chapin on Tue 3 Jun 2003, 03:41am

  The oyster story …
  Perhaps someone will track down an authentic version of this joke, but Sam gives us enough information to know what the story must have been. Some city slicker found a country bumpkin with a bunch of oysters, and told him they would spoil if he didn’t take the meat out of them. The c.s. kindly offered to remove the meat and take it away, leaving the c.b. with the shells. I can imagine that a good raconteur could put over a story like that very well.

• N vincent on Tue 3 Jun 2003, 05:13am

  “…computing how much the thirty ships that come with the King from Scheveling their pay comes to for a month (because the King promised to give them all a month’s pay), and it comes to 6,538l., and the Charles particularly 777l. I wish we had the money: …” Charles!!Just like Penniless man, counting his eggs before he could collect his tax money. Remember thats why the 3 cheers. oh well. Some things do never change. “computing ” well well.

• N Colin Gravois on Tue 3 Jun 2003, 09:30am

  “…and it comes to 6,538l., and the Charles particularly 777l. I wish we had the money.

• N vincent on Wed 4 Jun 2003, 05:23am

  Colin :-:The title of purser is related to a bursar - a treasurer:The Purser was the man(like the Butler, He did it) From about 1660 to 1797 (the Spithead, Plymouth and Nore mutinies were in April and May of the latter year) the pay of an Ordinary Seaman had remained at 19 shillings(5 1/4d a day), that of an Able Seaman at 24 shillings, a month.( thats before fixed paybacks) theres more on customs etc
  http://www.geocities.com/brettchristensen/customs.html
  lots of reading: scary stuff then this:: you will love how they ‘Violenteered” for This Work.

  REGULATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS;RELATING TO HIS MAJESTY’S SERVICE AT SEA;Established by His Majesty in Council. The 13th Edition. LONDON;PRINTED IN THE YEAR 1790
  from
  http://www.exeterflotilla.fsnet.co.uk/nav_customs/nc_customs.html

  for example :_It is only about 80 or so years since women ceased to be carried in men-o’-war, and it was Queen Victoria who ordered this practice to be discontinued
  The origin of the call of the morning to “..Show a Leg..” “
  Room to swing a cat . This expression is certainly of nautical origin and referred to the cat o’ nine tails.1651 lots other sayings that we use and do not understand:

• N Colin Gravois on Wed 4 Jun 2003, 09:56am

  Vincent: you covered the waterfront, so to speak. Thanks for all the information, and the links you porovided are full of great details. Now where does Sam fit into this scheme of things? In Tomalin’s book he’s frequently called upon to “get” the money and “pay” the sailors, albeit oftentimes with some difficulty — seems paymasters have always been tightfisted.

• N john lauer on Thu 5 Jun 2003, 01:34am

  But Paul (Chapin), in the best of this genre
  the bumpkin would end superior to the slicker — so I would expect a zinger before I close this file. Unfortunately we know nothing about the Captain’s humo(u)r, or opinion of “gentlemen”.

• N vincent on Thu 5 Jun 2003, 05:28am

  The way I understand the situation is this: SP makes out the schedule: warrants and other Paperwork for each ships Commission. The purser “guy “applies for a warrant for the position on a Ship: He gets the appropiate bag for time of service ( 3 months maybe) The details of processing are the pursers: The Commissioned folks, thats another story; In many cases its Peapis problem when the schedule is over run and Parliament has not got the funds or cash, so chits( ious ) are issued: (That was the problem in Jan/Feb no funds for the Regiments:)

  Evelyn makes ref. to his agent Pay & accompt at Gravesend missbehaved himself(no details ? not very important pay?) ref 17 march 1678;
  

• N Edward Chaney on Wed 12 Apr 2006, 05:45pm

  For more on Bullen Reymes, including his portrait and page from his travel manuscript in which he records visiting Artemesia Gentileschi in Naples, see Edward Chaney, The Evolution of the Grand Tour, revised ed; 2000).