Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
(Lord’s day). In the morning to our own church, Where Mr. Powel (a crook legged man that went formerly with me to Paul’s School), preached a good sermon. In the afternoon to our own church and my wife with me (the first time that she and my Lady Batten came to sit in our new pew), and after sermon my Lady took us home and there we supped with her and Sir W. Batten, and Pen, and were much made of. The first time that ever my wife was there. So home and to bed.
Monday 19 November 1660Saturday 17 November 1660
6°C / 43°F
(monthly average for November 1660) About
There are no journals available for this date.
A nice Sunday : I notice that in the morning ‘tis the men that go to the Services while the dear little wives are Home organising. Then the evening (afternoon?) service gets the attention of the Ladies. Is it True that the two services are different in substantial ways ? Content and length and meaning? If this was standard practice then “We” do see major difference between then and now?
Elizabeth Pepys’ position.
For the second time in a short period Pepys makes special mention of Elizabeth’s acceptance into his own, burgeoning sphere of influence. Some purely uxorious pride here, but it’s also possible that Sam is catching early hints that women are going to have more influence in this court and this administration than had ever been the case under the Commonwealth. An ‘acceptable’ wife may well prove to be an advantage to a rising man.
The services are Mattins in the morning, Evensong in the evening: ‘In Mattins and Evensong the medieval daily offices (Mattins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers and Compline) were compressed into two. What had previously been seen as primarily the business of clergy, monks, and nuns was now available in English and recommended for all.’ http://www.members.christweb.com/trinitychurch/Prayers/introduction.htm
Can someone explain to me how the system of “owning” church pews worked? Did you rent a pew at a yearly rate, or did you buy the space outright? I understand that in some cases the private pews were elaborately boxed in and in some cases might even have had a coal fire in them to heat them. Could you sell “your” pew to someone else?
And what would be the main reason for someone like Sam having a private pew - to show off his wealth, or to protect him and his wife from the diseases / fleas / prying eyes of fellow-worhsippers?
Private pews.
These were usually rented by the year, and the income from such rentals could form a significant portion of any church’s income.
Those renting pews, which were often boxed in with quite high ‘walls’, were usually folk who either were, or felt themselves to be, of a superior class to the majority of the congregation. These pews afforded a degree of privacy that could be very welcome in an age when sermons could be extremely long and the necessity of relieving oneself could become urgent. How much more seemly for milady to be able to slip her specially shaped, portable piss-pot discreetly under her skirts within the protecting walls of the private pew. You wouldn’t want to conduct that operation in full view of the hoi polloi, would you?
The pews were built at the expense of, and for, the Navy Board, whose members, including Sam, lived in Seething Lane, adjacent to St. Olave’s Church. There is further information at: http://www.pepysdiary.com/archive/1660/08/24/index.php See those annotations.
Pews- mans weakness for being in the Lime light [no lime must not poured on] We like to mark a spot and be noticed for the success . Many Pews were Made for the local “Mucky Muck” or Squire, so that “me Lady” is shown off. The Rental was a small price to pay for receiving the touch of the forelock, “One” must Know ones place. How easily one forgets the inter -Regnum and why it came to be.
Thank you, Mary!
The things one learns from this site…
Private pews were in use in America in colonial times. King’s Chapel in Boston still maintains the Royal Governor’s pew, which is surrounded by curtains. Parishioners who could not afford to pay for a pew were given benches in the front, so that the more “responsible” members of the congregation could keep an eye on them.
pews.According to the OED another name was also associated it be Stool.
1b. A church pew Obs.
1. a. Any kind of seat for one person; often, a chair of authority, state, or office; esp. a royal or episcopal throne. (Hence occas. = SEE n.1 2b.) Obs.
porphyry stool: cf. porphyry chair, PORPHYRY 5b.
‘…milady to be able to slip her specially shaped, portable piss-pot discreetly under her skirts …’
“A bourdaloue or ladies traveling chamberpot, which is an eighteenth-century slipper-shaped portable urinal for a lady, sometimes known as a coach-pot. It is an oblong shaped pot with a handle on one end. … It took its more general name from a Jesuit father, one Louis Bourdaloue, whose long sermons, preached at Versailles, were extremely popular, especially with the ladies of the court who, in order to secure a seat, used to arrive hours before the scheduled time of the sermon.”
For photograph:-
http://test.huntmuseum.com/search_briefdesc.asp
Louis Bourdaloue .Born at Bourges, 20 August, 1632; died at Paris, 13 May, 1704. He is often described as the “king of preachers and the preacher of kings.” …
Continued:-
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02717a.htm