Saturday 22 February 1661/62

At the office busy all the morning, and thence to dinner to my Lady Sandwich’s, and thence with Mr. Moore to our Attorney, Wellpoole’s, and there found that Godfry has basely taken out a judgment against us for the 40l., for which I am vexed. And thence to buy a pair of stands and a hanging shelf for my wife’s chamber, and so home, and thither came Mr. Savill with the pictures, and we hung them up in our dining-room. It comes now to appear very handsome with all my pictures.

This evening I wrote letters to my father; among other things acquainting him with the unhappy accident which hath happened lately to my Lord of Dorset’s two oldest sons, who, with two Belasses and one Squire Wentworth, were lately apprehended for killing and robbing of a tanner about Newington on Wednesday last, and are all now in Newgate. I am much troubled for it, and for the grief and disgrace it brings to their familys and friends. After this, having got a very great cold, I got something warm to-night, and so to bed.


27 Annotations

First Reading

A. De Araujo  •  Link

"for killing and robbing of a tanner"
Did the tanner get justice? Please spoil me.

Glyn  •  Link

"my Lord of Dorset's two oldest sons.” The link to “sons” must be wrong because it refers to someone who died 10 years earlier.

JWB  •  Link

Got off...
"He bore his share in the excesses for which Sir CharlesSedley and the Earl ofRochester were notorious. In 1662 he and his brother Edward, with three other gentlemen, were indicted for the robbery andmurder of a tanner named Hoppy. The defence was that they were in pursuit of thieves, and mistook Hoppy for a highwayman. Theyappear to have been acquitted, for when in 1663 Sir Charles Sedley was tried for a gross breach of public decency in Covent Garden, Sackville, who had been one of the offenders, was asked by theLord chief justice whether he had so soon forgot hisdeliverance at that time." http://www.smartpedia.com/smart/b…

A. De Araujo  •  Link

Thanks JWB for the site,"my Lord Dorset might do anything,yet was never to blame" The Teflon Lord!

language hat  •  Link

"to buy a pair of stands"

What might this be? The sense 'a base, bracket, stool, or the like upon which a utensil, ornament, or exhibit may be set' has its first OED citation from 1664 (presumably if they thought that was the applicable sense here this would be cited); the separate noun stand 'an open tub; a barrel set on end' is common in the 17th century, but doesn't seem like something one would buy two of for one's wife's chamber.

Stolzi  •  Link

I like the "something warm" for his cold.

Alcoholic, I rather hope...

Todd Bernhardt  •  Link

re: "something warm"

Stolzi, methinks a good draft of mulled ale would do the trick!

Mary House  •  Link

the pair of stands...When I read this I pictured something like a candle stand. A small, usually round table for holding a candle.

JWB  •  Link

The Teflon Lord!
"...and Rochester is said to have told Charles II. that he did not " know how it was, my Lord Dorset might do anything, yet was never to blame."'
http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/CHA…

vicenzo  •  Link

All lords be teflon: read some of H of Lauds Dailies and you can see that they have many priveledges, ['tis why they be called privileged class, other wise known as aristo....cracy, not demo- ] they have been granted immunity [or license to incense the hoi poloi] to many deeds, it even encompasses their Servants.

JWB  •  Link

Point of mine above, not to repeat A. De Araujo,but to pin the quote to Rochester. Kettle calling the pot black.

vicenzo  •  Link

"the pair of stands" may be, what one would use for centuries, for those that did not have a hall closet to takes the excess clothing off vistors, would have two hall stands [one for the female and one for the gents] to hang visitors odds and ends like swords and veils.

dirk  •  Link

the pair of stands

Possibly clothes' stands - one for him and one for her - where you could put your clothes during the night, to keep them in good shape. Remember they don't have hangers yet...

vicenzo  •  Link

Noticed that Earl Dorsett and Baron Bellassis, failed to show up yesterday and today, for the daily 'tete a tete' with the Law making group and they appear to attend often, as they be on many a committee. One can only guess at conversation between the Earl and a Baron. Earl be a saying "your D*** whippersnapppers be aleading My Charles down the path of Hell, eh! wot".

vicenzo  •  Link

"It comes now to appear very handsome with all my pictures." Quite a Gallery?

Diana Bonebrake  •  Link

Could the stands be for the paintings?

Pauline  •  Link

"It comes now to appear very handsome with all my pictures."
I fear he is pleased with the frames and the size of the paintings in relation to his other pictures.

The stands:
As they are in Elizabeth’s chamber, with a hanging shelf as part of the new fittings, I make the Boston Fern on a stand disappear from my mind and see a water pitcher and bowl. Like a set of vanity furniture or some sort? (Dirk’s clothes stands seem reasonable too.)

andy  •  Link

very handsome with all my pictures.

or as one might say in today's vernacular:

it looks very 'andsome, mate!

Pedro  •  Link

"for killing and robbing of a tanner"

Poor old Hoppy, killed for a sixpence.

Mary  •  Link

"I got something warm tonight"

Quite probably mulled wine or ale, but could equally well be something warming for supper. This meal was very often both light and cold (bread and cheese, for example). Perhaps Sam had some hot broth prepared against his very great cold on this occasion.

Rex Gordon  •  Link

Judgment for 40 pounds ...

This, L&M say, was a debt owed by Robert Pepys of Brampton at his death. Sam, as executor, will deal with it later.

vicenzo  •  Link

I've have been reading the House of Commons comments about those that have arrested members of the Priviliee class: It be a very costly lesson in ways of the betters.
one:
William Holmes the constable: he ended up on his knees paying fees.
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…
ANOTHER Privilege.
RESOLVED, That the Constable of Westminster, William Dibden, alias Dabene, William Barrington, Samuell Roper, Richard Knight, Arthur Butterworth, Richard Loveland, and John Bowman, be apprehended, and brought in the Custody of the Serjeant at Arms; to answer their Breach of Privilege, in imprisoning Mr. Speccott, and Mr. Southcott, Two of the Members of this House; and for using them in a reproachful Manner; and using ignominious Words against the Members of this House.

From: British History Online
Source: House of Commons Journal Volume 8: 7 January 1662. Journal of the House of Commons: volume 8, (1802).
URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…
Date: 08/03/2005
c Copyright 2003-2005 University of London & History of Parliament
Tanner never stood a chance.

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"my Lord of Dorset’s two oldest sons, who, with two Belasses and one Squire Wentworth, were lately apprehended for killing and robbing of a tanner about Newington on Wednesday last, and are all now in Newgate. "

Two of these ruffians -- John Belasyse and Edward Sackville -- were later Governors of Tangier, evidently a sort of penitentiary for men quick to draw a sword: http://www.oxforddnb.com/template…

Might their mettle have a bearing on the English failure to hold on to Tangier?

Bill  •  Link

"my Lord of Dorset’s two oldest sons, who, with two Belasses and one Squire Wentworth, were lately apprehended for killing and robbing of a tanner about Newington on Wednesday last, and are all now in Newgate."

The following account of this transaction is abridged from the Mercurius Publicum of the day:—" Charles Lord Buckhurst, Edward Sackville, Esq., his brother; Sir Henry Belasyse, K.B., eldest son of Lord Belasyse; John Belasyse, brother to Lord Faulconberg; and Thomas Wentworth, Esq., only son of Sir G. Wentworth, whilst in pursuit of thieves near Waltham Cross, mortally wounded an innocent tanner, named Hoppy, whom they had endeavoured to secure, suspecting him to have been one of the robbers; and as they took away the money found on his person, under the idea that it was stolen property, they were soon after apprehended on the charges of robbery and murder; but the Grand Jury found a bill for manslaughter only." And it would seem, from an allusion to their trial, in the Diary, 1st July, 1663, that they were acquitted.
---Diary and correspondence of Samuel Pepys, the diary deciphered by J. Smith. 1854.

Bill  •  Link

"And thence to buy a pair of stands"

A STAND, a Pause or Stay, Doubt or Uncertainty; also a Frame to set any Thing upon.
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675.

Chris Squire UK  •  Link

‘stand . . III. An appliance to stand something on.
21. a. A base, bracket, stool or the like upon which a utensil, ornament, or exhibit may be set; the base upon which an instrument is set up for use.
. . 1686 tr. J. Chardin Coronation Solyman 39 in Trav. Persia As we set our Candlesticks upon Tables or Stands.
. . 1706 Phillips's New World of Words (ed. 6) Stand,..a Frame to set a Candle-stick on, or a Vessel in a Cellar, &c. . .

22. A frame or piece of furniture upon which to stand or hang articles.
1692 Dryden Cleomenes Life 10 After Supper, a Stand was brought in with a brass Vessel full of Wine, two silver Pots,..a few silver Cups . . ‘

Log in to post an annotation.

If you don't have an account, then register here.