1893 text

Thomas Turner (or Tourner) was General Clerk at the Navy Office, and on June 30th [1660 P.G.] he offered Pepys 150_l. to be made joint Clerk of the Acts with him. In a list of the Admiralty officers just before the King came in, preserved in the British Museum, there occur, Richard Hutchinson; Treasury of the Navy, salary 1500_l.; Thomas Tourner, General Clerk, for himself and clerk, 100_l._.


This text comes from a footnote on a diary entry in the 1893 edition edited by Henry B. Wheatley.

4 Annotations

First Reading

vincent  •  Link

Mr Turner is not only works at Commissioners of the Navy is also a neighbour [ Mr. Turner

Michael Robinson  •  Link

Per L&M Companion:-

(d. 1681). Purser 1642; Clerk-General of the Navy Office c. 1646-60; Purveyor of Petty Provisions 1660-8; clerk to the Comptroller 1661-8; Storekeeper at Deptford 1668-?80. Evelyn thought more highly than Pepys of him and in 1680 appealed to Pepys on behalf of 'our disconsolate neighbor', threatened with the loss of his place. In his will he is described as of Tower St.; London, gentleman. His wife Elizabeth (daughter and heiress of Sir John Holmden) was left L 100 in the will of Sir. J. Mennes. She died in 1685. Their son Moses was an administrator of his father's will.

Second Reading

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

The Turners were more than neighbors ... their "house of office" emptied into Pepys' part of the cellars.

Cf. http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…: 'This morning one came to me to advise with me where to make me a window into my cellar in lieu of one that Sir W. Batten had stopped up; and going down my cellar to look, I put my foot into a great heap of turds, by which I find that Mr. Turner's house of office is full and comes into my cellar, which doth trouble me; but I will have it helped.'60/10/20/

http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
L&M transcribe the mess being transported in the dark from the cellar: "This night, Mr. Turner's house [of office] being to be emptied out of my cellar, and therefore I think to sit up a little longer than ordinary.[...] I called late for some victuals, and so to bed, leaving the men below in the cellar emptying the turds up through Mr. Turner's own house; and so, with more content, to bed late."

alta turpis fossa or caput posted this explanation: "One common cellar, for all? I have the impression that exterior wall be common, but the interior walls be installed to fit the pocket book of the different resident payee's. One could go from one subterranean area to another only by opening up the inserted wall. Doors, walls, stairs or fixtures would added and deleted at the convenience of new monies. Only in the abundant wealth of modern era does one tear down the existing structure to make the new ideal arrangements based on ergonomic and practical uses and requirements. Large structures like the Whitehall be a collection of mismashed dilapidated rooms, with a luverly title of palace to give a sense of grandeur. Oh how we like loverly words to cover fetid things.
My viewpoint of the caverns of Samuel's residence, be that there be a cellar for all his coals, which he purchases once a year, another area designated for his collection of bribes, sorry his gifts from satisfied clients, for best wines that be imported, then there be a root cellar to keep his turnips and spuds, then there be another designated room with the pipe [or pipes] coming down from his and her closets in the upper regions into a barrel for the collection of nite soil.
His neighbour be not watching his overflow of effluent so affluent Sam has to tell Turner to open up his pocket book and get the muck out of Sam's space.
The nite soil men only work during the hours of darkness, as they be unwanted, even by those that never had a bath."

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