The Diary of Samuel Pepys

Daily entries from the 17th century London diary

Trinity House, Deptford

Map

The overlays that highlight 17th century London features are approximate and derived from:

9 Annotations

Phil   Link to this

The above link is my best guess at the location of Trinity House.

Grahamt   Link to this

The Trinty house corporation has been responsible for safety around the coast of Britain since it was constituted under a Royal Charter granted by Henry VIII in 1514. Now famous for its lighthouses.
Link here: http://www.trinityhouse.co.uk/ but the history is a bit sparse.

Gallowglass   Link to this

When I clicked on the above map link, the first map image to appear was the top left (NW) corner, where, much to my delight, we find Pepys' Park!
Does anyone have an image of the park?

Grahamt   Link to this

Click on Pepys Park to centre it, then click on the camera icon for an aerial photograph. Maybe not quite the picture you were looking for, but an image of the park nevertheless.

Wim van der Meij   Link to this

According to the Everyman's Library edition Trinity House was in Water Lane, near the Tower.
Anybody an idea how Pepys Park got its name?

Wim van der Meij   Link to this

I found the answer myself in the following site: http://www.pepyscommunityforum.org/history.htm

[2 Nov 2009: Updated the link to point to an archived version of the page as the original is no longer there. P.G.]

Warren   Link to this

Phil is correct; The Corporation of Trinity House, formally known as 'The Master, Wardens and Assistants of the Guild or Fraternitie of the most glorious and blessed Trinitie and Saint Clement in the parish Church of Deptford Stronde in the County of Kent', was originally housed in Trinity Hall, near St. Nicholas Church, which itself is on the corner of Deptford Green and The Stowage, west of Deptford Creek (arrow): http://tinyurl.com/6ynzr

Trinity House removed to Tower Hill in the 17th Century but the Hall existed at least as late as 1850 or so, and was the venue of the annual Trinity House election following a grand river-borne procession from Tower Hill. That ceremony fell on Trinity Monday, eight weeks and a day after Easter, but was discontinued after the death of the Duke of Wellington, Master from 1837 to 1852 (Samuel Pepys was an earlier Master). Trinity House probably was named after Trinity Hall. Trinity Week (Corpus Christi Week) existed in the church calendar long before either House or Hall, of course; but what more fitting date for the annual ceremony of Trinity House than Trinity Monday?

Is Trinity Hall still in existence?

Finally, there is a good history of Trinity House at http://tinyurl.com/5vfrt (I converted the long URL in the www.portcities.org.uk site).

Pauline   Link to this

L&M Companion entry for Trinity House runs two pages. I have failed in accessing it online.

"Dover, Hull and Newcastle had their Trinity Houses, but the most important was that of London, the principal port of the kingdom. Orginally a seamen's guild at Deptford, charged primarily with religious and charitable duties, it became from 1514 onward by virtue of a series of charters and statutes a public authority which provided the means of safe navigation, particularly in the Thames. Its main responsibilities in the river were for lights, beacons and buoys, for the licensing of pilots and watermen, and for the clearin go of the navigable channels (the spoil being sold as ballast). This last duty was until 1663 shared with the city, and its liscensing of watermen with the Waterman's Company. In 1566 its authority over lights was extended to the whole kingdom. In addition it acted as a minor maritime court under the aegis of the Admiralty. Its members, mostly Thames masters and pilots, had since 1604 been divided into Elder Brethern, the executive authority, and Younger Brethren, the elective authority: corresponding, respectively, to the court and liverymen of the a city company. During the Commonwealth a parliamentary committee had replaced the Elder Brethren, but the staus quo was restored in 1660 and sealed by the issue of a new charter in Mov. 1660."

[three more informative paragraphs for the future.}

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