Tuesday 23 April 1661

Coronacian day.

[Continued from yesterday. P.G.] … about 4 I rose and got to the Abbey, where I followed Sir J. Denham, the Surveyor, with some company that he was leading in. And with much ado, by the favour of Mr. Cooper, his man, did get up into a great scaffold across the North end of the Abbey, where with a great deal of patience I sat from past 4 till 11 before the King came in. And a great pleasure it was to see the Abbey raised in the middle, all covered with red, and a throne (that is a chair) and footstool on the top of it; and all the officers of all kinds, so much as the very fidlers, in red vests.

At last comes in the Dean and Prebends of Westminster, with the Bishops (many of them in cloth of gold copes), and after them the Nobility, all in their Parliament robes, which was a most magnificent sight. Then the Duke, and the King with a scepter (carried by my Lord Sandwich) and sword and mond1 before him, and the crown too.

The King in his robes, bare-headed, which was very fine. And after all had placed themselves, there was a sermon and the service; and then in the Quire at the high altar, the King passed through all the ceremonies of the Coronacon, which to my great grief I and most in the Abbey could not see. The crown being put upon his head, a great shout begun, and he came forth to the throne, and there passed more ceremonies: as taking the oath, and having things read to him by the Bishop; and his lords (who put on their caps as soon as the King put on his crown)2 and bishops come, and kneeled before him.

And three times the King at Arms went to the three open places on the scaffold, and proclaimed, that if any one could show any reason why Charles Stewart should not be King of England, that now he should come and speak.

And a Generall Pardon also was read by the Lord Chancellor, and meddalls flung up and down by my Lord Cornwallis, of silver, but I could not come by any.

But so great a noise that I could make but little of the musique; and indeed, it was lost to every body. But I had so great a lust to … [What is it that needed to be censored from this public description? D.W.] [pisse – L&M] that I went out a little while before the King had done all his ceremonies, and went round the Abbey to Westminster Hall, all the way within rayles, and 10,000 people, with the ground covered with blue cloth; and scaffolds all the way. Into the Hall I got, where it was very fine with hangings and scaffolds one upon another full of brave ladies; and my wife in one little one, on the right hand.

Here I staid walking up and down, and at last upon one of the side stalls I stood and saw the King come in with all the persons (but the soldiers) that were yesterday in the cavalcade; and a most pleasant sight it was to see them in their several robes. And the King came in with his crown on, and his sceptre in his hand, under a canopy borne up by six silver staves, carried by Barons of the Cinque Ports,3 and little bells at every end.

And after a long time, he got up to the farther end, and all set themselves down at their several tables; and that was also a brave sight: and the King’s first course carried up by the Knights of the Bath. And many fine ceremonies there was of the Heralds leading up people before him, and bowing; and my Lord of Albemarle’s going to the kitchin and eat a bit of the first dish that was to go to the King’s table.

But, above all, was these three Lords, Northumberland, and Suffolk, and the Duke of Ormond, coming before the courses on horseback, and staying so all dinner-time, and at last to bring up [Dymock] the King’s Champion, all in armour on horseback, with his spear and targett carried before him. And a Herald proclaims “That if any dare deny Charles Stewart to be lawful King of England, here was a Champion that would fight with him;”4 and with these words, the Champion flings down his gauntlet, and all this he do three times in his going up towards the King’s table. At last when he is come, the King drinks to him, and then sends him the cup which is of gold, and he drinks it off, and then rides back again with the cup in his hand.

I went from table to table to see the Bishops and all others at their dinner, and was infinitely pleased with it. And at the Lords’ table, I met with William Howe, and he spoke to my Lord for me, and he did give me four rabbits and a pullet, and so I got it and Mr. Creed and I got Mr. Michell to give us some bread, and so we at a stall eat it, as every body else did what they could get.

I took a great deal of pleasure to go up and down, and look upon the ladies, and to hear the musique of all sorts, but above all, the 24 violins.

About six at night they had dined, and I went up to my wife, and there met with a pretty lady (Mrs. Frankleyn, a Doctor’s wife, a friend of Mr. Bowyer’s), and kissed them both, and by and by took them down to Mr. Bowyer’s. And strange it is to think, that these two days have held up fair till now that all is done, and the King gone out of the Hall; and then it fell a-raining and thundering and lightening as I have not seen it do for some years: which people did take great notice of; God’s blessing of the work of these two days, which is a foolery to take too much notice of such things.

I observed little disorder in all this, but only the King’s footmen had got hold of the canopy, and would keep it from the Barons of the Cinque Ports,5 which they endeavoured to force from them again, but could not do it till my Lord Duke of Albemarle caused it to be put into Sir R. Pye’s hand till tomorrow to be decided.

At Mr. Bowyer’s, a great deal of company, some I knew, others I did not. Here we staid upon the leads and below till it was late, expecting to see the fire-works, but they were not performed to-night: only the City had a light like a glory round about it with bonfires.

At last I went to Kingstreet, and there sent Crockford to my father’s and my house, to tell them I could not come home tonight, because of the dirt, and a coach could not be had.

And so after drinking a pot of ale alone at Mrs. Harper’s I returned to Mr. Bowyer’s, and after a little stay more I took my wife and Mrs. Frankleyn (who I proffered the civility of lying with my wife at Mrs. Hunt’s to-night) to Axe-yard, in which at the further end there were three great bonfires, and a great many great gallants, men and women; and they laid hold of us, and would have us drink the King’s health upon our knees, kneeling upon a faggot, which we all did, they drinking to us one after another. Which we thought a strange frolique; but these gallants continued thus a great while, and I wondered to see how the ladies did tipple.

At last I sent my wife and her bedfellow to bed, and Mr. Hunt and I went in with Mr. Thornbury (who did give the company all their wine, he being yeoman of the wine-cellar to the King) to his house; and there, with his wife and two of his sisters, and some gallant sparks that were there, we drank the King’s health, and nothing else, till one of the gentlemen fell down stark drunk, and there lay spewing; and I went to my Lord’s pretty well. But no sooner a-bed with Mr. Shepley but my head began to hum, and I to vomit, and if ever I was foxed it was now, which I cannot say yet, because I fell asleep and slept till morning. Only when I waked I found myself wet with my spewing. Thus did the day end with joy every where; and blessed be God, I have not heard of any mischance to any body through it all, but only to Serjt. Glynne, whose horse fell upon him yesterday, and is like to kill him, which people do please themselves to see how just God is to punish the rogue at such a time as this; he being now one of the King’s Serjeants, and rode in the cavalcade with Maynard, to whom people wish the same fortune.

There was also this night in King-street, [a woman] had her eye put out by a boy’s flinging a firebrand into the coach.

Now, after all this, I can say that, besides the pleasure of the sight of these glorious things, I may now shut my eyes against any other objects, nor for the future trouble myself to see things of state and show, as being sure never to see the like again in this world.

85 Annotations

First Reading

Jonquil  •  Link

[What is it that needed to be censored from this public description? D.W.]

I suspect he needed to pee. Long ceremony; certainly people complained of similar issues during Edward VII's coronation.

Phil  •  Link

Exactly! L&M begin the sentence: "But I had so great a list to pisse, that I went out a little while before the King..." I'm not sure why it's "list" rather than "lust".

dirk  •  Link

"list" rather than "lust"

Maybe merely a less than accurate positioning of the vowel marks in the shorthand. (Remember vowels are shown by the position of the next consonant - cfr earlier annotations on Sam's shorthand).

Jonquil  •  Link

"List" just means "want to". "Whoso list to hunt, I know where is an hind..." begins a sonnet by Sir Thomas Wyatt, meaning "Whoever wants to hunt..." . Somebody who is listless is lacking in will.

M.Stolzenbach  •  Link

Champion rides into Banquet-Hall

Seems a pity this custom appears to have been discontinued at more recent Coronacions.

M.Stolzenbach  •  Link

Oh, my - what a lot of drinking.

And spewing.

Vicente  •  Link

Wot a wonderful day and all that pomp and circumstance , don't every one luv it.[mind yu Sam does do it proud like, ]then the finale "....and then it fell a-raining and thundering and lightening as I have not seen it do for some years: which people did take great notice of; God's blessing of the work of these two days, which is a foolery to take too much notice of such things
…”
And then the view from Camulodunum Way The Rev. Josselyn.
23 I baptised Elizabeth Eldred , the air echoed with cannon shot. towards night it lightened and thundered and rained a very great tempest. it begun London wards. god shot off his warring pieces die 24.[next day] a considerable flood.
http://linux02.lib.cam.ac.uk/earl…

the king had left and there is no comment John Evelyn on the extra fireworks from the sky.
http://astext.com/history/ed_1661…
P.S. always someone gets ‘urt in these bashes.

Krzysztof  •  Link

More than drinking and spewing ...to hear the musique of all sorts, but above all, the 24 violins: Charles II founded the group to play at his coronation, imitating the French "Vingt-quatre Violons du Roy", which he admired during his exile at the court of Louis XIV. Here, SP for the first time mentions the "violin", obviously a great novelty at that time in England, but also in France. SP plays bowed instruments such as fiddle (treble- or tenor-viol?) and viall (viola da gamba). There is a great deal of confusion of names when it comes to bowed instruments of the epoch, in England and elsewhere. But here he makes a clear distinction between violin and "viall".

Roger Arbor  •  Link

WONDERFUL! It brings it home why we read this diary. Samuel could have been describing the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. So much the same, even down to the (over) celebration.

Mary  •  Link

Did Sam take notes? If so, how?

Whilst acknowledging that Sam may simply have had a very good memory for detail (and this was a time when people in general still expected to hold a great deal more in memory than we might feel comfortable with)I wonder whether and how he also took notes on such a momentous day.

Pen and paper would clearly have been awkward in such circumstances
but, historically speaking, he could have carried a pencil. After the discovery of graphite in the Lake District c.1500 this useful substance grew widely appreciated. By 1558 its use had spread to Flemish art studios. The first ever pencils were hand-made in Keswick, Cumberland and in 1662 mass production of pencils was taking place in Nuremberg.

There is, of course, no evidence given of the use of a pencil in writing the diary entries themselves ...... different inks were used at different times in the making of this permanent record.

Peter Bates  •  Link

King's Champion

Though the practice of riding into Westminster Hall has stopped, the job of Queen's Champion still exists:

"Sir John Dymoke was the first to exercise the office at the Coronation of Richard II, and the Dymoke family of Scrivelsby, Lincolnshire have continued to hold the office up to the present ..... At the Coronation of the present Queen, a member of the ... family was present, but he did not throw down a gauntlet ... he had the honour of carrying the Royal Standard in the ... procession."

www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Que…

PHE  •  Link

"which is a foolery to take too much notice of such things"
This comment is quite telling, showing Sam has a healthy cynicsm for superstition, at a time when people were much more superstitious.

Today's entry, while thorough and informative is not as eloquent as his description of the previous day's parade. It doesn't paint a picture and get across the atmosphere in quite the same way. I'd say it could be to do with the hangover, but it seems he wrote the two days' entries in one go.

Pedro.  •  Link

Serjt. Glynne, whose horse fell upon him yesterday, and is like to kill him...Maynard, to whom people wish the same fortune.

Sir John Glynne obviously survived, but why are these two so disliked?
One quip attributed to Maynard:

In the midst of a murder trial one day, Sir John Maynard challenged the judge on a point of law. "Sir," the judge declared, "you have grown so old you have forgotten the law."
"I have forgotten more law than you ever knew," Maynard retorted, "but allow me to say, I have not forgotten much.

J A Gioia  •  Link

we drank the King's health, and nothing else, till one of the gentlemen fell down stark drunk, and there lay spewing

the glory of this day’s entry, for me anyway, is sam’s reporting of the ragged ends, the chaos that follows hard upon the pageantry.

“Only when I waked I found myself wet with my spewing. Thus did the day end with joy every where.”

hard to reconcile a violent hangover with unbridled joy, but that’s our brave sam!

Emilio  •  Link

"Serjt. Glynne, whose horse fell upon him yesterday"

He wasn't alone, just uniquely disliked. L&M note that many were thrown from their horses, including the Duke of York (twice). The horses were spooked by the music, and the King himself was supposedly in danger until he told the musicians to cease. I'm pretty sure someone has mentioned this story before.

Both Glynne and Maynard were powerful lawyers under Cromwell and (like many) jumped ship at the right time and returned to high office in the Restoration. They were both King's Serjeants (a forerunner to the current QCs?), and to judge from Pedro's story also shared a well-honed ability to offend.

M.Stolzenbach  •  Link

"people were much more superstitious"

True, but science as we know it was also a-bornin' - Sam himself later became president of the Royal Society -and Isaac Newton was entering college about this date.

A time burgeoning with new possibilities while at the same time turning back to some old ones, i.e. the Monarchy.

Emilio  •  Link

Signs and omens

Some thought that the pelting rain could be a bad omen as well as a good--one commenter was reminded of an earthquake that took place during Charles I's coronation, according to an L&M footnote. As a foreshadowing of our Charles's reign, I'd say the weather isn't seem half bad: a brief period of sunshine followed by ill wind and storm. It's brother James who will catch most of the lightning, though.

Emilio  •  Link

no sooner a-bed with Mr. Shepley but my head begun to turne and I to vomitt

This according to L&M, a more common but less interesting metaphor.

Krzysztof  •  Link

Music, musick, musicke or.. musique (of all sorts). Sorry, I couldn't resist one more comment on music. Is SP using the French name (musique) here to indicate that the musicians used the low "French pitch"? It is a tempting suggestion, considering Charles's penchant for French music.

Jackie  •  Link

How come there were six barons of the Cinque Ports? Aren't there only five Cinque Ports?

Susan  •  Link

Cinque Ports
Official website at http://www.cinqueports.org/
This includes a picture of the Barons (which included our Sam) carrying the canopy over James II at his coronation

dirk  •  Link

no sooner a-bed with Mr. Shepley but my head began to hum, and I to vomit (...) when I waked I found myself wet with my spewing

Must have been an interesting experience for poor Mr Shepley (in the same bed, if I read correctly) - unless of course he was in the same condition...

Vicente  •  Link

It reminds of mis-translation of the French word of Homme Used on old fashioned "Pisoires" : " it don't half Hum too?"

Jenny Doughty  •  Link

no sooner a-bed with Mr. Shepley but my head begun to turne and I to vomitt

Ah yes, the whirling pits...

Nix  •  Link

"I found myself wet with my spewing. Thus did the day end with joy every where" --

The hangover isn't punishment but confirmation of the rollicking time.

For confirmation, see Emmylou Harris: "I really had a ball last night .... Feeling single, seeing double, wound up in a whole lot of trouble." She is definitely Samuel's kind of gal.

Wim van der Meij  •  Link

"did Sam take notes"
I have found that, if you are a conscientious diary writer, your mind is trained to remember details that you find interesting (it is of course impossible to write down everything). Would not Sam have mentioned taking notes at one time or another?

Vicente  •  Link

Re: note taking: I do believe he just used 'is noodle. Up to times recently, one had keep all the details in ones head. Even paper and pencil were scarce,so more people had to rely on the brain, now with the modern tools, Thee is allowed a more efficient use of gray matter. Like now, I don't have to know the work, just know the key words to google. First Calculator I used cost 3 times my annual wage, and this was for the Scientific branch of government too. [ if I want to spell a word, mouse it. A good dictionary [eons ago] was at least a months sallery[salary], so why the errors ['tis laziness, not using the little grey cells]
also paper was very expensive so one processed all ones thoughts before putting pen[pencil] to paper [ it was not couth to show erasures[or blots] in ones work] Look at the xrays of paintings, the canvas was used many times before satisfaction or hunger set in and product brought in the rent money.

Kevin Peter  •  Link

I notice that Charles II was crowned King of France as well, showing that the English monarchy still hadn't yet given up their claim on the French throne, which I believe dates back to the Hundred Years War in the 14th and 15th centuries.

I wonder when they finally gave up that claim. Supposedly Edward III gave it up at the end of the Hundred Years War, but that apparently did not last

Jackie  •  Link

I think that the claim to the French throne didn't go until the Hanoverians came in. Certainly, throughout the 15th Century, that claim was maintained. Indeed, Henry V forced the agreement that he'd inherit the French throne from Charles the Mad (and married his daughter to prove it), but Henry died just before he could inherit. His son inherited the claim and was the only English King to be crowned in France at the age of 10, but Henry VI was useless and unable to hold on to France (and England!). Since him, however English moonarchs made that claim until the House of Hanover took over.

dirk  •  Link

"the claim to the French throne"

"In 1801 the empty claim to France was at long last abandoned and George III dropped his title "King of France" [held by English kings for nearly 500 years since King Edward III], and recognized the French Republic. A treaty was signed the next year in 1802 which formalized the terms, but the year after that in 1803 war again broke out with France.”
See:
http://www.angelfire.com/ego/et_d…

Kevin Peter  •  Link

Thanks, Dirk. I was looking all over for information like that.

Glyn  •  Link

Kevin, if you are ever in front of St Paul's take a close look at the statue of Queen Anne who was monarch when it was completed. Beneath her are four women representing the four most important areas of the world that the British claimed at that time: as I recall the order they are Ireland, France, Britain and America.

language hat  •  Link

"showing Sam has a healthy cynicsm for superstition"

At least for other people's superstition. I'd be very surprised if he didn't have any of his own.

Pedro  •  Link

23rd April 1661...

Allin being in Zante celebrates St. George’s Day…

“I caused thirty muskets to be brought up and armed so many men, and being fixed Sir Thomas Bendish, myself and Consul Bokenham took every one his glass of liquor and cried St. George for England and health to our Sovereign King Charles and good success to what should be acted that day in England. To every one of us drinking a volley of small shot and after them seven great guns. Then I caused a cask of wine to be set upon our oval on the quarter deck and called over every man and boy in the ship and gave them a horn of Zante wine holding about half a pint and before they drank to cry God save King Charles and send him a happy reign or long to reign.”

(The Journals of Sir Thomas Allin edited by RC Anderson)

Second Reading

Bill  •  Link

"the King with a scepter"

It was St. Edward's staff.
---Diary and correspondence of Samuel Pepys, the diary deciphered by J. Smith. 1854.

The Sceptre with the Cross.
Also known as the St Edward's Sceptre, the Sovereign's Sceptre or the Royal Sceptre, is a sceptre of the British Crown Jewels. It was originally made for the coronation of King Charles II in 1661. In 1905, it was redesigned after the discovery of the Cullinan Diamond.
--- http://www.1066.co.nz/text/dress/…

Bill  •  Link

"And three times the King at Arms went to the three open places on the scaffold"

Sir Edward Walker, Garter King of Arms.
The south, west, and north sides.
---Diary and correspondence of Samuel Pepys, the diary deciphered by J. Smith. 1854.

Sir Edward Walker (Garter King of Arms)
http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…

Bill  •  Link

Sir Frederick Cornwallis, Baronet, had been created a Baron three days before the coronation. He was Treasurer of His Majesty's Household, and a Privy Councillor. He had married Elizabeth, daughter of John Ashburnham. His wife, therefore, and her brother, John Ashburnham, were first cousins to Villiers Duke of Buckingham. Rugge states in July, 1660, that "the King supped with Sir Frederick Cornwallis at Durham Yard, in the Strand." He died in January, 1661-2, and was buried with his ancestors at Brome, on the 18th. The medals which he received as his fee (nearly 100 in number) were carefully preserved in the family, and have been recently arranged, so as to form the setting of a large silver cup, at Audley End.
---Diary and correspondence of Samuel Pepys, the diary deciphered by J. Smith. 1854.

Bill  •  Link

"these three Lords, Northumberland, and Suffolk, and the Duke of Ormond"

Algernon Percy, tenth Earl of Northumberland, acting as Lord High Constable of England on this occasion.
James Howard, third Earl of Suffolk, acting as Earl Marshal of England.
James Butler, first Duke of Ormond, Lord High Steward of England pro hac vice.
---Diary and correspondence of Samuel Pepys, the diary deciphered by J. Smith. 1854.

Bill  •  Link

"then it fell a-raining and thundering and lightening "

Baxter, in his life, mentions this storm. "On April 23, was His Majesty's coronation-day, the day being very serene and fair, till suddenly in the afternoon, as they were returning from Westminster Hall, there was very terrible thunders when none expected it, which made me remember his father's coronation, on which, being a boy at school, and having leave to play for the solemnity, an earthquake, about two o'clock in the afternoon, did affright the boys, and all the neighbourhood. I intend no commentary on these, but only to relate the matter of fact."
---Diary and correspondence of Samuel Pepys, the diary deciphered by J. Smith. 1854.

Bill  •  Link

"a throne (that is a chair)"

The Coronation chair in Westminster Abbey is an object of the greatest interest. Beneath the seat is the "Stone of Destiny," carried off from Scone by Edward I. in 1296.
---Wheatley, 1899.

Bill  •  Link

"then in the Quire at the high altar"

QUIRE, that Part of a Church where Divine Service is performed
to QUIRE it, to sing in Concert as the Choir does.
QUIRISTER, one who sings in the Choir of a Cathedral, &c.;
---An Universal Etymological English Dictionary. N. Bailey, 1675.

Victoria  •  Link

Further to Bill's comment above. Although it has been returned to Scotland in recent years and is now kept in Edinburgh Castle the Stone of Destiny must still be considered vital for a coronation, as the arrangement is that it will be brought back to Westminster for the occasion.

Louise Hudson  •  Link

I wonder how many here realize that Elizabeth Pepys was only 15 years old when she and Pepys were married and was only 20 in April 1661 when the above entries were made.

I do wonder at the entry where Pepys says he sent her to bed "with her bedfellow, Mr. Hunt". No ambiguity there as far as I can tell. It can't be claimed that he sent them to their separate beds. He calls him her bedfellow!

Louise Hudson  •  Link

Terry, Yes, yours is how it was written. I was quoting from faulty memory instead of checking. Pepys wrote "bedfellow," and I was thrown by taking "fellow" literally. It was, in fact, Mrs. Frankleyn. Therefore, my point was an error. My apologies.

Chris Squire UK  •  Link

' . . In 1800, the Act of Union joined the Kingdom of Great Britain with the Kingdom of Ireland to a new United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. George III chose this opportunity to drop his claim to the now defunct French throne, whereupon the fleurs de lis, part of the coat of arms of all claimant Kings of France since the time of Edward III, were also removed from the British royal arms. Britain recognised the French Republic by the Treaty of Amiens of 1802 . . '

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engl…

Ivan  •  Link

I wonder where Sam actually relieved himself!! In the grounds of the abbey?

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"which is a foolery to take too much notice of such things"

L&M: Some were convinced it was a good augury, others that it was evil: Somers Tracts (ed. Scott) , vii, 513-15. https://archive.org/stream/collec… Richard Baxter was reminded of the earthquake that occurred during Charles I's coronation, adding, 'I intend no Commentary...but only to relate the Matter of Fact': M. Sylvester, Reliq. Baxt. (1696) , bk. i, pt. ii. 303. Pepys himself was not always proof against superstition: see http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"Serjt. Glynne, whose horse fell upon him yesterday, and is like to kill him...Maynard, to whom people wish the same fortune."

Commonwealth figures were not crowd-pleasers on this day of the Stuarts' triumph: "Lawyer; unpopular at the Restoration because he had held judicial office in the Interregnum. He was, and remained, a Presbyterian and was 'to his last breath...true as steel to the principles of the late times' (R. North). Nevertheless he conscientiously performed his duties as government counsel in treason trials. He was knighted and made a King's Sergeant by Charles II, but not advanced to the bench until 1689 when he became a Commissioner of the Great Seal." http://www.pepysdiary.com/encyclo…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

John Evelyn provides a counterpoint (Vicente's link to it works no more, alas)

23d April, 1661. Was the coronation of his Majesty Charles II. in the Abbey-Church of Westminster; at all which ceremony I was present. The King and his Nobility went to the Tower, I accompanying my Lord Viscount Mordaunt part of the way; this was on Sunday, the 22d; but indeed his Majesty went not till early this morning, and proceeded from thence to Westminster in this order:

First went the Duke of York's Horse Guards. Messengers of the Chamber. 136 Esquires to the Knights of the Bath, each of whom had two, most richly habited. The Knight Harbinger. Sergeant Porter. Sewers of the Chamber. Quarter Waiters. Six Clerks of Chancery. Clerk of the Signet. Clerk of the Privy Seal. Clerks of[Pg 344] the Council, of the Parliament, and of the Crown. Chaplains in ordinary having dignities, 10. King's Advocates and Remembrancer. Council at Law. Masters of the Chancery. Puisne Sergeants. King's Attorney and Solicitor. King's eldest Sergeant. Secretaries of the French and Latin tongue. Gentlemen Ushers. Daily Waiters, Sewers, Carvers, and Cupbearers in ordinary. Esquires of the body, 4. Masters of standing offices, being no Counsellors, viz, of the Tents, Revels, Ceremonies, Armory, Wardrobe, Ordnance, Requests. Chamberlain of the Exchequer. Barons of the Exchequer. Judges. Lord Chief-Baron. Lord Chief-Justice of the Common Pleas. Master of the Rolls. Lord Chief-Justice of England. Trumpets. Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber. Knights of the Bath, 68, in crimson robes, exceeding rich, and the noblest show of the whole cavalcade, his Majesty excepted. Knight Marshal. Treasurer of the Chamber. Master of the Jewels. Lords of the Privy Council. Comptroller of the Household. Treasurer of the Household. Trumpets. Sergeant Trumpet. Two Pursuivants at Arms. Barons. Two Pursuivants at Arms. Viscounts. Two Heralds. Earls. Lord Chamberlain of the Household. Two Heralds. Marquises. Dukes. Heralds Clarencieux and Norroy. Lord Chancellor. Lord High Steward of England. Two persons representing the Dukes of Normandy and Acquitaine, viz, Sir Richard Fanshawe and Sir Herbert Price, in fantastic habits of the time. Gentlemen Ushers. Garter. Lord Mayor of London. The Duke of York alone (the rest by twos). Lord High Constable of England. Lord Great Chamberlain of England. The sword borne by the Earl Marshal of England. The King, in royal robes and equipage. Afterward, followed equerries, footmen, gentlemen pensioners. Master of the Horse, leading a horse richly caparisoned. Vice-Chamberlain. Captain of the Pensioners. Captain of the Guard. The Guard. The Horse Guard. The troop of Volunteers, with many other officers and gentlemen. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/41…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

John Evelyn (2)

This magnificent train on horseback, as rich as embroidery, velvet, cloth of gold and silver, and jewels, could make them and their prancing horses, proceeded through the streets strewed with flowers, houses hung with rich tapestry, windows and balconies full of ladies; the London militia lining the ways, and the several com[Pg 345]panies, with their banners and loud music, ranked in their orders; the fountains running wine, bells ringing, with speeches made at the several triumphal arches; at that of the Temple Bar (near which I stood) the Lord Mayor was received by the Bailiff of Westminster, who, in a scarlet robe, made a speech. Thence, with joyful acclamations, his Majesty passed to Whitehall. Bonfires at night. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/41…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

John Evelyn (3) 23d April, 1661.

The next day, being St. George's, he went by water to Westminster Abbey. When his Majesty was entered, the Dean and Prebendaries brought all the regalia, and delivered them to several noblemen to bear before the King, who met them at the west door of the church, singing an anthem, to the choir. Then, came the Peers, in their robes, and coronets in their hands, till his Majesty was placed on a throne elevated before the altar. Afterward, the Bishop of London (the Archbishop of Canterbury being sick) went to every side of the throne to present the King to the people, asking if they would have him for their King, and do him homage; at this, they shouted four times "God save King Charles II!" Then, an anthem was sung. His Majesty, attended by three Bishops, went up to the altar, and he offered a pall and a pound of gold. Afterward, he sat down in another chair during the sermon, which was preached by Dr. Morley, Bishop of Worcester. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/41…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

John Evelyn (4)

After sermon, the King took his oath before the altar to maintain the religion, Magna Charta, and laws of the land. The hymn Véni S. Sp. followed, and then the Litany by two Bishops. Then the Archbishop of Canterbury, present, but much indisposed and weak, said "Lift up your hearts"; at which, the King rose up, and put off his robes and upper garments, and was in a waistcoat so opened in divers places, that the Archbishop might commodiously anoint him, first in the palms of his hands, when an anthem was sung, and a prayer read; then, his breast and between the shoulders, bending of both arms; and, lastly, on the crown of the head, with apposite hymns and prayers at each anointing; this done, the Dean closed and buttoned up the waistcoat. After which, was a coif put on, and the cobbium, sindon or dalmatic, and over this a super-tunic of cloth of gold, with buskins and sandals of the same, spurs, and the sword; a prayer being[Pg 346] first said over it by the Archbishop on the altar, before it was girt on by the Lord Chamberlain. Then, the armill, mantle, etc. Then, the Archbishop placed the crown imperial on the altar, prayed over it, and set it on his Majesty's head, at which all the Peers put on their coronets. Anthems, and rare music, with lutes, viols, trumpets, organs, and voices, were then heard, and the Archbishop put a ring on his Majesty's finger. The King next offered his sword on the altar, which being redeemed, was drawn, and borne before him. Then, the Archbishop delivered him the sceptre, with the dove in one hand, and, in the other, the sceptre with the globe. The King kneeling, the Archbishop pronounced the blessing. His Majesty then ascending again his royal throne, while Te Deum was singing, all the Peers did their homage, by every one touching his crown. The Archbishop, and the rest of the Bishops, first kissing the King; who received the Holy Sacrament, and so disrobed, yet with the crown imperial on his head, and accompanied with all the nobility in the former order, he went on foot upon blue cloth, which was spread and reached from the west door of the Abbey to Westminster stairs, when he took water in a triumphal barge to Whitehall where was extraordinary feasting. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/41…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Rev Ralph Josselin - Earl’s Colne, Essex

22. 23. dry. to serve the pompous show, and coronation at London. on which day. 23 I baptised Elizabeth Eldred , the air echoed with cannon shot. towards night it lightened and thundered and rained a very great tempest. it begun London wards. god shot off his warring pieces http://linux02.lib.cam.ac.uk/earl…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"and then it fell a-raining and thundering and lightening as I have not seen it do for some years: which people did take great notice of; God’s blessing of the work of these two days, which is a foolery to take too much notice of such things."

L&M: Some were convinced that it was a good augury, others that it was evil: Somers Tracts (ed. Scott), vii. 513-15. Richard Baxter was reminded of the earthquake that occurred during Charles I's coronation, adding, 'I intend no Commentary . . .. but only to relate the Matter of Fact': M. Sylvester, Reliq. Baxt. (1696), bk i, pt ii. 303. Pepys himself was not always proof against superstition: see https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"they laid hold of us, and would have us drink the King’s health upon our knees, kneeling upon a faggot, which we all did, they drinking to us one after another. Which we thought a strange frolique"

L&M: In 1681, in Anthony Wood's Oxfird, the loyal toast was often drunk kneeling: L.&T., ii. 527, etc.

Mary K  •  Link

Presumably the faggot had no symbolic significance, but was just used to keep breeches and knees from being soiled by the inevitable wet and dirt on the ground in Axe Yard.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Vicente's 2004 assertation that "note taking: I do believe he just used 'is noodle. Up to times recently, one had keep all the details in ones head. Even paper and pencil were scarce, so more people had to rely on the brain, now with the modern tools ..." isn't totally right.

By 1667 Pepys will be very proud of his written records. He will also be collecting and reading past Naval records so he can write a History of the Navy for the Duke of York.

Today I was inspired to investigate the evolution of the pencil and the eraser which I share at
https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/…

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Not only is 23 April the birthday of Charles II, it is also an important feast day in the English calendar:

St. George's Day is celebrated by the several nations, kingdoms, countries, and cities of which St. George is the patron saint.
St George's Day is also England's National Day.
Most countries that observe St. George's Day celebrate it on 23 April, the traditionally accepted date of St. George's death in 303 AD.

St. George's Day was a major feast and national holiday in England on a par with Christmas from the early 15th century. George did not rise to the position of "patron saint" of England until the 14th century, and he was still obscured by Edward the Confessor, the traditional patron saint of England, until in 1552, during the reign of Edward VI, all Catholic saints' banners other than George's were abolished as part of the English Reformation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_G…'s_Day

New appointments to the Order of the Garter are always announced on St. George's Day, 23 April, as St. George is the patron saint of England. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gart…

Charles II carefully timed his return to London in 1660, and his coronation in 1661, to be celebrated on his birthday, St. George's Day. It was already a holiday, and no one could ever argue with having a big party.

Third Reading

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"... to Axe-yard, in which at the further end there were three great bonfires, and a great many great gallants, men and women; and they laid hold of us, and would have us drink the King’s health upon our knees, kneeling upon a faggot, which we all did, they drinking to us one after another. Which we thought a strange frolique; but these gallants continued thus a great while, and I wondered to see how the ladies did tipple."

We know what tipple means -- but there was an even better word for it:

Rouzy-bouzy: meaning “boisterously drunk,” this term dates to the 16th century.
Example: “The inn was filled with rouzy-bouzy soldiers.”

London was rouzy-bouzy that night. Farewell Puritanism; they were free. A new day had dawned, without bloodshed.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

The monarch used to make their way through the City of London to Westminster the day before the coronation, seeing a series of pageants set on elaborate stages as part of the journey.

Charles II was the last king to spend the night before the Coronation in the Tower of London, and then to go in procession from the Tower to Westminster Abbey.
https://anglotopia.net/site-news/…

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

The office of King’s Champion began in the reign of William the Conqueror.
It was the Champion’s duty to ride, on a white charger, fully clad in armour, into Westminster Hall during the coronation banquet.

His role was to defend the monarch’s honour and challenge any person who dared to deny the sovereign’s right to the throne to a duel.

Queen Victoria dispensed with traditional ride and challenge custom at her coronation, and Henry Dymoke – Queen’s Champion at the time – was made a baronet by way of compensation.
https://anglotopia.net/site-news/…

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Charles III will wear the St. Edward’s Crown for his coronation, which was last used for crowning Elizabeth II in 1953.
The crown is made of a solid gold frame that weighs nearly 5 lbs. along with a purple velvet cap and an ermine band. It is adorned with 444 gemstones, including rubies, sapphires, garnets, topazes, and tourmalines.

The crown was commissioned in 1661 by the Royal Goldsmith, Robert Vyner, for the coronation of Charles II.
It replaced a medieval crown that was first discovered in 1163 in the tomb of the 11th-century saint, King Edward the Confessor.
The crown was melted down by parliamentarians in 1649 following the execution of Charles I.

After the ceremony, Charles III will change to the lighter Imperial State Crown for the procession back to Buckingham Palace (on the site of Arlington House, home of Henry Bennet in Diary days).
This crown is made of gold and set with 2,868 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, 269 pearls, and 4 rubies. It also features some of the most famous jewels in the Royal collection, including the Black Prince’s Ruby, the Stuart Sapphire, and the Cullinan II diamond, the largest diamond ever mined.
Originally made for the coronation of George VI in 1937, the crown replaced Queen Victoria’s crown in 1838. It was also worn by Elizabeth II during her coronation. Most recently, it was placed on the Queen’s coffin during her state funeral.
Jewellery experts at U.K. retailer Steven Stone estimate the crown’s value to be worth £2.5 million.
https://time.com/6274736/king-cha…

These historic items do not belong to monarch. They belong to the State. An interesting side note is that they were used as collateral for America's wartime loans to Britain, as defaulting and thereby losing them was completely non-negotiable.

The crown jewels never left the country, and only recently was it revealed where King George personally hid them. It must have been very large biscuit tin!
https://bankunderground.co.uk/202…
https://history.blog.gov.uk/2020/…
https://britishheritage.com/histo….

LD in Seattle  •  Link

I have not looked at Pepys in a few weeks, happen to click on today's link and what do I get? A Coronation!! Pretty cool...

Alter Kacker  •  Link

I didn’t watch the coronation of the third Charles, but perhaps some of you who did can compare-and-contrast with Samuel’s account. I know the music would have been different — Handel’s Coronation Anthems were written for George II in 1727. I don’t imagine they have revived the horseback Champion, but I sure wish they would.

(Maybe next time ….)

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

Well, Alter Kacker, the ceremony was essentially the same.
But the Pomp and Circumstances surrounding the coronation are up to the Palace and Prime Minister to agree on these days, since it is a State occasion, unlike the late Queen's funeral which was a family expense.

Charles II was out to WOW the crowd and impress them with his regime's divine duty/right/ability to rule.
Charles III and Rishi Sunak were more conscious of the mood of the British people, and while everything was splendid and appropriate, with nods to tradition, history, diversity, family, the Commonwealth, the environment, community participation, poetry, school children, etc., etc., the day was more restrained than I remember at the 1953 coronation.
Good crowd turnout, despite the rain. Lovely horses, and the fabulous but uncomfortable golden coach took the new King and Queen home from the Abbey. Great music with the combined choirs of St. Paul's and Westminster Abbey. The Royal School of Embroidery at Hampton Court had evidentally been very busy all year.

I suspect the banquet at Buck House that followed was excellent, with the best of everything -- but not to the excess of Charles II's, who was not environmentally-sensative in any way. He thought excess was good -- it fed the poor.

In 2023 there was no fighting in the Cathedral over the spoils that I could see. And the service was quite short, so I don't think anyone had to leave early, presumably to piss in the churchyard.

It's worth watching -- and hearing -- even now.

Elisabeth  •  Link

Robert Vyner and the Coronation Regalia

Robert Vyner (1631-1688), goldsmith, banker, and Lord Mayor of London (in 1674-75), created the coronation regalia for Charles II, including the crown of St Edward, the two sceptres (one topped with a dove, the other with a cross), the orb, the eagle-shaped ampulla (for holding the anointing oil), and the spurs, all of which are still used in coronations. St Edward’s crown was used at the coronations of Charles II, James II, and William III, but then not again until the coronation of George V in 1911. It has been used at the coronations of all subsequent monarchs.

Vyner’s son, the younger Robert Vyner, created a dove-topped sceptre and an orb for the coronation of Mary II in 1689.

https://www.rct.uk/collection/sto…

RLB  •  Link

Wow, is this the longest entry in the diary? It's certainly by a margin the longest I can remember up to now.

徽柔  •  Link

“and my Lord of Albemarle’s going to the kitchin and eat a bit of the first dish that was to go to the King’s table.”
So Albemarle was testing poison for the king.Strange they used such a high-ranked nobleman to do the task.

Stephane Chenard  •  Link

Three accessories make a king easy to recognize in a crowd: A crown, a mond and a scepter (everyone has a sword). And so, who's entrusted with the scepter, until the Archibishop gets to give it to the king? Why, but it's my Lord Sandwich! At this we thought, "oh wow and la-la-la, that's being on the A-list". That's it, we're made, this way to a dukedom, and our heart was glad.

But then we saw this in the French Gazette, relating the procession into the chapel at the start of the ceremony: "Deux Roys d'Armes précédoyent, ⌠ur leurs pas (...) vn autre Comte, qui, en la place du Duc de Buckingham, portoit le Sceptre de Saint Edoüard (...)". That's right, "two Knights-at-Arms preceded, in their paces (...) another Count who, in the place of the Duke of Buckingham, carried the Scepter of Saint Edward". So my lord was a stand-in. OK, for one of the top dukes, and that's how many great opera singers got their big break, but in this case is it good or bad? The Gazette treats him as some no-name "Count". And Buckingham, what's with that rogue? Is he disgraced? Snoring under some table? In bed with the ague?

徽柔  •  Link

I think the reason might be Buckingham's overly extravagant clothes.(I am half joking
There was a rumor that Buckingham spent more than 20000 pounds on his clothes on Charles' coronation.
Maybe Charles hated to have people mistake Buckingham for the king.

Stephane Chenard  •  Link

Why, dear 徽柔, but that's excellent gossip, 谢谢, we need more of that, and to know the source. Tho', we now discover footnote 1 after the entry, that Buckingham was carrying the mond. Not a diminution for my lord, on the contrary, just a canard in the Gazette... And so his highness is still grata. For now.

And for now, ostentation is good. In just four months, monsieur Fouquet in France will be dismay'd to join the roster of those who found that too much of it can be harmful to your health. But let's not spoil the mood. £20k on a suit, you say? Things go fast when you're having fun. Mercurius Politicus entertains us on how, in yesterday's parade, "som of the nobility was cloathed in cloatch of gold (...) many of their cloathes embridred with pearls and dimonds. The Lord Whorton exceeded all for dimonds; his horse was set with dimons and pearls and other costly ornements." The French Gazette's supplement hadn't missed either, "the beauty of clothes covered in gold, silver, pearls and gemstones". The Venetian ambassador, always a bit more restrained, cautions in his report (dated May 6, new style) that "some" were "covered with pearls, diamonds and other precious stones", but also notes how "the Spanish ambassador (...) must have spent over 3000£. sterling" (poor Giavarina has to compete, on his own money, hoping the Senate will reimburse). So £20,000 on a duke's habit - not implausible.

A few of those dimonds are sure to have gotten loose, jolted by the fine Arabian horses during yesterday's cavalcade. Hmm. They'll be a mess to find in all that trampled gravel, amid the horsheshit and after the rain, but we phants'y there was quite a rush to clean the street after the last of the volunteers had walked past.

徽柔  •  Link

Dear Stephane Chenard, thanks for your interest.It was from 《George Villiers, second duke of Buckingham, 1628-1687; a study in the history of the restoration》.The author quoted from a letter in Duke of Sunderland 's MSS.
When I went back to check the source, I found out Buckingham didn't spent £20,000 .It was £30,000.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

GEORGE VILLIERS
SECOND DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM
1628-1687

A STUDY IN THE HISTORY OF THE RESTORATION

BY WINIFRED, LADY BURGHCLERE

WITH PORTRAITS AND ILLUSTRATIONS

LONDON
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, W,

1903

Available free on line:
https://archive.org/stream/cu3192…

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

GEORGE VILLIERS
SECOND DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM
1628-1687

A STUDY IN THE HISTORY OF THE RESTORATION

BY WINIFRED, LADY BURGHCLERE

WITH PORTRAITS AND ILLUSTRATIONS

LONDON
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, W,

1903

Available free on line:
https://archive.org/stream/cu3192…

I'm going to study this as George 2 is a puzzle to me! Thanks, 徽柔 .

徽柔  •  Link

Thanks for your interest, dear San Diego Sarah~
I think Buck was not a monster. He was just extremely capricious.

mountebank  •  Link

Catching up with my diary reading I find myself reading this coronation entry on the anniversary of the coronation of Charles III. That's rather apt.

Stephane Chenard  •  Link

"A few of those dimonds are sure to have gotten loose", we had surmised. Presently we find in the State Papers how much there is indeed to sift past yesterday's cavalcade, in a warrant dated June 29 to pay a jeweller, Wm. Gomeldon, for sundry gems he had provided; including "the loan of £1,200 worth of stones, which were lost out of the bosses provided for the coronation" in the king's equipage.

How many dimonds could that be? Gomeldon had also sold £730 worth of other stones, some on a picture frame and 320, probably, for the king's stirrups. So, it's small stones we're talking, maybe £2 apiece or less; if they truly be literal diamonds, at that price. But, there may be at least a couple of thousands for the picking, every one of them enough to buy lunch for weeks or months. Worth sending Will on all four with a sieve?

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