About Friday 1 June 1660

Keith Phelps on 3 Jun 2023  •  Link

RLB It was your question that prompted me to add that note.

About Friday 1 June 1660

Keith Phelps on 2 Jun 2023  •  Link

A few observations on today's entry and comments.

Gratuities not really bribes were a large part of why people paid good money to the previous holders of offices to take them over as the salary was a small part of the earnings potential of any higher office.

I asked a question in the forum last year:
Why was Pepys never recognised by award of a knighthood or honourable?

I got an answer which I thought made sense of that:

This is a big generalisation, but I think part of the answer to this question is the very different mindset, and in particiular the attitude to station (as in one's station in life) in the 17th C. We tend now to see honours as a recognition of worth / endeavour / achievement, but in Pepys' day rank was seen overwhelmingly as something one was born with, and it was extremely unusual for "commoners" to achieve higher rank, however hard they worked. It's true some court favourites were given titles, but mostly that was for personal "services" or friendship, rather than for being an efficient administrator!

I've been addicted to Pepys and his meanderings for a good number of years, introduced to it by Bob Geldof when he chose the diary as his chosen book on Desert Island Disks, I wonder how many others picked up from that.