Hon. Wm. Coventry -- Between 1660 and 1664 the Secretary of the Navy was entirely dependent on fees for his remuneration. In 1664 a salary was awarded. (Per Cumgranissalis on 13 Jun 2005.)
I suspect the salary came as a result of this inquiry.
Latin was the common language of diplomacy, serious books, royal proclamations, etc. If Will Hewer was to advance in life, he needed to have a working knowledge of the language. This may be the first move Pepys has taken to build his own network of influential young people who, in later life, will go to other departments of the government and report the gossip back to him. We call it mentoring today.
Forget the SPOILER ALERT ... today is the 18th! So Pepys is copying something as the Commons is asking for proposals on retrenchment. The question remains, what is a retrenched budget?
"... all the morning writing out in my Navy collections the ordinary estimate of the Navy, and did it neatly."
Michael Robinson's note leads me to think that today Pepys copies what he understands to be the recently-approved Navy budget into his "collections" (i.e. his formal working records?) ... but on the 18th (SPOILER ALERT) the Commons change their minds and ask for proposals on how to retrench the budget. Anyone know what a retrenched Charge of His Majesty's Navy is? Or have I totally misunderstood what's going on?
According to the archives, Terry on 17 Jun 2006 says '"The news about the subsidy business in Parliament" has come PDQ from a man who, since 1661, has been M.P. for Rochester, and sat in Commons earlier in the morning.'
Apparently Sir Francis Clerke was the MP Rochester, Kent. He was a commissioner of the prizes, a constant receiver of all public money, and a constant diner at court tables. -- A Seasonable Argument ... for a New Parliament. Andrew Marvell, [1677] 1776.
I had expected the answer to be William Coventry, who was also in the House of Commons that day. Any idea why Sir Francis was such a prompt informer of Naval news?
And there was an (unreliable) fore-runner to Hansard at the time. Yesterday we learned of Mr. Monpesson of Tedworth, Wilts, hearing an invisible drum every night for a year. This story was examined in the “Mercurius Publicus,” April 16-23, 1663, by which it appeared William Drury, of Uscut, Wilts, was the invisible drummer.
Sir John Birkenhead or Berkenhead (c.1615 – 4 December 1679) began producing England's first official news-book "Mercurius Aulicus" in 1643. The principal writer was Peter Heylin, but Birkenhead brought satire, slanders and incisive polemics which the parliamentary party found difficult to rebuff. His loyalty to the royalist party was rewarded on the Restoration of the monarchy when he was made licenser of the press and joint editor, with Henry Muddiman, of the new official news-book "Mercurius Publicus". His contribution to journalism after the Restoration was slight, concentrating more on a political career and being elected MP for Wilton, Wiltshire in June 1661. He was knighted the following year and was a founding member of the Royal Society. In 1664 he was sworn in as a Master of Requests, serving until his death in 1679. He is buried in an unmarked grave near the school door at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joh…
from L&M Companion: Of Brampton. In his will (Jan. 1666) he is described as a yeoman. As the executor of his Uncle Robert's estate, Pepys must see to it that every little parcel of it in property around Brampton is properly appraised and some sold so that the proceeds can be distributed to the heirs.
"In the 17th century, a milkmaid would send a stream of new, warm milk directly from a cow into a bowl of spiced cider or ale. A light curd would form on top with a lovely whey underneath. This, according to Elizabeth David, was the original syllabub. Today's syllabub is more solid (its origins can also be traced to the 17th century, albeit to the upper classes) and mixes sherry and/or brandy, sugar, lemon, nutmeg, and double cream into a custard-like dessert or an eggnog-like beverage, depending upon the cook." http://www.cuisinenet.com/glossar…
✹ Roy Feldman on 11 Jun 2006 • Link • Flag "the whay-house" I love the idea of an establishment that just serves whey -- not because I'm a big fan of whey (I probably wouldn't know it if I saw it), but because I love off-beat specialty stores. I live in New York City, and it's full of such stores: for example, bakeries that only make cupcakes. What I'm wondering is whether a "whay-house" is the 17th-century equivalent of a specialty store that would only be found in a big city like London, or if it was a common feature in all towns above a certain size. Any ideas?
✹ dirk on 11 Jun 2006 • Link • Flag "whay" Whey was becoming a fashionable drink around this time. Before it had been used mainly as pig food -- so people living in the countryside were familiar with it as a (very refreshing) drink. In the mid 1600s whey-houses became increasingly popular -- obviously this was a city thing, as country folk were already familiar with this drink.
"... Thomas Pepys to desire me to furnish him with some money, which I could not do till his father has wrote to Piggott his consent to the sale of his lands, ..." Can anyone explain this matter to me? Richard Pigott was a Grocer and Ironmonger of London, not an attorney, not related to the Pepys, and doesn't appear to have any interests in Cambridgeshire or Huntingdonshire.
Sorry I wasn't more clear, Sasha ... I wasn't remarking on Elizabeth not taking Ashwell to her parents; she was escorted by Sam so Ashwell wasn't necessary.
I was surprised Ashwell isn't going to accompany Elizabeth on a possibly three-day coach trip to Sam's parents in Brampton. (Sam made it in two days on horseback, which presumably is quicker.) I took Elizabeth's neglect of Ashwell to mean leaving her at home in London. Elizabeth knows Sam has a wandering eye, and he has taken advantage of female staff before (Mrs. Sarah at Sandwich's http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…) So do we assume Ashwell will play housekeeper for Sam while Elizabeth is away? Or will Ashwell be expected to have an unpaid vacation somewhere else (I think Sam would have mentioned the money that would save)? Maybe Elizabeth is trying to get Ashwell fired before she leaves? Insufficient information leaves me thinking this doesn't add up.
✹ dirk on 6 Jun 2006 • Link • Flag Archangelsk "The northern land was rich in fur game, shipmast timber, hemp, resin, tar and other goods luring merchants from overseas." http://www.arh.ru/~seaport/eng/hi… The above refers to the late 16th c -- the days of the Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible -- but the situation would have been the same still in Sam's time. http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
"But that that pleased me best, was the remains of the noble soul of the late Duke of Buckingham appearing in his house, in every place, in the doorcases and the windows."
I bet that's supposed to read 'But that what pleased ..."
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham rebuilt and moved to York House in 1624. Although the 2nd Duke sold most of the artwork long before Pepys' visit, the bones of the house were probably much as the 1st Duke knew them when he lived there.
Interestingly enough, 1624 is the first time the word "splendid" appeared in the English language. I don't think these events are connected, though.
"James I's Buckingham was thought of so highly? I guess dying as a Protestant martyr helps..."
I wish someone had asked Robert Gertz what he meant by this. The first Duke of Buckingham was hated, especially for dragging so many men to their deaths at the Isle of Re in an unprovisioned fleet, and Felton murdered him for planning to do it all over again.
The Protestant martyr was Charles I.
I'm sure Robert knows this, so perhaps he has an angle that hasn't occurred to me yet.
"Thence to my brother’s, taking care for a passage for my wife the next week in a coach to my father’s, ..." No mention of Ashwell going. Is this why there was discomfort in the coach? "... after a walk in the garden a little troubled to see my wife take no more pleasure with Ashwell, but neglect her and leave her at home." If Elizabeth was suspicious of Sam and Ashwell, there's no way she would be leaving Ashwell in London. This doesn't add up.
"Do we know anything more about Juxon's time at the Admiralty?"
"3 June 1636) he was made a lord of the admiralty, a post he held till April 1638, when / his commission was terminated, by the king's resolution to make the young Duke of York lord high admiral. He was a very regular attendant at the meetings of the council held every Sunday, and meetings of the admiralty board were constantly held at his own house. He thus exerted a general supervision over all departments of the government." https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Ju…... pp. 234-235
"As Lord High Treasurer and First Lord of the Admiralty, Juxon was the last English clergyman to hold both secular and clerical offices in the medieval tradition of clerical state service." http://broom02.revolvy.com/main/i…...
I find it fascinating working out what a small world it was then. From Wikipedia:
"Gilbert Sheldon (Bishop of London 1660-1663, Archbishop of Canterbury 1663-1677) ... In 1622 he was ordained, and shortly afterwards he became domestic chaplain to Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry. Sheldon gravitated towards the Great Tew circle of Lucius Cary (Falkland), and was on friendly terms with Edward Hyde; he had no Puritan sympathies. ... He became a royal chaplain through Coventry, and King Charles intended preferment for him, plans interrupted by the political crises. ... "
Thomas Coventry is father of our Sir William Coventry, so it is probable Wm. knew Sheldon when he was growing up. Wm. was born in 1627, the Great Tew Circle went from roughly 1630-1640. And he might remember Hyde from back then too.
Comments
Second Reading
About Sunday 21 June 1663
San Diego Sarah • Link
Hon. Wm. Coventry -- Between 1660 and 1664 the Secretary of the Navy was entirely dependent on fees for his remuneration. In 1664 a salary was awarded. (Per Cumgranissalis on 13 Jun 2005.)
I suspect the salary came as a result of this inquiry.
About Saturday 20 June 1663
San Diego Sarah • Link
Latin was the common language of diplomacy, serious books, royal proclamations, etc. If Will Hewer was to advance in life, he needed to have a working knowledge of the language. This may be the first move Pepys has taken to build his own network of influential young people who, in later life, will go to other departments of the government and report the gossip back to him. We call it mentoring today.
About Thursday 18 June 1663
San Diego Sarah • Link
Forget the SPOILER ALERT ... today is the 18th! So Pepys is copying something as the Commons is asking for proposals on retrenchment. The question remains, what is a retrenched budget?
About Thursday 18 June 1663
San Diego Sarah • Link
"... all the morning writing out in my Navy collections the ordinary estimate of the Navy, and did it neatly."
Michael Robinson's note leads me to think that today Pepys copies what he understands to be the recently-approved Navy budget into his "collections" (i.e. his formal working records?) ... but on the 18th (SPOILER ALERT) the Commons change their minds and ask for proposals on how to retrench the budget. Anyone know what a retrenched Charge of His Majesty's Navy is? Or have I totally misunderstood what's going on?
About Tuesday 16 June 1663
San Diego Sarah • Link
According to the archives, Terry on 17 Jun 2006 says '"The news about the subsidy business in Parliament" has come PDQ from a man who, since 1661, has been M.P. for Rochester, and sat in Commons earlier in the morning.'
Apparently Sir Francis Clerke was the MP Rochester, Kent. He was a commissioner of the prizes, a constant receiver of all public money, and a constant diner at court tables. -- A Seasonable Argument ... for a New Parliament. Andrew Marvell, [1677] 1776.
I had expected the answer to be William Coventry, who was also in the House of Commons that day. Any idea why Sir Francis was such a prompt informer of Naval news?
And there was an (unreliable) fore-runner to Hansard at the time. Yesterday we learned of Mr. Monpesson of Tedworth, Wilts, hearing an invisible drum every night for a year. This story was examined in the “Mercurius Publicus,” April 16-23, 1663, by which it appeared William Drury, of Uscut, Wilts, was the invisible drummer.
Sir John Birkenhead or Berkenhead (c.1615 – 4 December 1679) began producing England's first official news-book "Mercurius Aulicus" in 1643. The principal writer was Peter Heylin, but Birkenhead brought satire, slanders and incisive polemics which the parliamentary party found difficult to rebuff. His loyalty to the royalist party was rewarded on the Restoration of the monarchy when he was made licenser of the press and joint editor, with Henry Muddiman, of the new official news-book "Mercurius Publicus". His contribution to journalism after the Restoration was slight, concentrating more on a political career and being elected MP for Wilton, Wiltshire in June 1661. He was knighted the following year and was a founding member of the Royal Society. In 1664 he was sworn in as a Master of Requests, serving until his death in 1679. He is buried in an unmarked grave near the school door at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joh…
About Monday 15 June 1663
San Diego Sarah • Link
I am surprised we don't know the name of the inn from which the coach to Huntingdon left.
About Richard Pigott
San Diego Sarah • Link
✹ Pauline on 21 Jul 2004:
from L&M Companion: Of Brampton. In his will (Jan. 1666) he is described as a yeoman. As the executor of his Uncle Robert's estate, Pepys must see to it that every little parcel of it in property around Brampton is properly appraised and some sold so that the proceeds can be distributed to the heirs.
About Whey house (The Strand)
San Diego Sarah • Link
I should have posted the Syllabub information under whey, not whey houses. Sorry!
About Whey house (The Strand)
San Diego Sarah • Link
Elsewhere we have heard of Pepys eating Syllabub:
"In the 17th century, a milkmaid would send a stream of new, warm milk directly from a cow into a bowl of spiced cider or ale. A light curd would form on top with a lovely whey underneath. This, according to Elizabeth David, was the original syllabub. Today's syllabub is more solid (its origins can also be traced to the 17th century, albeit to the upper classes) and mixes sherry and/or brandy, sugar, lemon, nutmeg, and double cream into a custard-like dessert or an eggnog-like beverage, depending upon the cook." http://www.cuisinenet.com/glossar…
About Whey house (The Strand)
San Diego Sarah • Link
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
✹ Roy Feldman on 11 Jun 2006 • Link • Flag
"the whay-house" I love the idea of an establishment that just serves whey -- not because I'm a big fan of whey (I probably wouldn't know it if I saw it), but because I love off-beat specialty stores. I live in New York City, and it's full of such stores: for example, bakeries that only make cupcakes. What I'm wondering is whether a "whay-house" is the 17th-century equivalent of a specialty store that would only be found in a big city like London, or if it was a common feature in all towns above a certain size. Any ideas?
✹ dirk on 11 Jun 2006 • Link • Flag
"whay" Whey was becoming a fashionable drink around this time. Before it had been used mainly as pig food -- so people living in the countryside were familiar with it as a (very refreshing) drink. In the mid 1600s whey-houses became increasingly popular -- obviously this was a city thing, as country folk were already familiar with this drink.
About Wednesday 10 June 1663
San Diego Sarah • Link
"... Thomas Pepys to desire me to furnish him with some money, which I could not do till his father has wrote to Piggott his consent to the sale of his lands, ..." Can anyone explain this matter to me? Richard Pigott was a Grocer and Ironmonger of London, not an attorney, not related to the Pepys, and doesn't appear to have any interests in Cambridgeshire or Huntingdonshire.
About Saturday 6 June 1663
San Diego Sarah • Link
I'm glad we agree it can't be "that that". :)
About Friday 5 June 1663
San Diego Sarah • Link
Sorry I wasn't more clear, Sasha ... I wasn't remarking on Elizabeth not taking Ashwell to her parents; she was escorted by Sam so Ashwell wasn't necessary.
I was surprised Ashwell isn't going to accompany Elizabeth on a possibly three-day coach trip to Sam's parents in Brampton. (Sam made it in two days on horseback, which presumably is quicker.) I took Elizabeth's neglect of Ashwell to mean leaving her at home in London. Elizabeth knows Sam has a wandering eye, and he has taken advantage of female staff before (Mrs. Sarah at Sandwich's http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…) So do we assume Ashwell will play housekeeper for Sam while Elizabeth is away? Or will Ashwell be expected to have an unpaid vacation somewhere else (I think Sam would have mentioned the money that would save)? Maybe Elizabeth is trying to get Ashwell fired before she leaves? Insufficient information leaves me thinking this doesn't add up.
About Arkhangelsk, Russia
San Diego Sarah • Link
✹ dirk on 6 Jun 2006 • Link • Flag
Archangelsk "The northern land was rich in fur game, shipmast timber, hemp, resin, tar and other goods luring merchants from overseas."
http://www.arh.ru/~seaport/eng/hi…
The above refers to the late 16th c -- the days of the Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible -- but the situation would have been the same still in Sam's time.
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
About Saturday 6 June 1663
San Diego Sarah • Link
"But that that pleased me best, was the remains of the noble soul of the late Duke of Buckingham appearing in his house, in every place, in the doorcases and the windows."
I bet that's supposed to read 'But that what pleased ..."
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham rebuilt and moved to York House in 1624. Although the 2nd Duke sold most of the artwork long before Pepys' visit, the bones of the house were probably much as the 1st Duke knew them when he lived there.
Interestingly enough, 1624 is the first time the word "splendid" appeared in the English language. I don't think these events are connected, though.
About Saturday 6 June 1663
San Diego Sarah • Link
"James I's Buckingham was thought of so highly? I guess dying as a Protestant martyr helps..."
I wish someone had asked Robert Gertz what he meant by this. The first Duke of Buckingham was hated, especially for dragging so many men to their deaths at the Isle of Re in an unprovisioned fleet, and Felton murdered him for planning to do it all over again.
The Protestant martyr was Charles I.
I'm sure Robert knows this, so perhaps he has an angle that hasn't occurred to me yet.
About Friday 5 June 1663
San Diego Sarah • Link
"Thence to my brother’s, taking care for a passage for my wife the next week in a coach to my father’s, ..." No mention of Ashwell going. Is this why there was discomfort in the coach?
"... after a walk in the garden a little troubled to see my wife take no more pleasure with Ashwell, but neglect her and leave her at home." If Elizabeth was suspicious of Sam and Ashwell, there's no way she would be leaving Ashwell in London. This doesn't add up.
About William Juxon (Archbishop of Canterbury, 1660-3)
San Diego Sarah • Link
✹ Terry Foreman about 22 hours ago • Link • Flag
"Do we know anything more about Juxon's time at the Admiralty?"
"3 June 1636) he was made a lord of the admiralty, a post he held till April 1638, when / his commission was terminated, by the king's resolution to make the young Duke of York lord high admiral. He was a very regular attendant at the meetings of the council held every Sunday, and meetings of the admiralty board were constantly held at his own house. He thus exerted a general supervision over all departments of the government." https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Ju…... pp. 234-235
"As Lord High Treasurer and First Lord of the Admiralty, Juxon was the last English clergyman to hold both secular and clerical offices in the medieval tradition of clerical state service." http://broom02.revolvy.com/main/i…...
About Sir John Cutts
San Diego Sarah • Link
June 5, 1663:
✹ Terry Foreman on 30 Jan 2015 • Link
"The match between Sir J. Cutts and my Lady Jemimah, he says, is likely to go on"
SPOILER: Lady Jemimah Mountagu (Sandwich's daughter) married Philip Carteret in 1665; Sir John Cutts died unmarried in 1670. (L&M footnote)
About Thursday 4 June 1663
San Diego Sarah • Link
I find it fascinating working out what a small world it was then. From Wikipedia:
"Gilbert Sheldon (Bishop of London 1660-1663, Archbishop of Canterbury 1663-1677) ... In 1622 he was ordained, and shortly afterwards he became domestic chaplain to Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry. Sheldon gravitated towards the Great Tew circle of Lucius Cary (Falkland), and was on friendly terms with Edward Hyde; he had no Puritan sympathies. ... He became a royal chaplain through Coventry, and King Charles intended preferment for him, plans interrupted by the political crises. ... "
Thomas Coventry is father of our Sir William Coventry, so it is probable Wm. knew Sheldon when he was growing up. Wm. was born in 1627, the Great Tew Circle went from roughly 1630-1640. And he might remember Hyde from back then too.