Annotations and comments

Mary K has posted 1,146 annotations/comments since 9 March 2007.

Comments

First Reading

About Friday 3 May 1667

Mary  •  Link

lack of breastfeeding.

From as early as the 15th century it was not unknown for babies to be fed with either cow's or goat's milk where breastfeeding failed for one reason or another. Even tiny babies can be fed from a cup and there is evidence that drinking-horns could also be used for the purpose. Not ideal, of course, but decidedly better than inevitable early starvation.

About Sunday 28 April 1667

Mary  •  Link

Putney church.

Presumably St, Mary's Church, which stands beside the Thames. The present building is mainly the result of re-building during the 19th century.

About Saturday 27 April 1667

Mary  •  Link

new shirts, new smocks, the boy has a new coat....

Can the approach of May Day have anything to do with this splurge on new clothing? The Glitterati will show themselves off in Hyde Park; perhaps the servants will be allowed a small refurbishment of their wardrobes, too.

About Friday 26 April 1667

Mary  •  Link

gang.

OED has the word first appearing with this pejorative sense in 1632 with reference to a 'gang of varlets.' It indicates a group of people who go about together.

About Friday 26 April 1667

Mary  •  Link

"Pepys was writing for others to read it"

Goodness, the number of times that we've had this little debate over the years. I'm firmly with LH and Don on this one and have the impression that this (i.e. that the diary is intended to be a completely private record) is the prevailing view amongst the annotators - but we've never taken a straw poll.

About Friday 26 April 1667

Mary  •  Link

What a lovely morning of insider gossip our friend has enjoyed. No wonder that he's written it all down in such detail, because now he'll be able to enjoy it all over again when he returns to his diary in future years.

The entry affords an interesting sidelight on Evelyn too, who can appear as something of a sober-sides.

About Monday 22 April 1667

Mary  •  Link

The King's paper.

Paper (especially quality paper suitable for use by the King's Council) was still an expensive commodity. If the person responsible for its provision (John Woolley, Underkeeper of the Council Records) had been supplying it at his own expense since the date of the Restoration, it's not surprising that he could no longer afford to do so. One hopes that the Lord Chamberlain took care of the matter and arranged for the arrears to be paid.

About Monday 22 April 1667

Mary  •  Link

The watermen.

Indeed, withholding the tip might make more sense. My reaction was prompted by the "turned them off" which has an air of peremptory finality. (Too much influenced by recollections of Shaw's Alfred Doolittle, perhaps).

About Monday 22 April 1667

Mary  •  Link

"the watermen would go no further"

No indication of the reason for this refusal, though it seems harsh that they should have received no pay for the journey as far as Greenwich. Perhaps an incoming tide was running too strongly for them to carry on any further downstream.

About Monday 22 April 1667

Mary  •  Link

Pulau Run (Pulo Run)

One of the smallest islands in the Banda Group in Indonesia, it was very important to the spice trade as a source of nutmeg and mace - only obtainable in the Bandas at this time. Later introduction of the tree to Ceylon eased this question of monopoly.

About Mr Clerke (c, solicitor)

Mary  •  Link

The L&M Companion makes no mention of a Woodchurch Clarke amongst the various Messrs. Clarke that are listed. No Simon Clarke, either. Sorry-oh.

About Friday 19 April 1667

Mary  •  Link

"I mean not to trouble them more after this is done"

Do I detect a note of irony here? Unusual for Sam, if so.

About Hester Goodyear

Mary  •  Link

Hester Goodyear.

Sister of Aaron, daughter of Hester and Moses, neighbours of the Pepyses. Moses was a merchant.

About Aaron Goodyear

Mary  •  Link

Aaron Goodyear

The son of a merchant, Moses Goodyear, who was a neighbour of Pepys. His sister and and his mother were both called Hester.

About Thursday 18 April 1667

Mary  •  Link

"little pretty Deptford woman"

L&M speculate that this may refer to the 'jolie femme' that Sam encountered a couple of times on his visit to Deptford on 1st April, but whom he did not approach on that occasion, later regretting his own 'lack of ready wit.'

It sounds to me as if the pretty visitor to the Navy Office has now been provided with a reason (given occasion) for making a further visit to the office. Mrs. Bagwell, on the other hand, is quite bold/experienced enough to decide for herself whether or not to come and see Sam; I don't think that she would need to be provided with some specially designated 'occasion.'

About Wednesday 17 April 1667

Mary  •  Link

St. James ..... this year.

The Duke of York is said to have used St. James as his summer residence so 'this year' would mean 'this calendar year.' Come the autumn he'll presumably return to the Prince's Lodgings in Whitehall Palace.

About Sunday 14 April 1667

Mary  •  Link

Turkey work

So named because the original patterns and examples came from Turkey. It had been popular (though expensive) from Elizabethan times.

Turkey stitch involves creating needle-point patterns from rows of looped stitches alternating with tight, anchoring stitches. When the pattern is complete, the loops are all cut together so as to give the effect of carpet-pile.

About Jamaica House, Bermondsey

Mary  •  Link

The Jamaica House and Tea Gardens.

This establishment was still extant in Millpond Row, Bermondsey in the 18th century, but by the 19th century had been re-designated 'The Jamaica Tavern.'

The current address of the Jamaica Tavern is 495 Southwark Park Avenue, Bermondsey.