Tuesday 12 June 1660

Visited by the two Pierces, Mr. Blackburne, Dr. Clerk and Mr. Creed, and did give them a ham of bacon.

So to my Lord and with him to the Duke of Gloucester. The two Dukes dined with the Speaker, and I saw there a fine entertainment and dined with the pages.

To Mr. Crew’s, whither came Mr. Greatorex, and with him to the Faithornes, and so to the Devils tavern. To my Lord’s and staid till 12 at night about business. So to my father’s, my father and mother in bed, who had been with my uncle Fenner, &c., and my wife all day and expected me. But I found Mr. Cook there, and so to bed.

16 Annotations

First Reading

Alan Bedford  •  Link

"The two Dukes dined with the Speaker...."

I know that currently, the Speaker (of the House of Commons) is not a member of Parliament. Was this also true at the time of the Restoration. Inquiring minds in the Western Hemisphere want to know.

Paul Brewster  •  Link

More missing text per L&M: Wheatley wording. [] Missing from Wheatley. {}
So to my Lord and with him to the Duke of Gloucester. {So to Mr. Crews and look over my papers and business to set them in order a little; very hot weather.} The two Dukes dined at [with] the Speakers [Speaker] {this day} and I saw there a fine entertainment and dined with the pages.

Jim Baker  •  Link

Alan, The Speaker is an elected Member of Parliament - see the background info annotation for a good link.

Alan Bedford  •  Link

I stand corrected. (Memory can play terrible tricks!)

vincent  •  Link

"and did give them a ham of bacon"
interesting how bacon started to have a dedicated different meaning from ham
see bacon : Bacon history
Until well into the sixteenth century, bacon or bacoun was a Middle English term used to refer to all pork in general. The term bacon comes from various Germanic and French dialects:

wembley  •  Link

So how is this "ham of bacon" actually served? Just sliced on its own, like Spanish tapas? And are Pepys hours getting later as summer advances and the days get longer?

vincent  •  Link

from painting I perused in an art book store, the ham appears to be very similar to those one enjoys in Iberia. You get these delicate but tasty slithers(a name presuntos) with ones vino de jour: The one Still Life Market Scene was
signed by Juan Esteban at Ubeda in 1606 and the Kitchen Scene (c. 1604) by a unknown... decoration
of the Prelate’s Gallery of the Palacio Arzobispal in Seville
also came up was back gammon (cribbage) . How did the 2 words back gammon and backgammon have such different meanings:

Jenny Doughty  •  Link

I wonder if a 'ham of bacon' is what we would call a 'gammon' these days. That is, it would need to be cooked before it was served.

Grahamt  •  Link

A Ham is a cut of pork:
a leg joint, I think. Bacon is a type of pork that has been salt or smoke cured but should be cooked before eating. Though bacon was originally from the side or back of the pig, a "ham of bacon" would be a leg of cured pork for cooking. In modern (British) parlance, ham is cured meat that can be eaten uncooked. A "ham of bacon" would now be called gammon usually. American bacon, we would call crispy streaky-bacon and cooked ham is similar to our bacon.
An informal (i.e. not checked against dictionary) etymology of ham:
jamb = leg (French)
jambon = a ham joint (French)
jamon = ham/bacon (Spanish, pronounced hammon with a hard "h". This might be heard as gammon to an English speaker)
I have never heard bacon used in French except as an English borrowing. Bacon is "lard" in French. Don't know about German (Schweinfleisch, nein?)
Hams or gams are old British slang for (womens) legs.

Wim van der Meij  •  Link

Bacon in German is Speck; in Dutch spek. Schweinenfleisch is simply 'pig's meat'

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"The two Dukes dined with the Speaker"

L&M note the Dukes had recently addressed letters of thanks to the Commons for the grants of supply to them; the members of the royal family were now on an entertainment circuit -- courtesy of divers MP's..

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Meanwhile in the House of Commons, attention turns to geopolitical events in the Mediterranean

Captives in Turkey. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/…

The humble Petition of divers Persons, in the Behalf of themselves, who have suffered, and of others whose Relations do now suffer, miserable Bondage, and cruel Slavery, under the Turks, was read.

Ordered, That the said Petition be committed to the Committee of this House, to whom the Consideration of Discoveries of Monies, concealed from the Publick, is referred.

Ordered, That it be referred to the same Committee, to consider of the Case of the Lord Incheqin, and his Son, now in Captivity under the Turks; and to take the best Care they can for their Relief.

Ordered, That Mr. Annesley be desired humbly to recommend to the King's Majesty's Consideration the sad Condition of the Lord Incheqin, and his Son, being now in Captivity under the Turks; and also to represent their Cases to the King's Majesty's Privy Council, with the Desire of this House, that some effectual Course may be taken for their speedy Redemption and Relief.

Bill  •  Link

GAMMON. the buttock of a hog salted and dried; a ham of bacon.
---A new complete English dictionary. J. Marchant, 1760.

Gillian Bagwell  •  Link

The buttock of a hog, oh dear. This discussion reminds me that when my father and I were in Barcelona in 2003, we went to a nice restaurant near the cathedral, which had a set-price tourist menu posted in the window. The main dish was described in English as "hog."

Third Reading

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

"Captives in Turkey.

"The humble Petition of divers Persons, in the Behalf of themselves, who have suffered, and of others whose Relations do now suffer, miserable Bondage, and cruel Slavery, under the Turks, was read."

This surprised me: Turks basically referred to anyone in the Middle East, most of whom had been subjected by the Ottoman Empire. But I'd never heard of the entire region being called Turkey.
Alternatively, were many Brits held captive by what I would describe as Turkey today?

I base my surprise/confusion on this article:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/brit…

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