Tuesday 7 August 1660

This morning to Whitehall to the Privy Seal, and took Mr. Moore and myself and dined at my Lord’s with Mr. Sheply. While I was at dinner in come Sam. Hartlibb and his brother-in-law, now knighted by the King, to request my promise of a ship for them to Holland, which I had promised to get for them. After dinner to the Privy Seal all the afternoon. At night, meeting Sam. Hartlibb, he took me by coach to Kensington, to my Lord of Holland’s; I staid in the coach while he went in about his business. He staying long I left the coach and walked back again before on foot (a very pleasant walk) to Kensington, where I drank and staid very long waiting for him. At last he came, and after drinking at the inn we went towards Westminster.

Here I endeavoured to have looked out Jane that formerly lived at Dr. Williams’ at Cambridge, whom I had long thought to live at present here, but I found myself in an error, meeting one in the place where I expected to have found her, but she proved not she though very like her.

We went to the Bullhead, where he and I sat and drank till 11 at night, and so home on foot. Found my wife pretty well again, and so to bed.

22 Annotations

First Reading

chip  •  Link

L&M say this is Sir John Roder, knighted on the 5th of August. The second note mentions the Holland House, built in 1607. Sam Hartlibb, jun., was a council clerk. Claims were now being made on the Crown by the administration of the late Earl's estate. CSPD 1660-1 p.66.

vincent  •  Link

"...Here I endeavoured to have looked out Jane that formerly lived at Dr. Williams’ at Cambridge, whom I had long thought to live at present here, but I found myself in an error, meeting one in the place where I expected to have found her, but she proved not she though very like her ..."
any opinions:

Pauline  •  Link

"any opinions:"
Either Dr. Williams mentioned her or Sam thought of her because of her past connection with Dr. Willimas when he consulted Dr. Williams yesterday about the ointment and plaster. Now Sam is interested in looking her up. Now she may be an elderly woman of interesting conversation, but I would surmise that Sam is interested in at least a little flirting and embracing.

Interesting: "meeting one in the place where I expected to have found her, but she proved not she though very like her." This starts to sound like an area or building where women of a certain sort will be found -- whether actual ladies of the night or just girls without respectable protection.

Paul Brewster  •  Link

"Holland House, the fine old mansion still standing at Kensington, was greatly added to and improved by Henry Rich, Earl of Holland, who was beheaded, March 9th, 1649. His house was afterwards successively occupied by Generals Fairfax and Lambert, but subsequently it was restored to the earl's widow; she seems to have let a portion of the house."
Per Wheatley

Mary  •  Link

Holland House
remained one of the grandest of London houses until WW2; George VI and Queen Elizabeth attended a grand ball there shortly before the outbreak of the war. In 1940 the house was largely demolished in an air-raid. One wing still stands, and this is nowadays used as a student hostel.

Arbor  •  Link

... bit more than a student hostel. It is actually one of the Youth Hostel (YHA) hostels in London. Anyone (of whatever age) can stay there IF a member of the International YHA. Great 'stamp' to have in ones membership booklet.

Barbara  •  Link

Holland Park (the former grounds of Holland House) is run by the local council as an open space and is much valued. Each summer there is open-air theatre/opera on what would have been the forecourt to the house. Next week: As you Like It and Hamlet.

Barbara  •  Link

It is still a very pleasant walk from Holland House to Kensington (which would have been by the junction of High Street Kensington and Kensington Church Street) though these days it is through residential property, not countryside. There is at least one pub to drink and wait in.

vincent  •  Link

My opining thought is that he was a little maudlin, and was thinking of the good old days on the "backs" under the old willow tree, and when he went to his old Alma Mater, he was given the sad news that the wench (still under 30? )had moved. and the data given had proven to be out of date.(so sad)

Glyn  •  Link

Is Pepys really going around with the Mr Hartlibb who is in his 60s and probably older than Pepys' own father; or is it a younger relative? Is the biography linked to the correct man?

Second Reading

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Glyn, rest assured: Pepys is hanging out with Samuel Hartlib the younger, with whom he "clubbed" when they were fellow-clerks.

Gerald Berg  •  Link

Yesterday people were wondering what Sam might of meant by being a little impatient with Liz's condition. Today he pays a visit in hope to find Jane. Wonder no more!

Terry Foreman  •  Link

Now Wikipedia weighs in: Holland House, originally known as Cope Castle, was a great house in Kensington in London, situated in what is now Holland Park. Created in 1605 in the Elizabethan or Jacobean style[a] for the diplomat Sir Walter Cope, the building later passed to the powerful Rich family, then the Fox family, under whose ownership it became a noted gathering-place for Whigs in the 19th century. The house was largely destroyed by German firebombing during the Blitz in 1940; today only the east wing and some ruins of the ground floor still remain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hol…

Third Reading

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

This is the second night in a row he has been out drinking until 11 p.m., and then has to go home -- arrives around midnight? It does appear he is in no hurry to go home, and is blaming Elizabeth for that.

Presumably they are sharing a bed, which is less than great when the other person isn't well.

mountebank  •  Link

This week the mid-morning book serialisation on BBC Radio 4 is an abridgement of
The Restless Republic - Britain Without a Crown by Anna Keay. This morning's episode was (spoiler) about the trial and execution of Charles I. An interesting listen and informative as background to the diary.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/…

On the strength of the abridgement, the book sounds pretty good too.

Richard Bachmann  •  Link

I have read Anna Keay’s Restless Republic and can recommend it unreservedly.
As well Jonathan Healey’s recent The Blazing World is most strongly recommended to any follower of Pepys and of this site.

Stephane Chenard  •  Link

The Shipping Newes: Wm. Blaides today (7 August) advises the Earl of Sandwich that he has victualled the Merlin frigate; to his letter is added a note "[by Pepys]", the State Papers' editor records (at https://play.google.com/store/boo…) "that Lord [Sandwich] desires some masts to be sent for from Lisbon, which may be spoiled by worms, &c."

&c., alas - we want to know about the Worms, in which Sam is now so expert, in those the first of many, many ship's masts he will handle. How they come from Portugal, a nation now anxious to please England if it will mean help against Spain (just wait). We note also how the business, properly with the Admiralty (in whose papers the letter resides) is still done seemingly on a personal level with Sandwich. In the future Sam will just be the face of the faceless "Office".

mountebank  •  Link

Feel free to share the link San Diego Sarah. The serialisation is shaping up well and that first episode gives a vivid picture of some key events in less than 15 minutes.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

These two items probably have no connection, but we do know that Charles II made sure he had a couple of hours for exercise every day, and he had lots of plans for his future lifestyle, even if they had not been put into action yet.

Tuesday 7 August 1660
House of Commons
…
New Windsor Poor.
The humble Petition of the Mayor, Aldermen, Burgesses, and Inhabitants of his Majesty's Borough of New Windsor, in the County of Berks, was read.
Ordered, That it be referred to the Justices of Peace, to take care of the Poor Women and Children, who are commanded out of the Castle of New Windsor, to dispose of the said Women and Children according to Law.

https://www.british-history.ac.uk…

@@@

Charles II (r.1660-85) loved Windsor, particularly in late summer and autumn, when there would be hunting and horse racing at nearby Datchet.

When he came to the throne in 1660, he was determined to establish Windsor as his principal non-metropolitan palace and an important symbol of the restoration of the Monarchy.

http://www.royalcollection.org.uk…

@@@

You think the Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses knew of Charles' plans, and are trying to clear out the squatters on his behalf?
The Castle needs a Governor, Charles.
Nature -- and poor people -- abhor a vacuum.

San Diego Sarah  •  Link

'We note also how the business, properly with the Admiralty (in whose papers the letter resides) is still done seemingly on a personal level with Sandwich. In the future Sam will just be the face of the faceless "Office".'

Stephane, that explains why Pepys continues to work for Sandwich with no complaint. He can take the dictation at night at Whitehall, and in the morning go to the Navy Office for transcription and implementation. He forms the vital link between the Navy Board and the Admiralty offices.

And I don't care how much Portugal wants to be friends -- what is England going to do with wormy masts? Sandwich must have been giving Capt. Blaides a heads-up to reject any that were not sound.

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