Sunday 29 April 1666
(Lord’s day). Up, and to church, where Mr. Mills, a lazy, simple sermon upon the Devil’s having no right to any thing in this world. So home to dinner, and after dinner I and my boy down by water to Redriffe and thence walked to Mr. Evelyn’s, where I walked in his garden till he come from Church, with great pleasure reading Ridly’s discourse, all my way going and coming, upon the Civill and Ecclesiastical Law. He being come home, he and I walked together in the garden with mighty pleasure, he being a very ingenious man; and the more I know him, the more I love him. His chief business with me was to propose having my cozen Thomas Pepys in Commission of the Peace, which I do not know what to say to till I speake with him, but should be glad of it and will put him upon it.
Thence walked back again reading and so took water and home, where I find my uncle and aunt Wight, and supped with them upon my leads with mighty pleasure and mirthe, and they being gone I mighty weary to bed, after having my haire of my head cut shorter, even close to my skull, for coolnesse, it being mighty hot weather.
20 Annotations
First Reading
Terry Foreman • Link
"Mr. Mills, a lazy, simple sermon upon the Devil's having no right to any thing in this world"
I can imagine a sermon contesting the devil's claim in this passage in Luke.4:
[5] And the devil took him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, [6] and said to him, "To you I will give all this authority and their glory; for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will.
[7] If you, then, will worship me, it shall all be yours."
Terry Foreman • Link
"His chief business with me was to propose having my cozen Thomas Pepys in Commission of the Peace, which I do not know what to say to till I speake with him, but should be glad of it and will put him upon it."
On April 11, John Evelyn noted in his diary: "As his Majestie came from Chapell, he call’d me in the lobby, & told Me he must now have me Sworn for Justice of Peace (having long since made me of the Commission) for preventing some dissorder in our parish at this time; I replied, that it was altogether inconsistent with the other service I was ingag’d in, during this hostility with Dutch & French and humbly desir’d to be excus’d, notwithstanding he persisted: After dinner ....againe his Majestie asked me, if I had found out any able person about our Parts, that might supplie my place of Justice of Peace (the thing in the world, I had most industriouly avoided to act in hitherto, in reguard of the perpetual trouble thereoff in this numerous Parish &c) on which I nominated one, whom his Majestie commanded me to give immediate notice of to my L: Chancellor, & I should be excus’d: for which I rendred his Majestie many thankes:
http://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1…
It makes sense for Evelyn to nominate his good neighbor, the eminent Thomas Pepys as JP in his stead.
Carl in Boston • Link
upon the Civill and Ecclesiastical Law. I think Sam reads ponderous books of an improving nature. There's something to be said for reading sermons and reciting Psalms in these degenerate times. As Jeeves would say, most improving.
Then there is this Thomas Pepys, who I never heard of before, a man of parts, and well recommended. Administrative ability must run in the family.
I hear from others, they have not the time to annotate in these times of Swine Flu and downsizing, so I am doing what I can to keep up the Level C annotations.
Paul Chapin • Link
"it being mighty hot weather"
Mighty hot? Must have been warmer than the 8C/46F our right column shows as the April average that year - even an Englishman couldn't consider that hot, could he?
Robert Gertz • Link
"...a lazy, simple sermon upon the Devil’s having no right to any thing in this world..."
Only if he pays cash up front, eh Sam?
(Yes, things are busy here in Atlanta...But some things like Sam are just too important to miss.
PS. Don't forget that normal seasonal flu and my guys, s.pneumoniae, do a much greater toll without most taking notice, so be careful but don't get too frazzled about it.)
jeannine • Link
"where I find my uncle and aunt Wight, and supped with them upon my leads with mighty pleasure and mirthe"
Is there some mistake here--'uncle and aunt Wight' and 'mighty pleasure and mirth' in the same sentence?
Robert Gertz • Link
"...—‘uncle and aunt Wight’ and ‘mighty pleasure and mirth’ in the same sentence?"
Indeed...Hard to imagine Bess experiencing much glee in dear ole (indecent proposal) Uncle's presence. Still, perhaps he really has behaved himself since and she's accepted him as a rather pathetic figure, easily put in his place.
Then again, perhaps Uncle spent dinner hanging over the leads, screaming for mercy's sake not to have the ropes cut. Now that would bring considerable mirth and pleasure...
Roger • Link
'after having my haire of my head cut shorter, even close to my skull, for coolnesse, it being mighty hot weather.'
Paul et al, the temperature shown on the right is an average temperature for the WHOLE day for the whole month(ie including night time), this temperature being the maximum plus minimum temperature for each day divided by two, and then the whole 30 days averaged. Does that make sense?! It ISN'T the average maximum temperature! If there was a warm spell at the end of this April then there were certainly corresponding cooler days(and nights). Climatic averages take into account the temperature for the whole day, not just the maximum. Temperatures can vary a lot in the UK, especially in Spring. For example, today's Maximum in London was about 8 degrees higher then yesterday's. The same sort of thing happened in Samuel's time.
April 1666 was just a little warmer than the average over the last 350 years, ranking 183rd coldest since 1659.
I wonder if Sam will refer to the dryness of the 1666 summer?!
Terry Foreman • Link
Diary of Ralph Josselin
Ap. 29. God good in manifold mercies air warm and dry.
Michael L • Link
"having my haire of my head cut shorter, even close to my skull"
Probably an accidentally healthy habit in a city still convulsing with flea-borne plague.
Ruben • Link
Plague fleas are rat fleas not human's! they will occasionally bite a human (in his leg, most probably) but they will not "settle" on him.
Australian Susan • Link
Sam's haircut. Presumably this means he was wearing his wig on top of his own hair and then found it to be too hot. Shaving or near shaving the head will help with head lice (which lay their eggs on hair), but not the human flea. Everyone scratching yet?
DK • Link
Was John Evelyn a member of gentry or middle class?
cgs • Link
A proper Gent with many of interesting facets
see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John…
or google:
In my 'umble opinion, 'e was a gentleman and Scholar, a man of conscience, well educated, in the top 2% of pecking order, from an eminent family , whom in part made lots of money in production of explosives. Was A Royalist and spent time with Charles in Pari[s] when Charles was exiled.
To understand him, 'tis best to read his Diary edited by De Beers.
DK • Link
Yes, I read wiki and I'm reading his Diary but I still don't know if he was gentry? His family was rich and eminent but he wasn't Sir ( his grandson was) so can he be added to gentry? ( I'm not Englishwomen so I little lose myself in this problem)
cgs • Link
just a comment by a ne'er do well.
rough Family tree, firstborn that gets to live to adult age gets the title to the money, land, and the title too, gets introduction to the potential breeding stock.
The followers have to find solace in having the genes and wait for their turn at bat so see if no 1 does not get his head knocked off or if the he [first born] fails to produce heirs, other wise try and distinguish themselves in other endeavours , like trying for Bishop, Admiral, General failing that go in for the less favoured endeavers of dealing in money or trade [heaven forbid].
It was a game of odds, life had many ways of evening the playing field. There be many with titled genes, but most return to the plebeian state.
Evelyn was not first born of the the first born.
see
http://books.google.com/books?id=…
Titles were scarce to come by, but Charles II found title making was a good source of income and loyalty.
The seventh son of the seventh son of the seven son usually ends up emigrating and start a new family tree in new soil.
So by my limited knowledge JE by brains and genes was one of the privilege class, and never required official sanction to prove it.
Third Reading
San Diego Sarah • Link
DK and cgs are skirting around the enduring problems of what to call the gentry. I do not follow the rules on this blog, so I am amongst the chastized in this indictment of the popular culture that no longer understands or cares about proper form:
https://www.countrylife.co.uk/com…
This is the meat of the matter as explained in the article:
Wives of peers
These are not known as ‘Lady Josephine Bloggs’ unless they are the daughters of an earl, a marquess, or a duke. And even then, the convention is to take on their married rank: thus Lady Josephine Bloggs, daughter of the Earl of Nowhere, becomes, upon marriage to the Earl of Somewhere, the Countess of Somewhere.
Life peers
Both those who have been well-known by their pre-ennoblement name, and otherwise are called Lord Bloggs. Not Lord Joseph Bloggs, just Lord Bloggs. If you must, Lord (Joseph) Bloggs, if that makes it easier for people to recognize the name, in cases where a public figure has been ennobled, but it is not necessarily well known, such as in the case of, say, Lord (Chris) Grayling, the former transport secretary.
Life peeresses
These are called Baroness Bloggs. Again, not Baroness Josephine Bloggs, and the same rule applies: if it makes it easier in referring to someone to put their Christian name in parentheses, go for it.
Ladies by courtesy
These are daughters of earls, marquesses, or dukes, and they are called Lady Josephine Bloggs, not Lady Bloggs. The latter may well be someone else’s title.
Lords by courtesy
These are sons of marquesses or dukes –- but not earls. They are called Lord Joseph Bloggs, not Lord Bloggs. Again, the later may be someone else’s title from another family.
Wives of knights
Those (un)lucky enough to have married a knight, unless they are a lady by courtesy, do not keep their Christian names in address. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s wife is Lady Starmer, not Lady Victoria Starmer.
The article doesn't tackle the challenges of what to call widows, mothers, or children, etc. Or that widows who later marry a man from a lower rank may continue to use their higher rank.
San Diego Sarah • Link
CONCLUSION:
The reason I don't follow the rules on this blog is that women lose their identity, and someone not familiar with the lady's history could miss the fact that she's chatting to her brother or former brother-in-law.
Therefore, I end up with nightmares like Mary ‘Mall’ ‘Butterfly’ ‘Ephelia’ Villiers Herbert Stuart Howard, Duchess of Richmond
Mary is her first/Christian name
Mall and Butterfly were her family nicknames
Ephelia was her pen name, we think
Villiers is her family/surname name
Herbert was her first husband
Stuart was the surname of the Duke of Richmond, and
Howard was a mere Colonel and her final husband.
If I were to write -- or think -- of her as merely Mary, Duchess of Richmond, as she was throughout the Diary years, you can see what's lost.
I apologize to the purists. I intend to persist.
San Diego Sarah • Link
The media is into titles today. More insights:
The British nobility is divided into tiers or ranks, known as the peerage. The roots of this hierarchical system began to gain a defined structure (as with many things in British history) after William I conquered England in 1066.
The peerage has 5 ranks: baron, viscount, earl, marquess, and duke, in ascending order. And within each tier, superiority is given to the holder of the oldest peerage. So the Duke of Devonshire is senior to the Duke of Marlborough because the former title was created in 1694, 8 years before the latter.
While many titles are hereditary, fewer than 90 peerages can be inherited by a female heir (in most cases the title would become extinct if there was no male heir). It’s a subject understandably under scrutiny by activists and some members of Parliament.
Peerages are awarded through legal documents known as letters patent, which officially bestow a title in the name of the monarch.
Here is an introduction to the 5 tiers of peerage, from the lowest rank of baron to the highest title of duke.
Baron
The word “baron” — which possibly came from an Old German word meaning “man” — first appeared in English texts in the 13th century. It became part of the peerage system in 1387, when Richard II created the first formal baron by making John Beauchamp de Holt the Baron of Kidderminster.
Further barons were appointed, all of whom were expected, when summoned, to attend council or Parliament.
In Scotland, barons are known as Lords of Parliament.
If a woman holds the rank, or is the wife of a baron, she is called a baroness.
Currently, there are 426 hereditary barons and Lords of Parliament and 9 hereditary baronesses and Ladies of Parliament in the UK — making it the most populated of the peerage ranks.
Viscount
Viscount is the fourth rank of the British peerage system. The word comes from the Old French “visconte,” meaning the deputy or lieutenant of a count. (Despite having numerous counties, the UK has no counts. Historians disagree on why this is. Some have argued that the word “count” was rejected because it sounded too similar to a rather vulgar word in the English language, while others simply say it never gained traction because the older “earl” was already in use.)
The rank of viscount was introduced in England in 1440, when Henry VI gave John, Lord Beaumont the title of Viscount Beaumont, giving him precedence over all barons.
Today, there are 115 viscounts in the British peerage. The oldest existing title — and therefore the highest ranking — is that of Viscount Hereford, created in 1550.
A woman holding the rank or the wife of a viscount is known as a viscountess. Viscounts and viscountesses are formally addressed as “lord” or “lady,” respectively.
San Diego Sarah • Link
CONCLUSION:
Earl
The rank of earl is the oldest of all the titles in the English peerage. The word has its origins in the Scandinavian “jarl,” which became “eorl” in the Anglo-Saxon tongue.
It first appeared in England during the reign of King Canute (or Cnut), who ruled from 1016 to 1035. It was the highest title available to the British nobility for 300 years, until the creation of the duchy of Cornwall and with it, the title of duke.
There is no female equivalent to the title of earl (such as “earless”), so female earls are known as countesses.
Currently, there are 191 earls and 4 countesses in their own right (versus the wives of earls) in Britain.
Marquess
The title of marquess comes from the French “marquis,” meaning “march,” in reference to the marches (borders) between Wales, England, and Scotland. The earls and barons guarding these marches were known as marquesses, initially without any inference that they were superior in any way to their peers of similar rank.
The title was formalized in 1385 when Richard II made Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford, the Marquess of Dublin. The title took precedence over that of earl, which caused great controversy at the time, resulting in the marquessate being revoked in 1386.
It wasn’t until 1443, when Edmund Beaufort was given the title of Marquess of Dorset, that the rank retained its place in the peerage.
There are 34 marquesses in Britain today, the premier — or highest ranking — being the Marquess of Winchester, created in 1551. (Marquesses that were created earlier either became extinct or were raised to dukedoms.)
The only woman ever appointed as a marquess in her own right was Anne Boleyn, who was made Marchioness of Pembroke just before her marriage to Henry VIII.
Duke
Duke is the highest rank of the British peerage system. It is surpassed only by princes and kings.
Princes can also be dukes — and traditionally they are given a dukedom when they come of age or are married.
The first British duke was created in 1337 when Edward III gave his son, Edward the Black Prince, the title of Duke of Cornwall.
Today, Prince William and his wife Catherine are officially the Prince and Princess of Wales as well as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Prince Harry and Meghan retain their titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
At present there are 24 dukes, not including the royals.
It’s particularly difficult to become a duke or duchess. The last dukedom — the Duke of Westminster — was created by Queen Victoria in 1874, and is the most recent dukedom conferred on someone not related to the British royal family.
FROM:
https://historyfacts.com/world-hi…