Samuel Pepys FRS
Portrait of Pepys in 1666 byJohn Hayls(1600–1679)
Born	23 February 1633 London,England
Died	26 May 1703(aged70) Clapham,Surrey, England
Resting place	St Olaves, London, England 51.510878°N 0.079627°W
Nationality	English
Education	Huntingdon Grammar School St Pauls School
Almamater	Magdalene College, Cambridge
Occupation	Naval Administrator Chief Secretary to the Admiralty ToryMember of Parliament forCastle RisingandHarwich
Knownfor	Diary
Political party	Tory
Board memberof	President of theRoyal Society, Master ofTrinity House,Freemanof theCity of London,FreemanofPortsmouth, Treasurer of theTangier Committee
Spouse(s)	Elisabeth Pepys (néede St Michel)
Relatives	Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich Talbot PepysMP for Cambridge Sir Richard Pepys,Lord Chief Justice of Ireland Richard Edgcumbe, 1st Baron Edgcumbeamong others – Cousins of Samuel Pepys

Samuel PepysFRS(/piːps/PEEPS;^{[1]23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an administrator of the navy of England andMember of Parliamentwho is most famous for thediaryhe kept for a decade while still a relatively young man. Pepys had no maritime experience, but he rose to be the ChiefSecretary to the Admiraltyunder bothKing Charles IIandKing James IIthroughpatronage, hard work, and his talent for administration. His influence and reforms at theAdmiraltywere important in the earlyprofessionalisationof theRoyal Navy.[2]}

The detailed private diary that Pepys kept from 1660 until 1669 was first published in the 19thcentury and is one of the most importantprimary sourcesfor theEnglish Restorationperiod. It provides a combination of personal revelation andeyewitnessaccounts of great events, such as theGreat Plague of London, theSecond Dutch War, and theGreat Fire of London.

Bookplate,c. 1680–1690, with arms of Samuel Pepys:Quarterly1st & 4th:Sable, on a bend or between two nags heads erased argent three fleurs-de-lis of the field(Pepys^{[3]); 2nd & 3rd:Gules, alion rampantwithin a bordure engrailed or(Talbot[4]). Samuel Pepys was descended from John Pepys who married Elizabeth Talbot, the heiress ofCottenhamin Cambridgeshire.[5]The Pepys arms are borne by the Pepys family,Earls of Cottenham[6]}

Pepys was born in Salisbury Court,Fleet Street,London^{[7][8][9]on 23 February 1633, the son of John Pepys (1601–1680), a tailor, and Margaret Pepys (néeKite; died 1667), daughter of aWhitechapelbutcher.[8]His great uncleTalbot PepyswasRecorderand brieflyMember of Parliament(MP) forCambridgein 1625. His fathers first cousinSir Richard Pepyswas elected MP forSudburyin 1640, appointedBaron of the Exchequeron 30 May 1654, and appointedLord Chief Justice of Irelandon 25 September 1655.}

Pepys was the fifth of eleven children, but child mortality was high and he was soon the oldest survivor.^{[10]He was baptised atSt Brides Churchon 3 March 1633.[8]Pepys did not spend all of his infancy in London; for a while, he was sent to live with nurseGoodyLawrence atKingsland, just north of the city.[8]In about 1644, Pepys attendedHuntingdon Grammar Schoolbefore being educated atSt Pauls School, London, c. 1646–1650.[8]He attended the execution ofCharles Iin 1649.[8]}

Elisabeth de St Michel, Pepys wife. Stipple engraving byJames Thomson, after a 1666 painting (now destroyed) byJohn Hayls.^[11]

In 1650, he went to theUniversity of Cambridge, having received twoexhibitionsfrom St Pauls School (perhaps owing to the influence of Sir George Downing, who was chairman of the judges and for whom he later worked at the Exchequer)^{[12]and a grant from theMercers Company.[citation needed]In October, he was admitted as asizartoMagdalene College; he moved there in March 1651 and took his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1654.[8][13]}

Later in 1654 or early in 1655, he entered the household of one of his fathers cousins, SirEdward Montagu, who was later created the 1stEarl of Sandwich.

Pepys married fourteen-year-oldElisabeth de St Michel, a descendant of FrenchHuguenotimmigrants, first in a religious ceremony on 10 October 1655 and later in a civil ceremony on 1 December 1655 atSt Margarets, Westminster.^[14]

From a young age, Pepys suffered frombladder stonesin hisurinary tract—a condition from which his mother and brother John also later suffered.^{[15]He was almost never without pain, as well as other symptoms, including "blood in the urine" (hematuria). By the time of his marriage, the condition was very severe.}

In 1657 Pepys decided to undergo surgery; not an easy option, as the operation was known to be especially painful and hazardous. Nevertheless, Pepys consulted surgeon Thomas Hollier and, on 26 March 1658, the operation took place in a bedroom in the house of Pepys cousin Jane Turner.^{[16]Pepys stone was successfully removed[17]and he resolved to hold a celebration on every anniversary of the operation, which he did for several years.[18]However, there were long-term effects from the operation. The incision on his bladder broke open again late in his life. The procedure may have left him sterile, though there is no direct evidence for this, as he was childless before the operation.[19]In mid-1658 Pepys moved to Axe Yard, near the modernDowning Street. He worked as a teller in theExchequerunderGeorge Downing.[8]}

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Spoken excerpt of Pepyss diary

A facsimile of part of the first entry in the diary

Samuel Pepys bookplate. The motto readsMens cujusque is est Quisque– "Mind Makes the Man".^[20]

On 1 January 1660 ("1 January 1659/1660" incontemporary terms), Pepys began to keep adiary. He recorded his daily life for almost ten years. This record of a decade of Pepys life is more than a million words long and is often regarded as Britain’s most celebrated diary.^{[21]Pepys has been called the greatest diarist of all time due to his frankness in writing concerning his own weaknesses and the accuracy with which he records events of daily British life and major events in the 17th century.[22]Pepys wrote about the contemporary court and theatre (including his amorous affairs with the actresses), his household, and major political and social occurrences.[23]}

Historians have been using his diary to gain greater insight and understanding of life in London in the 17th century. Pepys wrote consistently on subjects such as personal finances, the time he got up in the morning, the weather, and what he ate. He talked at length about his new watch which he was very proud of (and which had an alarm, a new accessory at the time), a country visitor who did not enjoy his time in London because he felt that it was too crowded, and his cat waking him up at one in the morning.^{[24]Pepys diary is one of a very few sources which provides such length in details of everyday life of an upper-middle-class man during the seventeenth century.}

Aside from day-to-day activities, Pepys also commented on the significant and turbulent events of his nation. England was in disarray when he began writing his diary.Oliver Cromwellhad died just a few years before, creating a period of civil unrest and a large power vacuum to be filled. Pepys had been a strong supporter of Cromwell, but he converted to the Royalist cause upon the Protector’s death. He was on the ship that brought Charles II home to England. He gave a firsthand account of events, such as the coronation of King Charles II and the Restoration of the British Monarchy to the throne, the Anglo-Dutch war, theGreat Plague, and theGreat Fire of London.

Pepys did not plan on his contemporaries ever seeing his diary, which is evident from the fact that he wrote in shorthand and sometimes in a "code" of various Spanish, French, and Italian words (especially when describing his illicit affairs).^{[25]However, Pepys often juxtaposed profanities in his native English amidst his "code" of foreign words, a practice which would reveal the details to any casual reader. He did intend future generations to see the diary, as evidenced by its inclusion in his library and its catalogue before his death along with the shorthand guide he used and the elaborate planning by which he ensured his library survived intact after his death.[26]}

The women whom he pursued, his friends, and his dealings are all laid out. His diary reveals his jealousies, insecurities, trivial concerns, and his fractious relationship with his wife. It has been an important account of London in the 1660s. The juxtaposition of his commentary on politics and national events, alongside the very personal, can be seen from the beginning. His opening paragraphs, written in January 1660, begin:

The entries from the first few months were filled with news ofGeneral George Moncks march on London. In April and May of that year, he was encountering problems with his wife, and he accompanied Montagus fleet to theNetherlandsto bringCharles IIback from exile. Montagu was madeEarl of Sandwichon 18 June, and Pepys secured the position ofClerk of the Actsto theNavy Boardon 13 July.^{[8]As secretary to the board, Pepys was entitled to a £350 annual salary plus the various gratuities and benefits that came with the job–including bribes. He rejected an offer of £1,000 for the position from a rival and soon afterwards moved to official accommodation in Seething Lane in theCity of London.}

Pepys stopped writing his diary in 1669. His eyesight began to trouble him and he feared that writing in dim light was damaging his eyes. He did imply in his last entries that he might have others write his diary for him, but doing so would result in a loss of privacy and it seems that he never went through with those plans. In the end, Pepys fears were unjustified and he lived another 34 years without going blind, but he never took to writing his diary again.^[28]

However, Pepys dictated a journal for two months in 1669–70 as a record of his dealings with the Commissioners of Accounts at that period.^{[29]He also kept a diary for a few months in 1683 when he was sent to Tangier, Morocco as the most senior civil servant in the navy, during theEnglish evacuation. The diary mostly covers work-related matters.[30]}

A short letter from Samuel Pepys toJohn Evelynat the latters home inDeptford, written by Pepys on 16 October 1665 and referring to "prisoners" and "sick men" during theSecond Dutch War

On the Navy Board, Pepys proved to be a more able and efficient worker than colleagues in higher positions. This often annoyed Pepys and provoked much harsh criticism in his diary. Among his colleagues wereAdmiral Sir William Penn,Sir George Carteret,Sir John MennesandSir William Batten.^[8]

Pepys learned arithmetic from a private tutor and used models of ships to make up for his lack of first-hand nautical experience, and ultimately came to play a significant role in the boards activities. In September 1660, he was made aJustice of the Peace; on 15 February 1662, Pepys was admitted as a Younger Brother ofTrinity House; and on 30 April, he received thefreedom ofPortsmouth. Through Sandwich, he was involved in the administration of the short-livedEnglish colony at Tangier. He joined the Tangier committee in August 1662 when the colony was first founded and became its treasurer in 1665. In 1663, he independently negotiated a £3,000 contract for Norwegian masts, demonstrating the freedom of action that his superior abilities allowed. He was appointed to a commission of the royal fishery on 8 April 1664.

Pepys job required him to meet many people to dispense money and make contracts. He often laments how he "lost his labour" having gone to some appointment at acoffee houseortavern, only to discover that the person whom he was seeking was not there. These occasions were a constant source of frustration to Pepys.

Pepys diary provides a first-hand account of theRestoration, and it is also notable for its detailed accounts of several major events of the 1660s, along with the lesser knowndiary of John Evelyn. In particular, it is an invaluable source for the study of theSecond Anglo-Dutch Warof 1665–7, theGreat Plagueof 1665, and theGreat Fire of Londonin 1666. In relation to the Plague and Fire, C. S. Knighton has written: "From its reporting of these two disasters to the metropolis in which he thrived, Pepys diary has become a national monument."^{[31]Robert Latham, editor of the definitive edition of the diary, remarks concerning the Plague and Fire: "His descriptions of both—agonisingly vivid—achieve their effect by being something more than superlative reporting; they are written with compassion. As always with Pepys it is people, not literary effects, that matter."[32]}

Dutch Attack on the Medway, June 1667byPieter Cornelisz van Soest, painted c. 1667. The captured shipRoyal Charlesis right of centre.

In early 1665, the start of theSecond Anglo-Dutch Warplaced great pressure on Pepys. His colleagues were either engaged elsewhere or incompetent, and Pepys had to conduct a great deal of business himself. He excelled under the pressure, which was extreme due to the complexity and under-funding of the Royal Navy.^{[8]At the outset, he proposed a centralised approach to supplying the fleet. His idea was accepted, and he was made surveyor-general ofvictuallingin October 1665. The position brought a further £300 a year.[8]}

Pepys wrote about the Second Anglo-Dutch War: "In all things, in wisdom, courage, force and success, the Dutch have the best of us and do end the war with victory on their side". AndKing Charles IIsaid: "Dont fight the Dutch, imitate them".

In 1667, with the war lost, Pepys helped to discharge the navy.^{[8]The Dutch had defeated England on open water and now began to threaten English soil itself. In June 1667, they conducted theirRaid on the Medway, broke the defensive chain atGillingham, and towed away theRoyal Charles, one of the Royal Navys most important ships. As he had done during the Fire and the Plague, Pepys again removed his wife and his gold from London.[8]}

The Dutch raid was a major concern in itself, but Pepys was personally placed under a different kind of pressure: the Navy Board and his role as Clerk of the Acts came under scrutiny from the public and from Parliament. The war ended in August and, on 17 October, theHouse of Commonscreated a committee of "miscarriages".^{[8]On 20 October, a list was demanded from Pepys of ships and commanders at the time of the division of the fleet in 1666.[8]However, these demands were actually quite desirable for him, as tactical and strategic mistakes were not the responsibility of the Navy Board.}

The Board did face some allegations regarding the Medway raid, but they could exploit the criticism already attracted by commissioner ofChathamPeter Pettto deflect criticism from themselves.^{[8]The committee accepted this tactic when they reported in February 1668. The Board was, however, criticised for its use of tickets to pay seamen. These tickets could only be exchanged for cash at the Navys treasury in London.[8]Pepys made a long speech at the bar of the Commons on 5 March 1668 defending this practice. It was, in the words of C. S. Knighton, a "virtuoso performance".[8]}

The commission was followed by an investigation led by a more powerful authority, the commissioners of accounts. They met at Brooke House,Holbornand spent two years scrutinising how the war had been financed. In 1669, Pepys had to prepare detailed answers to the committees eight "Observations" on the Navy Boards conduct. In 1670, he was forced to defend his own role. A seamans ticket with Pepys name on it was produced as incontrovertible evidence of his corrupt dealings but, thanks to the intervention of the king, Pepys emerged from the sustained investigation relatively unscathed.^[8]

Outbreaks of plague were not particularly unusual events in London; major epidemics had occurred in 1592, 1603, 1625 and 1636.^{[33]Furthermore, Pepys was not among the group of people who were most at risk. He did not live in cramped housing, he did not routinely mix with the poor, and he was not required to keep his family in London in the event of a crisis.[34]It was not until June 1665 that the unusual seriousness of the plague became apparent, so Pepys activities in the first five months of 1665 were not significantly affected by it.[35]Indeed,Claire Tomalinwrites that "the most notable fact about Pepys plague year is that to him it was one of the happiest of his life." In 1665, he worked very hard, and the outcome was that he quadrupled his fortune.[34]In his annual summary on 31 December, he wrote, "I have never lived so merrily (besides that I never got so much) as I have done this plague time".[36]Nonetheless, Pepys was certainly concerned about the plague. On 16 August he wrote:}

He also chewed tobacco as a protection against infection, and worried thatwig-makersmight be using hair from the corpses as a raw material. Furthermore, it was Pepys who suggested that the Navy Office should evacuate toGreenwich, although he did offer to remain in town himself. He later took great pride in his stoicism.^{[37]Meanwhile, Elisabeth Pepys was sent toWoolwich.[8]She did not return to Seething Lane until January 1666, and was shocked by the sight ofSt Olaves churchyard, where 300 people had been buried.[38]}

Map of London after theGreat Firein 1666, showing Pepys home

In the early hours of 2 September 1666, Pepys was awakened by his servant who had spotted a fire in theBillingsgatearea. He decided that the fire was not particularly serious and returned to bed. Shortly after waking, his servant returned and reported that 300 houses had been destroyed and thatLondon Bridgewas threatened. Pepys went to theTowerto get a better view. Without returning home, he took a boat and observed the fire for over an hour. In his diary, Pepys recorded his observations as follows:

The wind was driving the fire westward, so he ordered the boat to go toWhitehalland became the first person to inform the king of the fire. According to his entry of 2 September 1666, Pepys recommended to the king that homes be pulled down in the path of the fire in order to stem its progress. Accepting this advice, the king told him to go toLord MayorThomas Bloodworthand tell him to start pulling down houses. Pepys took a coach back as far asSt Pauls Cathedralbefore setting off on foot through the burning city. He found the Lord Mayor, who said, "Lord! what can I do? I am spent: people will not obey me. I have been pulling down houses; but the fire overtakes us faster than we can do it." At noon, he returned home and "had an extraordinary good dinner, and as merry, as at this time we could be", before returning to watch the fire in the city once more. Later, he returned to Whitehall, then met his wife inSt. Jamess Park. In the evening, they watched the fire from the safety ofBankside. Pepys writes that "it made me weep to see it". Returning home, Pepys met his clerk Tom Hayter who had lost everything. Hearing news that the fire was advancing, he started to pack up his possessions by moonlight.

The ruins of theold St Pauls Cathedral, byThomas Wyck, as it looked roughly seven years after the fire

A cart arrived at 4 a.m. on 3 September and Pepys spent much of the day arranging the removal of his possessions. Many of his valuables, including his diary, were sent to a friend from the Navy Office atBethnal Green.^{[39]At night, he "fed upon the remains of yesterdays dinner, having no fire nor dishes, nor any opportunity of dressing any thing." The next day, Pepys continued to arrange the removal of his possessions. By then, he believed that Seething Lane was in grave danger, so he suggested calling men fromDeptfordto help pull down houses and defend the kings property.[39]He described the chaos in the city and his curious attempt at saving his own goods:}

Pepys had taken to sleeping on his office floor; on Wednesday, 5 September, he was awakened by his wife at 2 a.m. She told him that the fire had almost reachedAll Hallows-by-the-Towerand that it was at the foot of Seething Lane. He decided to send her and his gold—about £2,350—toWoolwich. In the following days, Pepys witnessed looting, disorder, and disruption. On 7 September, he went to Pauls Wharf and saw the ruins of St Pauls Cathedral, of his old school, of his fathers house, and of the house in which he had had his stone removed.^{[40]Despite all this destruction, Pepys house, office, and diary were saved.}

Plaque commemorating Pepys as a witness to the first performance of the puppet showPunch and JudyonSt PaulsinCovent Garden, 1662

The diary gives a detailed account of Pepys personal life. He liked wine, plays, and the company of other people. He also spent time evaluating his fortune and his place in the world. He was always curious and often acted on that curiosity, as he acted upon almost all his impulses. Periodically, he would resolve to devote more time to hard work instead of leisure. For example, in his entry for New Years Eve, 1661, he writes: "I have newly taken a solemn oath about abstaining from plays and wine…" The following months reveal his lapses to the reader; by 17 February, it is recorded, "Here I drank wine upon necessity, being ill for the want of it."

Pepys was one of the most important civil servants of his age, and was also a widely cultivated man, taking an interest in books, music, the theatre and science. He was passionately interested in music; he composed, sang, and played for pleasure, and even arranged music lessons for his servants. He played thelute,viol, violin,flageolet,recorderandspinetto varying degrees of proficiency.^{[8]He was also a keen singer, performing at home, in coffee houses, and even inWestminster Abbey.[8]He and his wife took flageolet lessons from master Thomas Greeting.[41]He also taught his wife to sing and paid for dancing lessons for her (although these stopped when he became jealous of the dancing master).}

He was known to be brutal to his servants, once beating a servant Jane with a broom until she cried. He kept a boy servant whom he frequently beat with a cane, a birch rod, a whip or a rope’s end.^[42]

Pepys was an investor in theCompany of Royal Adventurers Trading to Africa, which held the monopoly in England on trading along thewest coast of Africaingold,silver,ivoryandslaves.^[43]

Propriety did not prevent him from engaging in a number of extramarital liaisons with various women that were chronicled in his diary, often in some detail, and generally using a cocktail of languages (English, French, Spanish and Latin) when relating the intimate details. The most dramatic of these encounters was withDeborah Willet, a young woman engaged as a companion for Elisabeth Pepys. On 25 October 1668, Pepys was surprised by his wife as he embraced Deb Willet; he writes that his wife "coming up suddenly, did find me imbracing the girl con[with]my hand sub[under]su[her]coats; and endeed I was with my main[hand]in her cunny. I was at a wonderful loss upon it and the girl also...." Following this event, he was characteristically filled with remorse, but (equally characteristically) continued to pursue Willet after she had been dismissed from the Pepys household.^{[44]Pepys also had a habit of fondling the breasts of his maid Mary Mercer while she dressed him in the morning.[45]}

"Mrs Knepwas the wife of aSmithfieldhorsedealer, and the mistress of Pepys"—or at least "she granted him a share of her favours".^{[46]Scholars disagree on the full extent of the Pepys/Knep relationship, but much of later generations knowledge of Knep comes from the diary. Pepys first met Knep on 6 December 1665. He described her as "pretty enough, but the most excellent, mad-humoured thing, and sings the noblest that I ever heard in my life." He called her husband "an ill, melancholy, jealous-looking fellow"[47]and suspected him of abusing his wife. Knep provided Pepys with backstage access and was a conduit for theatrical and social gossip. When they wrote notes to each other, Pepys signed himself "Dapper Dickey", while Knep was "Barbry Allen" (that popular song was an item in her musical repertory).}

The diary was written in one of the many standard forms ofshorthandused in Pepys time, in this case called tachygraphy and devised byThomas Shelton. It is clear from its content that it was written as a purely personal record of his life and not for publication, yet there are indications that Pepys took steps to preserve the bound manuscripts of his diary. He wrote it out in fair copy from rough notes, and he also had the loose pages bound into six volumes, catalogued them in his library with all his other books, and is likely to have suspected that eventually someone would find them interesting.

This tree resumes, in a more compact form and with a few additional details, trees published elsewhere in a box-like form.^{[48][49]It is meant to help the reader of theDiaryand also integrates some biographical informations found in the same sources.}