Overview of SYMHC Classics: Samuel Pepys
This episode (originally released May 29, 2019) of Stuff You Missed in History Class profiles Samuel Pepys — the 17th‑century English naval administrator whose candid, entertaining, and at times bawdy diary is a cornerstone source for life in Restoration London. Hosts Tracy V. Wilson and Holly Frey summarize Pepys’s life, career, personal scandals, major historical events he witnessed (plague, Great Fire, Anglo‑Dutch wars), and the story of his diaries’ publication and censorship.
Key biographical facts
- Born: February 23, 1633, in London; son of a tailor and a butcher’s daughter.
- Education: Huntingdon Grammar School, St. Paul’s School, Cambridge (B.A. 1653). Lifelong friend of John Dryden.
- Patronage: Gained the support of his cousin Edward Montagu (later 1st Earl of Sandwich), which launched his naval-administration career.
- Marriage: Married Elizabeth St. Michel (a Huguenot’s daughter) in 1655 (she was 14–15; he was 22). Their marriage was volatile but affectionate; they had no children.
- Health: Suffered bladder stones; had a lithotomy in 1658. Later experienced serious eye problems that led him to stop writing his diary in 1669 (though he did not ultimately go blind).
- Death: May 26, 1703 (age 70). Buried beside his wife at St. Olave’s. Left his ~3,000‑volume library and diaries to Magdalene College, Cambridge.
Major public roles and accomplishments
- Clerk of the Acts, Navy Board (appointed 1660): transformed into a reforming, hands‑on naval administrator — instituted provisioning systems, standards, and efficiencies.
- Secretary to the admiralty commission and later Admiralty secretary; advocated funding for shipbuilding (secured large allocations in the 1670s).
- Oversaw much of naval administration during the Second Anglo‑Dutch War (mid‑1660s).
- Elected Fellow of the Royal Society (1665) and served as its president (1684). Notably arranged publication of Isaac Newton’s Principia (though Edmund Halley funded the printing).
- Served briefly as a Member of Parliament (elected 1673) and held many civic posts (governor of Christ’s Hospital, master of the Clothworkers Company, master of Trinity House).
The diary — form, contents, and publication history
- Diary span: daily practice from January 1, 1660, to May 31, 1669 (last regular entry).
- Format: Originally written in Thomas Shelton’s shorthand, with additional codes and alternate languages used to conceal the most explicit material. Pepys kept draft and master copies and edited periodically.
- Scope and tone: Six large volumes totaling ≈1.25 million words. Mixes eyewitness reporting of major events (Restoration, plague, Great Fire, naval defeats) with vivid, often comic or bawdy details of everyday life (theater, food, fashions, personal sexual affairs).
- Censorship and editions: Largely unread/untranscribed until the 19th century. Early 19th‑century transcriptions and Victorian editions heavily expurgated (sex, profanity removed). The first mostly unexpurgated editions appeared between 1970 and 1983. H. B. Wheatley produced an influential (but censored) 10‑volume edition in 1893–1899.
- Accessibility: Full diaries and annotated entries are available online (e.g., peepsdiary.com, Project Gutenberg, Internet Archive).
Major events Pepys witnessed (and recorded)
- 1660: Restoration of Charles II (Pepys sailed with the fleet that brought the king home).
- 1665: Great Plague of London — detailed death tolls, public fear, and personal reactions.
- 1666: Great Fire of London — day‑by‑day observations, the panic, and long aftermath effects on Pepys’s psyche.
- 1667: Dutch raid on the Medway (June 9) — catastrophic naval defeat and capture of the Royal Charles. Led to investigations of naval administration.
- 1672–1674: Third Anglo‑Dutch War and shifting political fortunes; death of his patron, the Earl of Sandwich (1672).
- 1679: Accusations during the Popish Plot panic; imprisoned in the Tower briefly, charges dropped.
- 1688: Glorious Revolution — Pepys resigned, was briefly detained, then released on medical grounds.
Personal scandals and relationships
- Pepys was sexually active and candid about numerous affairs in his diary. The most notorious was his 1668 affair with Deborah Willett, a maid; the affair was discovered by his wife Elizabeth and became a serious domestic crisis.
- Marriage dynamics: intensely jealous and often quarrelsome; both Pepys and Elizabeth had volatile tempers but retained affection.
- Later domestic life: After Elizabeth’s death (November 10, 1669), Pepys lived with Mary Skinner for many years; they behaved as husband and wife without marrying.
Notable quotes and diary excerpts highlighted in the episode
- On stopping the diary due to his eyes (May 31, 1669): Pepys laments that he must “forbear” as writing hurts his eyes and he will record less that “is fit for them and all the world to know.”
- On theater (Sept. 29, 1662): a scathing verdict — “the most insipid, ridiculous play that I ever saw in my life” (of Midsummer Night’s Dream), though he enjoyed the dancing and handsome women.
- On public spectacle (1660s): graphic eyewitness accounts such as watching the execution of Major General Thomas Harrison — “he looking as cheerful as any man could in that condition.”
- Everyday humor: anecdote of a dog defecating on the king’s boat — Pepys’s reminder that “a king and all that belonged to him are but just as others are.”
Legacy and where to read more
- Pepys’s diaries are prized for their immediacy, humor, and granular view of 17th‑century urban life — mixing high‑level events with quotidian detail.
- His library and diaries are preserved at Magdalene College (the Pepys Library).
- Read online: peepsdiary.com (annotated daily entries), Project Gutenberg, and the Internet Archive. If you want the full candid experience, seek unexpurgated modern editions (post‑1970); many older Victorian editions omit sexual and profane material.
Takeaways
- Samuel Pepys is both a major administrative figure in the Restoration navy and one of the most vivid diarists in English history.
- His diary is historically invaluable because it blends public affairs (plague, fire, wars) with everyday life and unfiltered personal commentary — including material that earlier editors suppressed.
- For historians and curious readers alike, Pepys offers an intimate window into Restoration London; his diaries remain accessible and rewarding to read in full.