Samuel Pepys Diary

[Sue]

I am reading Samuel Pepys diary. It's great if you are an insomniac. After reading 5 days of rounds of THE SWAN, THE LEG, etc, wine, ale, mutton hang overs etc I am seriously tired. However the underlying history and snippets are interesting. I had to laugh when he stayed at home to supervise the workmen and painters as he was not much happy with their work. I have just read that 1660 was a mild winter and that by January there had been no cold weather and the Rose bushes were still in flower. He refers to a number of people dying of small pox and suffering from THE STONE, which I take as gall stones from the quantity of meat consumed. Not once has ther been a mention of a fruit or a vegetable.

I am busy reading about the return of the king and the exhumation of buried Roundheads and traitors such as Cromwell. Their bodies being exhumed so they could be hanged and buried as traitors.

An interesting snippet was how he could tell if a lady WAS A MAIDEN OR NOT. Wrap a piece of cord around her head from above the nose. If they should overlap she be a maiden, if they do not meet she is not. Hmm, interesting bit of science there

[plaques]

the exhumation of buried Roundheads and traitors such as Cromwell.

A lot of people thought it was Charles 1 who was the traitor. Have a read at "Cromwell's Head" Lancashire Libraries. Rather gruesome but interesting.
The Festival of Britain met the same fate when the Conservatives got back in power. The NHS is going the same way. May is now promising to look again at the 'overlooked' people. I would have said 'ignored' people. I'll sign off now I'm beginning to sound like Stanley.

[Sue]

His words not mine about traitors such as Cromwell

[Stanley]

The readings of his diaries on R4 are great. I'm sure they will be available form the BBC shop.
P, you can't help sounding like me, we have exactly the same viewpoint and we've both read the history.... Keep your foot flat to the boards, in the end we will prevail.....

[Sue]

Just read an excellent description of Charles 11 coronation. My how this man Pepys could drink

[Stanley]

[Sue]

He is still drinking. He was complaining of a hang over in last nights readings but then got up and before the day was out had visited three more pubs. Someone had suggested that more wine was a good remedy. Hair of the dog and all that. Things don't change.

[Sue]

By the way Stanley he refers to walking on the leads. What were the leads. Is it his garden path as that seems to fit in. At first I thought it was the roof! But that didn't fit in to the context.

Last night I read he went walking on the leads with his wife and his neighbour came out on to his leads and chatted to them

[Wendyf]

I think he might be talking about the roof Sue, I found this on google.

"Willoughby House is a magnificent house in Nottingham built by the Hon. Rothwell Willoughby between 1730 and 1740.

When it was built, the view from the roof was regarded as a great asset and walkways covered with lead were made around the edge, easy access to which was arranged by means of internal stairways. To prevent accidents, parapets were set up and the good folk of the 18th century -- and even earlier -- used to spend a good deal of their leisure on these "leads" as they called them. Readers of Pepys Diary will find references to evenings spent upon the leads engaged in singing and talking."

[Tizer]

Sue, if you're enjoying reading about London in the 1660s you might find Susanna Gregory's novels about her character Thomas Chaloner interesting to read. They are woven around a lot of true events and people and they convey much of the feeling for life in those difficult times. The are listed in chronological order here: The Thomas Chaloner novels

[Stanley]

Sue, Wendy is right, it's the roof. Common for gutters to be lined with lead and sometimes whole roofs covered with it. The lead corroded so slowly that it lasted many years. Tiz is quite right about Susan Gregory. Worth looking at Claire Tomalin as well, she did a very good book on Pepys.

[Sue]

Thank you all and for the hints on good reads. My sort of book I think. I thought it was the roof until the last reference which threw me.

[Sue]

He is still drinking by the way

[Stanley]

He never stopped!

[Sue]

I gather. His days are filled with wine, food, and going to the theatre. Occasionally he seemed to do some work. He was also money obsessed .

[Stanley]

Nevertheless Sue, in terms of the efficiency of the Navy he was a far more influential figure than many suspect. They were different times and they operated in different ways.
Once you have digested Pepys, have a look at Aubrey's Brief Lives..... There is a good audio version done by Roy Dotrice, a very good listen! Have a look at THIS.