Thursday 30 January 1667/68


11 Annotations

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"her house stands not in the King's liberty, but the Dean of Paul's"

L&M say instead of "liberty" Pepys should have written "jurisdiction".

"A liberty was a local government unit in England. Originating in the Middle Ages, a liberty was traditionally defined as an area in which regalian rights were revoked and where land was held by a mesne lord. Liberties were areas of widely variable extent which were independent of the usual system of hundreds and boroughs for a number of different reasons, usually to do with peculiarities of tenure."

Christopher Squire  •  Link

L&M are wrong in this case:

‘liberty n. . . II 6. c. A district subject to a particular jurisdiction. Now chiefly hist.
 (a) In England and Ireland: an area of local administration distinct from neighbouring territory and possessing a degree of independence. In extended use: a precinct, a domain. Also in pl. in same sense. The existence of such areas caused difficulties esp. for the administration of justice; therefore in the 19th cent. various Acts of Parliament brought most liberties within the regular administrative structures for most purposes.
. . 1659    W. Greenwood Βουλευτηριον 194   If there the Sherif or his Officer, shall enter the Liberty, and execute any processe there, the Lord of the Liberty, shall have an action of the case against him.
1690    tr. in R. Brady Hist. Treat. Cities 52   The Bayliffs of the Liberty of Caln and Worthe, who returned no Answer.
. .2004    E. Ruge in B. Müller Censorship & Cultural Regulation in Mod. Age 43   It was definitely within the liberty of the Cathedral, exempt from the city's jurisdiction.’ [OED]

Christopher Squire  •  Link

Re: ’ . . a little ordinary in Hercules-pillars Ally — the Crowne, . . ’

‘Ordinary n. . . 12. c. An inn, public house, tavern, etc., where meals are provided at a fixed price; the room in such a building where this type of meal is provided. Now hist. and arch.
. . 1631    T. Powell Tom of All Trades (1876) 141   The unwholsome ayre of an Eightpenny Ordinarie.
. . 1993    P. O'Brian Wine-dark Sea iii. 56   In Tom's absence the place is more like the ordinary of an inferior Portsmouth tavern than the gunroom of a man-of-war.’ [OED]

Terry Foreman  •  Link


"Marshal (also sometimes spelled marshall in American English, but not in British English) is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word derives from Old High German marah "horse" and schalh "servant", and originally meant "stable keeper""

Is this what SP has in mind by "Marshal"?

If so, 'twas good to be a stable-mucker for a great man with a eye for talent!

Michael Robinson  •  Link

" ... was Marshal to my Lord Cooke when he was Lord Chief justice; ..."

"The official known as a judge's marshal, whose office is of considerable antiquity, and whose duties consisted of making abstracts of indictments and pleadings for the use of the judge, still survives, but no longer exercises the above functions. He accompanies a judge of assize on circuit and is appointed by him at the beginning of each circuit. His travelling and other expenses are paid by the judge, and he receives an allowance of two guineas a day, which is paid through the Treasury. He introduces the high sheriff of the county to the judge of assize on his arrival, and swears in the grand jury."

An analogous position in the the US today would be clerking for a Federal Judge.

" ... which beginning of his I did not know to be so low ..."
Pepys presumably means that he did not have the money to begin independent practice; John 'of Ashtead' (1576-1652) married a Walpole, of Houghton, served as Coke's executor etc. -- his Ashtead house was taxed on ten hearths.

Christopher Squire  •  Link

This appears to be the sense Pepys intended:

 ‘Marshal n. . . 3. a. An officer of a court of law responsible for the custody of prisoners and for the keeping of order, and frequently entrusted with the keeping of a prison. Also Marshal of the Exchequer, Marshal of the King's (also Queen's) Bench. Now hist. Such officers obtained the title as being deputies of the Marshal of England (see sense 2a).
. . 1674    W. Lloyd Difference Church & Court of Rome 9   He that‥goes at large on his Parole‥, is‥no less a Prisoner, than when under Guard, and in the Marshals custody.
1690    London Gaz. No. 2541/2,   William Lenthall Esq; now Marshal of the King's Bench.
1768    W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. III. 285   When once the defendant is taken into custody of the marshall, or prison-keeper of this court [of king's bench].’

This is from the 19th C: ‘ . 3.d. An official (latterly usually a barrister) who accompanies a judge on circuit to act as secretary and personal assistant. More fully judge's marshal.
1830    C. Lyell Let. 28 June in Life (1881) I. 124   Judge Richardson introduced me to his marshal, Bosanquet, a barrister.’ [OED]

Mary  •  Link


Nowadays the Judge's Marshal's duties tend to encompass the original essence of the "stable-keeper' as the young barrister often finds that his most pertinent duty is ensuring that the judge's car arrives at the official lodgings at the right time to get him to court or other engagements and that all the right papers go with him.

martinb  •  Link

"it being fast day... there dined, and had a good dinner"

So does fasting here just mean going without the first meal of the day?

Terry Foreman  •  Link

"So does fasting here just mean going without the first meal of the day? "

What, no morning draught?

Australian Susan  •  Link

It may be a day of solemnity and abstinence for some, but evidently not for our Sam, who has always been ambivalent over his attitude towards Charles I. There was a service specifically for this occasion in the new (to Sam) Book of Common Prayer as there was for the accession of CII (end of May). Sam makes no attempt to find out if St Olave's are holding such a service (or records none), nor expresses any regret at not going to such a service etc.
I love his description of the dingy little tavern which is nevertheless crowded with intelligent people of the law with whom Sam obviously has good discourse and learns some family history as well.

Log in to post an annotation.

If you don't have an account, then register here.