Samuel Pepys was born on February 23rd 1633 in Salisbury Court off Fleet Street. His father, John, was a tailor, his mother Margaret Kite was sister of a Whitechapel butcher and Samuel was fifth in a line of eleven children. He was baptised at St Bride's Church on 3 March. Pepys did not spend all of his infancy in London, and for a while was sent to live with a nurse, Goody Lawrence, at Kingsland, north of the city. In about 1644 Pepys attended Huntingdon Grammar School, before being educated at St Paul's School, London, c. 1646–1650. He attended the execution of Charles I, in 1649. In 1650, he went to Cambridge University, having received two exhibitions from St Paul's Schooland a grant from the Mercers Company. On 1 January 1660, Pepys began to keep a diary. He recorded his daily life for almost ten years. The women 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 is an important account of London in the 1660s. On the Navy Board, Pepys proved to be a more able and efficient worker than colleagues in higher positions: a fact that often annoyed Pepys, and provoked much harsh criticism in his diary. 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. As well as providing a first-hand account of the "Restoration", Pepys's diary is notable for its detailed accounts of several other major events of the 1660s, along with the lesser known "Diary of John Evelyn". In particular it is an invaluable source for the study of the Second Anglo-Dutch War of 1665–7, of the Great Plague of 1665, and of the Great Fire of London in 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's diary has become a national monument.
17th Century London
In the 17th century, London, was a crowded, disease-ridden city where residents succumbed to plague, tuberculosis and other urban pestilences. Life was hard for 17th-century Londoners—and death came both often and mysteriously. Nowhere is this more apparent than in John Graunt’s “Natural and Political Observations Made Upon the Bills of Mortality,” a groundbreaking vital statistics text that helped launch modern demography. London looked very different from the City we know today, the fire of London devastated large areas allowing re-building of the City and beyond. This fire, the Plague and revolution were significant during this time. The Commonwealth Period is a fascinating, if bloody, period during the 17th Century. The trial and subsequent execution of the King at Whitehall was a turning point in London. British Military strength and power increased dramatically after the execution of the king. From this point onward, Britain had a "modern" army and were feared by other nations. Trade became an important and growing part of the countries economy and Merchants were able to use Britain as a base to trade around the world. Also during this period the Jews were readmitted to the country and allowed to practice their faith without molestation. This readmission was not approved by Parliament or Cromwell in an Act, but in the Petition of the Jews, which in fact was passed through a court case. The Interregnum also gave rise to the modern Parliamentary system and the Monarch of the day no longer had the rights previously enjoyed from this point forward. The Plague effected the London population drastically as well.