Daily Life and Domesticity

Where it surfaces

• The Diary of Samuel Pepys

  The diary captures Pepys' personal routines, household management, and interactions with his wife.

• January 1659–60

  Pepys records mundane domestic details—burning a turkey, borrowing money, playing cribbage, and dealing with a lack of coal—grounding the political drama in everyday life.

• February 1659–60

  Pepys describes meals, lute practice, and preparing his brother for Cambridge.

• March 1659–60

  Detailed accounts of Pepys's domestic arrangements, including his wife's caps, the wench's washing, and his cold remedy.

• April 1660

  Pepys's personal concerns—his wife's absence, his cabin arrangement, and his clothes—are interwoven with the political events.

• May 1660

  Pepys records personal details such as his recovery from the stone, his new suit, and the shipboard routines of eating, drinking, and entertainment.

• August 1660

  Pepys deals with his wife's illness, buys a lobster, has his head combed by servants, and attends to his dog whelping, providing a glimpse into his domestic routines.

• September 1660

  Pepys deals with household matters, including workmen's laziness, his wife's mourning clothes, and the sale of his house, illustrating domestic concerns.

• October 1660

  Pepys oversees house painting, furniture purchases, and deals with a cellar overflow, reflecting the challenges of domestic management.

• November 1660

  Domestic scenes include Elizabeth baking pies, quarrels over the dog, and family discussions about bringing Pepys's sister to live as a servant.

• December 1660

  Pepys manages household chores, painting, and Christmas preparations, illustrating domestic routines and family interactions.

• January 1660–61

  Detailed accounts of New Year's breakfast, household preparations, and domestic interactions with servants and family.

• March 1660–61

  Pepys oversees workmen on his stairs, gives old clothes to his brother, and celebrates three years since his stone operation.

• April 1661

  Pepys's domestic troubles—his parents' quarrels over maids, his own workmen issues, and his wife's movements—are woven throughout the chapter.

• May 1661

  Pepys oversees home renovations, argues with his wife, and attends a christening with gifts.

• June 1661

  Pepys records domestic details: giving his wife money for lace, playing the flageolet, drinking with Sir W. Penn, and dealing with house painting.

• July 1661

  Pepys buys furniture and clothing, deals with household staff, and organizes his linen; domestic routines are detailed.

• September 1661

  Pepys deals with a leaky roof, coal delivery, his wife's pie-making, and a family burial, illustrating domestic routines and challenges.

• October 1661

  Pepys records domestic details: Elizabeth's singing lessons, servant troubles, a cold remedy, and household management.

• November 1661

  Pepys beats his servant Wayneman for a gunpowder accident, discusses household expenses with his wife, and moves to the little green chamber.

• December 1661

  The chapter details Pepys's household routines, including disputes over meat, visits to the painter, and Christmas dinners.

• January 1661–62

  Domestic scenes include hanging pictures, buying scissors, gardening, and a family dinner at the Three Crane Tavern.

• February 1661–62

  Pepys oversees home renovations, enjoys a wedding feast, and composes songs.

• March 1661–62

  Pepys records domestic details such as his wife's health, maid's illness, and household purchases, illustrating everyday life.

• April 1662

  Pepys manages household matters, including disciplining a servant, planning his wife's trip, and renovating his house.

• July 1662

  Pepys's house is being remodeled, causing ceilings to be ruined by rain; he sends his wife to Bugden and manages household affairs.

• August 1662

  Pepys records his health issues, domestic arrangements, and personal interactions, including his interest in maids.

• September 1662

  Pepys deals with moving goods, lost keys, servant troubles, and concerns about his lodgings, illustrating domestic concerns.

• October 1662

  Pepys oversees workmen on his house, dines with his wife on herrings, and manages his brother Tom's marriage negotiations.

• November 1662

  Pepys describes home improvements, a quarrel with his wife, and the hiring of a new maid.

• December 1662

  Pepys details Christmas preparations, household management, and conflicts with servants.

• February 1662–63

  Pepys dismisses maid Jane with regret, enjoys a good dinner with his wife, and teaches her astronomy.

• March 1662–63

  Pepys records domestic details such as washing day, his wife's work, and a new maid at his brother's.

• April 1663

  Dancing lessons, card games, beating the boy, and a family walk to Halfway House.

• July 1663

  Pepys records church attendance, vows against strong drink, family visits, his brother's building plans, and domestic irritations with servants.

• August 1663

  Household renovations, hiring a chambermaid, and managing servants.

• September 1663

  Pepys manages household tensions, fits his wife's closet, and enjoys the comfort of home after travel.

• October 1663

  Pepys details his wife's hanging of closet hangings, household cleaning, and his own health struggles with constipation and pain.

• December 1663

  Pepys's domestic routines, his wife's toothache, and family concerns illustrate everyday life in 1663.

• January 1663–64

  Pepys finalizes his will, tears up old papers, teaches his wife the globes, and enjoys social dinners, reflecting domestic routines.

• February 1663–64

  Domestic scenes include dinner with venison, a copper kettle dispute, and Jane's comical accident, illustrating everyday life.

• March 1663–64

  Scenes of family visits, dog breeding, and household management illustrate the rhythms of Pepys's domestic life.

• April 1664

  The diary includes domestic scenes such as Pepys's father staying overnight, visits to the park, and the couple's decision to avoid a play, illustrating everyday life.

• May 1664

  Pepys details his health struggles (stone, physic), domestic routines (wife sleeping apart, hiring a cook-maid), and leisure activities (playhouse, Park).

• June 1664

  Pepys enjoys cherries and shuffleboard at Hackney, and worries about his dog being killed.

• July 1664

  Pepys records personal details such as putting off his linen waistcoat, visiting a barber for a nit-infested periwig, and attending morning prayers at St. Dunstan's.

• September 1664

  Pepys deals with health issues (itching, sore throat), domestic arrangements (maids, wife's illness), and household management.

• October 1664

  Pepys's visit to Brampton, family interactions, and his wife's anger over his gadding.

• January 1664–65

  Domestic scenes include a venison pasty, a dog mating, noises on the leads, and disputes over servants, illustrating everyday life.

• February 1664–65

  Pepys visits Paul's Churchyard for bookbinding, attends church, celebrates St. Valentine's Day, and has domestic tensions over money.

• March 1664–65

  Domestic scenes including giving wife money for clothes, rising early, and household management.

• April 1665

  Pepys balances office work with domestic routines: dining at home, taking the air with his wife, and dealing with servants like Mercer.

• May 1665

  Domestic reconciliations, dining with friends, and Pepys's personal lapses into pleasure after his vows expire.

• June 1665

  Pepys details his new suit, lace bands, visits to Kate Joyce's, and plans to move his wife to Woolwich; domestic routines amid the plague.

• July 1665

  Pepys organizes his closet, visits his wife at Woolwich, and enjoys social dinners and coach rides.

• August 1665

  Pepys manages household moves, domestic disputes with his wife and maid Mercer, and the logistics of living between Woolwich and London.

• September 1665

  Pepys's domestic arrangements, including moving goods, his wife's activities, and the death of servants from plague, reflect everyday life under crisis.

• November 1665

  Pepys and Elizabeth prepare to return home as the plague abates, dealing with lodgings and household goods.

• December 1665

  Pepys records domestic details: his wife's desire for a maid, music sessions at home, and the danger of ice on the Thames.

• January 1665–66

  Pepys records domestic details: his wife's toothache, new clothes, and linens, as well as the gradual return of normal city life after the plague.

• February 1665–66

  Pepys and his wife attend church together for the first time since the plague; they look over plate, buy a silver drudger, and discuss Pall's marriage prospects.

• March 1665–66

  Pepys enjoys domestic scenes with his wife and Mercer, welcomes little Tooker, and notes the marriage of Betty Howlett to young Michell.

• April 1666

  Pepys deals with household staff changes, including a maid who leaves because London disagrees with her, and a new girl from his mother-in-law.

• May 1666

  Domestic scenes include maid Susan's illness, Elizabeth's painting, hanging portraits, and a coach race with Aunt Wight.

• June 1666

  Amid the war news, Pepys records domestic details such as dining with family, boxing his boy for not being ready, and visiting Mrs. Daniel.

• July 1666

  Pepys enjoys domestic pleasures: dining, singing with Mercer, walking in the garden, and spending time with family and friends.

• August 1666

  Describes domestic pleasures: wife's drawing, fireworks party, dancing, cross-dressing, and a wedding feast.

• September 1666

  Pepys manages household affairs, including his wife's gown purchase, the loss of books, and the cleaning and furnishing of his house after the fire.

• October 1666

  Pepys hires a new maid, visits Betty Michell, and enjoys domestic music; his wife deals with family illness and marital discord.

• November 1666

  Pepys records domestic details: hanging a varnished print, buying apples and pork, reading plays, and enjoying conversation with his wife, illustrating the rhythms of everyday life.

• December 1666

  Pepys attends a christening, scolds his wife, burns old letters, and enjoys a venison pasty with guests.

• January 1666–67

  Pepys records domestic details such as his cold, his wife's walks, the frost, and his father's illness, offering a glimpse into everyday life.

• February 1666–67

  Pepys catalogues his books, plays violin and bass with his brother, receives a new silver snuffe-dish, and teaches Barker to sing.

• March 1666–67

  Pepys records domestic scenes: his wife's music lessons, a false alarm about his father's death, and an evening of dancing with friends.

• April 1667

  Pepys enjoys walks, singing with his wife and maids, and notes domestic gossip about neighbors.

• May 1667

  Pepys notes milkmaids dancing, sees Nelly, visits his tailor, and deals with household matters like cleaning and looking-glass shopping.

• September 1667

  Pepys's domestic disputes, purchases, and visits to Bartholomew Fair illustrate everyday life.

• October 1667

  Pepys enjoys domestic moments with his wife and new maid, attends a play, and deals with household matters, contrasting with the political turmoil.

• November 1667

  The domestic scare over a noise in the night, later explained as chimney sweeping, illustrates the everyday anxieties of household life.

• December 1667

  Pepys balances political concerns with domestic life: his wife's severe toothache, entertaining guests with music, managing accounts, and dealing with his boy Tom's refusal to learn the French lute.

• January 1667–68

  Pepys's domestic routines, wife's illness, and the suicide of Kate Joyce's husband.

• March 1667–68

  Pepys reads a book by the Duchess of Newcastle, plans wife's closet, and deals with family concerns about cousin Kate.

• June 1668

  Domestic routines, including a fire alarm, household management, and family tensions, are vividly depicted.

• July 1668

  Pepys records the excessive heat, his wife's lying-in visits, walks in the garden, and music in the dark.

• August 1668

  Pepys's domestic activities include hanging pictures, having his hair combed by Deb., and family outings.

• September 1668

  Domestic scenes: venison-pasty dinner, teaching Mercer the Larke's song, and a quarrel with Elizabeth.

• October 1668

  Domestic activities include reading, combing hair, hiring a new maid, and shopping for household furnishings.

• November 1668

  Pepys records mundane details such as the arrival of his new coach, dinner with Mr. Povy, and his wife reading to him, illustrating everyday life in Restoration London.

• January 1668–69

  Domestic scenes include Pepys's wife reading, jealousy over his outings, and receiving prints and gloves from France.

• March 1668–69

  Pepys describes lodging fifteen guests, his wife's new gown, and domestic routines like reading and gardening.

• April 1669

  Pepys acquires a vizard for his eyes, dines with family and friends, visits the Park, and deals with household matters.

• May 1669

  Pepys records domestic details: his wife's toothache, their outings, and his struggle with his eyesight.

• Endnotes

  Details of John Pepys's will and family bequests reflect domestic and familial concerns.