{"id":295166,"date":"2024-03-30T10:18:21","date_gmt":"2024-03-30T10:18:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/?p=295166"},"modified":"2024-03-30T10:18:28","modified_gmt":"2024-03-30T10:18:28","slug":"history-what-was-diarist-samuel-pepys-experience-of-southwark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/area\/rotherhithe\/history-what-was-diarist-samuel-pepys-experience-of-southwark\/","title":{"rendered":"History: What was diarist Samuel Pepys&#8217; experience of Southwark?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>According to his legendary diary, written between 1660 and 1669, Samuel Pepys watched the Great Fire of London unfold from a tavern on the South Bank.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Historians believe the \u2018ale-house\u2019 was a pub now known as The Anchor, next to Shakespeare\u2019s Globe.&nbsp;<\/p><script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"69959\" data-bid=\"1\" data-placement=\"448384\" data-no-track=\"impressions\">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<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>Generations have read the famous entry, in which Pepys \u2018weeps\u2019 as a \u2018horrid malicious bloody flame\u2019 engulfs the capital.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pepys is most strongly associated with central London where he lived and worked as a high-ranking civil servant in the navy for much of his life.&nbsp;<\/p><script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"68153\" data-bid=\"1\" data-placement=\"448385\" data-no-track=\"impressions\">PGRpdiBpZD0ic291dGgtMTAyMDUzOTU3OSIgY2xhc3M9InNvdXRoLWNvbnRlbnQgc291dGgtZW50aXR5LXBsYWNlbWVudCIgc3R5bGU9Im1hcmdpbi1sZWZ0OiBhdXRvO21hcmdpbi1yaWdodDogYXV0bzt0ZXh0LWFsaWduOiBjZW50ZXI7Ij48IS0tICAvMTU0NzI1MDcwLDIyNjk0MTk2OTY5L3NvdXRod2Fya25ld3Mvc291dGh3YXJrbmV3cyAtLT4NCjxkaXYgaWQ9ImRpdi1ncHQtYWQtMngxIj4NCjxzY3JpcHQ+DQpnb29nbGV0YWcuY21kLnB1c2goZnVuY3Rpb24oKSB7IGdvb2dsZXRhZy5kaXNwbGF5KCdkaXYtZ3B0LWFkLTJ4MScpOyB9KTsNCjwvc2NyaXB0Pg0KPC9kaXY+ICAgICAgICAgIDwvZGl2Pg==<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>So this short passage about The Anchor is sometimes considered Pepys\u2019 most enduring connection with south London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In reality, while south London was far less urbanised than the north, Pepys still frequently forayed into Southwark.&nbsp;<\/p><script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"71156\" data-bid=\"1\" data-placement=\"448386\" data-no-track=\"impressions\">PGRpdiBpZD0ic291dGgtMTM5NTc3ODg3OCIgY2xhc3M9InNvdXRoLWluLWFydGljbGUtbXB1OSBzb3V0aC1lbnRpdHktcGxhY2VtZW50Ij48IS0tICAvMTU0NzI1MDcwLDIyNjk0MTk2OTY5L3NvdXRod2Fya25ld3Mvc291dGh3YXJrbmV3cyAtLT4NCjxkaXYgaWQ9ImRpdi1ncHQtYWQtbXB1OSI+DQo8c2NyaXB0Pg0KZ29vZ2xldGFnLmNtZC5wdXNoKGZ1bmN0aW9uKCkgeyBnb29nbGV0YWcuZGlzcGxheSgnZGl2LWdwdC1hZC1tcHU5Jyk7IH0pOw0KPC9zY3JpcHQ+DQo8L2Rpdj4gICAgIDwvZGl2Pg==<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>So just as his diary sheds light on 17th-century England\u2019s historic events, it also illuminates the grimy alleys of south London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\"><strong>Pepys\u2019 Pubs: \u2018Wine and cheese down the Bear\u2019&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>The Bear &#8211; London Bridge<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"979\" height=\"560\" src=\"http:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-location-of-the-Bear-as-seen-on-the-Agas-Map-sometimes-attributed-to-Ralph-Agas-c.1540-1621-979x560.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-295178\" srcset=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-location-of-the-Bear-as-seen-on-the-Agas-Map-sometimes-attributed-to-Ralph-Agas-c.1540-1621-979x560.png 979w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-location-of-the-Bear-as-seen-on-the-Agas-Map-sometimes-attributed-to-Ralph-Agas-c.1540-1621-490x280.png 490w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-location-of-the-Bear-as-seen-on-the-Agas-Map-sometimes-attributed-to-Ralph-Agas-c.1540-1621-768x439.png 768w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-location-of-the-Bear-as-seen-on-the-Agas-Map-sometimes-attributed-to-Ralph-Agas-c.1540-1621-255x146.png 255w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-location-of-the-Bear-as-seen-on-the-Agas-Map-sometimes-attributed-to-Ralph-Agas-c.1540-1621-750x429.png 750w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-location-of-the-Bear-as-seen-on-the-Agas-Map-sometimes-attributed-to-Ralph-Agas-c.1540-1621.png 981w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 979px) 100vw, 979px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The location of the Bear as seen on the Agas Map sometimes attributed to Ralph Agas (c.1540-1621)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Pepys\u2019s love of drink is hardly a secret. It\u2019s telling that when he suspected his home was burning down during The Great Fire, he rushed back to bury his wine in the garden.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p><script type=\"text\/plain\" data-tcf=\"waiting-for-consent\" data-id=\"71157\" data-bid=\"1\" data-placement=\"448387\" data-no-track=\"impressions\">PGRpdiBpZD0ic291dGgtMjI4OTgxMDY1MSIgY2xhc3M9InNvdXRoLWluLWFydGljbGUtbXB1LTEwIHNvdXRoLWVudGl0eS1wbGFjZW1lbnQiPjwhLS0gIC8xNTQ3MjUwNzAsMjI2OTQxOTY5Njkvc291dGh3YXJrbmV3cy9zb3V0aHdhcmtuZXdzIC0tPg0KPGRpdiBpZD0iZGl2LWdwdC1hZC1tcHUxMCI+DQo8c2NyaXB0Pg0KZ29vZ2xldGFnLmNtZC5wdXNoKGZ1bmN0aW9uKCkgeyBnb29nbGV0YWcuZGlzcGxheSgnZGl2LWdwdC1hZC1tcHUxMCcpOyB9KTsNCjwvc2NyaXB0Pg0KPC9kaXY+ICAgICA8L2Rpdj4=<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>But few pubs are mentioned in his diary as many times as the Bear which is referenced eleven times.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Established in 1319, the Bear was based at the southern foot of the old London Bridge, on the west side of the road, where the steps are today.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fortunately, being a landing point for vessels carrying passengers across the river, Pepys had a good excuse to visit.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"555\" src=\"http:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-Bear-was-based-near-the-west-side-of-the-road-at-the-foot-of-London-Bridge-not-exact-location.-Image-Google-Maps-1-1000x555.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-295179\" srcset=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-Bear-was-based-near-the-west-side-of-the-road-at-the-foot-of-London-Bridge-not-exact-location.-Image-Google-Maps-1-1000x555.png 1000w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-Bear-was-based-near-the-west-side-of-the-road-at-the-foot-of-London-Bridge-not-exact-location.-Image-Google-Maps-1-500x277.png 500w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-Bear-was-based-near-the-west-side-of-the-road-at-the-foot-of-London-Bridge-not-exact-location.-Image-Google-Maps-1-768x426.png 768w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-Bear-was-based-near-the-west-side-of-the-road-at-the-foot-of-London-Bridge-not-exact-location.-Image-Google-Maps-1-260x144.png 260w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-Bear-was-based-near-the-west-side-of-the-road-at-the-foot-of-London-Bridge-not-exact-location.-Image-Google-Maps-1-750x416.png 750w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-Bear-was-based-near-the-west-side-of-the-road-at-the-foot-of-London-Bridge-not-exact-location.-Image-Google-Maps-1.png 1089w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Bear was based near the west side of the road at the foot of London Bridge (not an exact location). Image: Google Maps<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>On June 4, 1661, he visited with his father, brother and cousin to drink wine after perusing lodgings with the English baronet Colonel Robert Slingsby.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another time, on Thursday, September 14, 1665, he stopped by before being forced to make a treacherous journey through the hustle and bustle of London Bridge after high winds brought vessels to a standstill.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Being the height of the Great Plague of 1665, Pepys was worried that the sickness was \u2018all whereabouts\u2019 along the bridge.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fortunately, he made the crossing unscathed, presumably fortified by the \u2018piece of cheese and gill [quarter pint] of sacke [wine]\u2019 he\u2019d picked up moments earlier.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>The Anchor &#8211; Bankside&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"764\" height=\"560\" src=\"http:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-Anchor-on-the-South-Bank.-Credit-Ewan-Munro-Creative-Commons-764x560.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-295182\" srcset=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-Anchor-on-the-South-Bank.-Credit-Ewan-Munro-Creative-Commons-764x560.png 764w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-Anchor-on-the-South-Bank.-Credit-Ewan-Munro-Creative-Commons-382x280.png 382w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-Anchor-on-the-South-Bank.-Credit-Ewan-Munro-Creative-Commons-768x563.png 768w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-Anchor-on-the-South-Bank.-Credit-Ewan-Munro-Creative-Commons-199x146.png 199w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-Anchor-on-the-South-Bank.-Credit-Ewan-Munro-Creative-Commons-750x550.png 750w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-Anchor-on-the-South-Bank.-Credit-Ewan-Munro-Creative-Commons.png 847w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 764px) 100vw, 764px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Anchor on the South Bank. Credit: Ewan Munro (Creative Commons)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>After being the first to warn King Charles II of the Great Fire of London, historians believe Pepys fled to a pub now called The Anchor on Bankside.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pepys portrays himself as playing a key role in the King\u2019s strategy for tackling the fire; claiming to be the one who recommended that houses be pulled down to stop it from spreading. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After playing his part in history, he watched the fire spread from safety across the river and later wrote a startling account.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2018When we could endure no more upon the water; we to a little ale-house on&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.pepysdiary.com\/encyclopedia\/10321\/\">the Bankside<\/a>, over against the Three Cranes, and there staid till it was dark almost, and saw the fire grow; and, as it grew darker, appeared more and more, and in corners and upon steeples, and between churches and houses, as far as we could see up the hill of the City, in a most horrid malicious bloody flame, not like the fine flame of an ordinary fire.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He continued: \u2018We staid till, it being darkish, we saw the fire as only one entire arch of fire from this to the other side the bridge, and in a bow up the hill for an arch of above a mile long: it made me weep to see it.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>The King\u2019s Head &#8211; Lambeth<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pepys was something of a womaniser and his diary is littered with his overtly sexual and often questionable behaviour.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He wrote about fondling his servants\u2019 breasts and would sometimes use his senior position at the Navy Board to cajole women into affairs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We get another insight into this side of him during a visit to the King\u2019s Head in Lambeth, which was possibly near St Mary\u2019s Church &#8211; today by the Imperial War Museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On April 20, 1666, he met with Mrs. Martin there &#8211; a mistress of his who ran a draper\u2019s stall in Westminster Hall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He wrote how the pair took a boat over the river to Stangold [Stangate] and \u2018after a walke in the fields to the&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.pepysdiary.com\/encyclopedia\/9900\/\">King\u2019s Head<\/a>, and there spent an houre or two with pleasure with her, and eat a&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.pepysdiary.com\/encyclopedia\/4007\/\">tansy<\/a> [a herbal pancake]&nbsp;and so parted\u2019.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>The Bear Garden &#8211; Bankside<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"439\" height=\"560\" src=\"http:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-Bear-Garden-from-Visschers-Map-of-London-published-in-1616-but-representing-the-city-as-it-was-several-years-earlier.--439x560.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-295184\" srcset=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-Bear-Garden-from-Visschers-Map-of-London-published-in-1616-but-representing-the-city-as-it-was-several-years-earlier.--439x560.png 439w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-Bear-Garden-from-Visschers-Map-of-London-published-in-1616-but-representing-the-city-as-it-was-several-years-earlier.--219x280.png 219w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-Bear-Garden-from-Visschers-Map-of-London-published-in-1616-but-representing-the-city-as-it-was-several-years-earlier.--114x146.png 114w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-Bear-Garden-from-Visschers-Map-of-London-published-in-1616-but-representing-the-city-as-it-was-several-years-earlier.-.png 485w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 439px) 100vw, 439px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Bear Garden from Visscher&#8217;s Map of London, published in 1616, but representing the city as it was several years earlier. (Public Domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>The Bear Garden, next to where Southwark Bridge now stands, was not strictly a tavern but still fell firmly in the \u2018pleasure\u2019 category.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Based where an alley sharing the same name is today, it was a circular theatre where spectators watched animal sports with bulls and bears fighting to the death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In his diary, Samuel Pepys described a visit he and his wife paid on August 14, 1666 \u2013 describing the spectacle as \u2018a rude and nasty pleasure\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It wasn\u2019t just animals. On May 27, 1667, he appears to have watched a butcher and a waterman have a knife fight.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"868\" height=\"496\" src=\"http:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-location-of-The-Bear-Garden-as-seen-on-the-Agas-Map-sometimes-attributed-to-Ralph-Agas-c.1540-1621.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-295206\" srcset=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-location-of-The-Bear-Garden-as-seen-on-the-Agas-Map-sometimes-attributed-to-Ralph-Agas-c.1540-1621.png 868w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-location-of-The-Bear-Garden-as-seen-on-the-Agas-Map-sometimes-attributed-to-Ralph-Agas-c.1540-1621-490x280.png 490w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-location-of-The-Bear-Garden-as-seen-on-the-Agas-Map-sometimes-attributed-to-Ralph-Agas-c.1540-1621-768x439.png 768w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-location-of-The-Bear-Garden-as-seen-on-the-Agas-Map-sometimes-attributed-to-Ralph-Agas-c.1540-1621-256x146.png 256w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/The-location-of-The-Bear-Garden-as-seen-on-the-Agas-Map-sometimes-attributed-to-Ralph-Agas-c.1540-1621-750x429.png 750w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 868px) 100vw, 868px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The location of The Bear Garden as seen on the Agas Map sometimes attributed to Ralph Agas (c.1540-1621)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>At one point the waterman, who was already losing, dropped his sword and the butcher, against protocol, slashed at him while he was unarmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pepys described how a bloody fight erupted between spectating watermen and butchers: \u2018But, Lord! to see how in a minute the whole stage was full of watermen to revenge the foul play, and the butchers to defend their fellow, though most blamed him; and there they all fell to it to knocking down and cutting many on each side.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8216;It was pleasant to see, but that I stood in the pit, and feared that in the tumult I might get some hurt.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\"><strong>Pepys the Commuter<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Crossing the Thames&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"454\" height=\"280\" src=\"http:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/For-centuries-London-Bridge-was-the-Thames-only-dry-crossing.-.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-295186\" style=\"width:812px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/For-centuries-London-Bridge-was-the-Thames-only-dry-crossing.-.jpeg 454w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/For-centuries-London-Bridge-was-the-Thames-only-dry-crossing.--237x146.jpeg 237w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 454px) 100vw, 454px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">For centuries, London Bridge was the Thames\u2019 only dry crossing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Like any London worker, much of Pepys&#8217; life was spent commuting between various places on business errands.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When crossing the river he appears to have avoided using London Bridge at any cost. At that time, shops lined the bridge and he appears to have been worried about it being a source of the plague.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And on October 26, 1664, he put his foot straight through a hole in the bridge and nearly broke his leg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Instead, he much preferred using <a href=\"http:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/area\/southwark\/the-ferrymans-seat-londons-oldest-cabbie-pit-stop-dates-back-to-the-middle-ages\/\">watermen<\/a> or &#8216;werrymen&#8217; &#8211; 17th-century aquatic taxi drivers who ferried passengers between the Thames banks.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They were a good source of gossip. On February 24, 1666, one told him the wife of the Bear\u2019s publican had committed suicide.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-southwark-news wp-block-embed-southwark-news\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"ZSjtcmFm3vJL6rU1XHTETqIhrKuzYxeiUXEMaBkwGpHfKgaPAcD0kgyN92ul77QzLxsYdGRVb9eN54JwysOo0DhAfQbq8\"><blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"DBfUPNCmDU\"><a href=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/area\/southwark\/the-ferrymans-seat-londons-oldest-cabbie-pit-stop-dates-back-to-the-middle-ages\/\">The Ferryman\u2019s Seat &#8211; London\u2019s oldest cabbie pit stop dates back to the Middle Ages<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;The Ferryman\u2019s Seat &#8211; London\u2019s oldest cabbie pit stop dates back to the Middle Ages&#8221; &#8212; Southwark News\" src=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/area\/southwark\/the-ferrymans-seat-londons-oldest-cabbie-pit-stop-dates-back-to-the-middle-ages\/embed\/#?secret=RDq9Y9CsGK#?secret=DBfUPNCmDU\" data-secret=\"DBfUPNCmDU\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Pepys wrote: \u2018My waterman told me how the mistress of the&nbsp;Beare&nbsp;tavern, at the bridge-foot, did lately fling herself into the&nbsp;Thames, and drowned herself.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What troubled Pepys \u2018the more\u2019 was the realisation that she was the &#8216;beautiful woman\u2019 who lived at the White Horse Tavern on Lombard Street.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A frequent customer, he came to know the ferrymen by name; Bland and Payne being among them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He trusted Bland so much that on September 21, 1668, he left him with gold and valuables worth \u00a340 &#8211; equivalent to nearly \u00a38,000 today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pepys had feared that if he carried the goods around his pockets would be \u2018cut\u2019 by a pickpocket.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Walking the streets<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"383\" height=\"280\" src=\"http:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/A-1695-map-of-Bermondsey.png\" alt=\"A 1695 map of Bermondsey\" class=\"wp-image-295189\" style=\"width:653px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/A-1695-map-of-Bermondsey.png 383w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/A-1695-map-of-Bermondsey-200x146.png 200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 383px) 100vw, 383px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A 1695 map of Bermondsey<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Even a wealthy gentleman like Pepys was sometimes forced to walk the streets, an experience he didn\u2019t always enjoy.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On January 24, 1665, he walked through Horsleydown, now part of Bermondsey, on a \u2018very foule, windy, and rainy\u2019 day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He wrote that it \u2018was dangerous to walk the streets\u2019 while \u2018bricks and tiles\u2026 and whole chimneys\u2019 were toppling to the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While waking through Redriffe [Rotherhithe] at night after work, on September 19, 1662, he was glad to be guarded by \u2018four armed men\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He wrote: \u2018I hear this walk is dangerous to walk alone by night, and much robbery committed here.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\"><strong>Pepys\u2019 Work: Getting down to business&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>The Dockyards in Rotherhithe<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"986\" height=\"560\" src=\"http:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/A-map-of-Redriffe-Rotherhithe-dating-back-to-1755-986x560.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-295190\" srcset=\"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/A-map-of-Redriffe-Rotherhithe-dating-back-to-1755-986x560.png 986w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/A-map-of-Redriffe-Rotherhithe-dating-back-to-1755-493x280.png 493w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/A-map-of-Redriffe-Rotherhithe-dating-back-to-1755-768x436.png 768w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/A-map-of-Redriffe-Rotherhithe-dating-back-to-1755-257x146.png 257w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/A-map-of-Redriffe-Rotherhithe-dating-back-to-1755-750x426.png 750w, https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/A-map-of-Redriffe-Rotherhithe-dating-back-to-1755.png 1018w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 986px) 100vw, 986px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A map of Redriffe (Rotherhithe) dating back to 1755<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>As Secretary of the Royal Navy, Pepys was a regular visitor to Redriffe where ships gathered at the dockyards.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was here that he ordered the fitting out of the fleet for the Dutch Wars &#8211; hence Rotherhithe\u2019s Pepys Estate is named after him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The senior civil servant kept a close eye on the dock. On January 24, 1662, he surveyed a ship bound for Tangier, Morocco &#8211; then a British colony &#8211; finding her \u2018ready to sail\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Six months later, on July 1, 1662, he wrote of &#8216;concerning abuse of the yard\u2019 which a clerk warned him about during his visit to Redriffe.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pepys excelled in his role despite the underfunding of the Navy and strategic mishaps by admirals.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An intriguing passage, written on March 19, 1662, hints at the obstacles he faced, with a colleague discussing \u2018several errors in the Navy\u2019 as they walked through Redriffe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>The Admiralty Court<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>In the mid-17th century, an admiralty court was based on St Margaret\u2019s Hill, now Borough High Street.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pepys paid a visit on Tuesday, March 17 to witness a hearing, overseen by lawyer Dr John Exton, which he appears to have been unimpressed by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He wrote that the meeting was \u2018somewhat dull, though he [Dr Exton] would seem to intend it to be very rhetoricall, saying that justice had two wings, one of which spread itself over the land, and the other over the water, which was this Admiralty Court\u2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to his legendary diary, written between 1660 and 1669, Samuel Pepys watched the Great Fire of London unfold from a tavern on the South Bank.&nbsp; Historians believe the \u2018ale-house\u2019 was a pub now known as The Anchor, next to Shakespeare\u2019s Globe.&nbsp; Generations have read the famous entry, in which Pepys \u2018weeps\u2019 as a \u2018horrid [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18938,"featured_media":295196,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"subtitle":"The diarists witnessed knife fights and organised naval fleets on his forays into south London","format":"standard","video":"","gallery":"","source_name":"","source_url":"","via_name":"","via_url":"","override_template":"0","override":[{"template":"1","single_blog_custom":"","parallax":"1","fullscreen":"1","layout":"right-sidebar","sidebar":"default-sidebar","second_sidebar":"default-sidebar","sticky_sidebar":"1","share_position":"top","share_float_style":"share-monocrhome","show_share_counter":"1","show_view_counter":"1","show_featured":"1","show_post_meta":"1","show_post_author":"1","show_post_author_image":"1","show_post_date":"1","post_date_format":"default","post_date_format_custom":"Y\/m\/d","show_post_category":"1","show_post_reading_time":"0","post_reading_time_wpm":"300","show_zoom_button":"0","zoom_button_out_step":"2","zoom_button_in_step":"3","show_post_tag":"1","show_prev_next_post":"1","show_popup_post":"1","number_popup_post":"1","show_author_box":"1","show_post_related":"0","show_inline_post_related":"1"}],"override_image_size":"0","image_override":[{"single_post_thumbnail_size":"crop-500","single_post_gallery_size":"crop-500"}],"trending_post":"0","trending_post_position":"meta","trending_post_label":"Trending","sponsored_post":"0","sponsored_post_label":"Sponsored by","sponsored_post_name":"","sponsored_post_url":"","sponsored_post_logo_enable":"0","sponsored_post_logo":"","sponsored_post_desc":"","disable_ad":"0"},"jnews_primary_category":{"id":"","hide":""},"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":{"override_view_counter":"0","view_counter_number":"0","override_share_counter":"0","share_counter_number":"0","override_like_counter":"0","like_counter_number":"0","override_dislike_counter":"0","dislike_counter_number":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[65,13539,13618,13603,15871,41,560,8341],"tags":[17589],"class_list":["post-295166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bermondsey","category-featured","category-history","category-in-depth-history","category-lambeth","category-rotherhithe","category-south-bank","category-southwark","tag-bermondsey-history"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18938"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=295166"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295166\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/295196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=295166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=295166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwarknews.co.uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=295166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}