Overview

Pepys's diary has made him a literary celebrity. In his own time he was known as the chief naval official under Charles II and James II and this aspect of the diarist's life has not received the attention it deserves from his modern biographers. Charles Knighton, a Pepys scholar with a particular interest in naval history, reveals the full extent of Pepys's achievements in creating a modern navy which was both permanent and professional.

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9780750929721

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Samuel Pepys is best known today for his 1660s diaries of London during the Great Fire and Plague, but in his own time he distinguished himself in public life as the chief naval official under both Charles II and James II. With this work, C S Knighton delves into the lesser-known territory of Pepys's life in the British Admiralty and conducts a comprehensive study of his influence and achievements in the Royal Navy. Although Pepys had no maritime experience when he joined the Navy Board, his appointment as Clerk of the Acts immediately involved him in a struggle with corrupt officials and dishonest contractors, and as his determination to legitimize the poor standing of the Navy grew, so did his reputation. In 1673 he rose to the position of Secretary of the Commission whilst simultaneously serving as a Member of Parliament, both positions allowing him to agitate strongly for naval reform. He was briefly imprisoned in the Tower of London after being falsely accused in the Popish Plot, but was restored to his post in 1684, when he also became president of the Royal Society. His widespread reforms and continual re-shaping of the naval service are today regarded as central to the creation of a permanent and professional naval force. Knighton's biography of Pepys's professional life is not for everyone. This is a book for naval historians and Pepys enthusiasts, full of the minutiae of naval life and crammed with details of the diarist's little-known administrative and political work. If at times the writing is overly factual it is partly in an attempt to convey the enormous industry of the man and the complexity of the times in which he lived. An expansive volume on the professional achievements of a man best known for his amateur pursuits. (Kirkus UK)

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C.S. Knighton has edited the Calendar of State Papers Domestic volumes for the reigns of Edward VI and Mary I for the Public Records Office. He also compiled the Catalogue of Modern Manuscripts in the Pepys Library at Magdalene College, Oxford.

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