The world of Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn

Learning outcomes:

This course has been designed to enable you to:

• Gain an overview of the life and significance of Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn and the importance of their diaries
• Set the diaries and the lives of Pepys and Evelyn in the context of late 17th-century England
• Have some understanding of the political, social and religious events of the late 17th century as presented through the lives and diaries of Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn

Course sessions:

1.1 Introducing Mr Pepys and Mr Evelyn
A brief overview of English history between the 1630s and the early 18th century to set Pepys and Evelyn in their social, political and religious context.

1.2. Pepys, Evelyn and the Royal Brothers
Both Pepys and Evelyn enjoyed the first careless rapture of the Restoration in 1660. However, this joy was soon over-shadowed by doubts caused by the immorality of the Court of Charles II and anxiety as to the consequences of the heir to the throne, James, Duke of York, converting to Roman Catholicism.

2.1 Pepys, Evelyn and the Royal Society
The Royal Society grew out of the ‘invisible college’ John Wilkins (Cromwell’s brother-in-law) established at Wadham College in the 1650s. It was the foremost exponent of ‘experimental philosophy’ in Restoration England and challenged many established beliefs. Evelyn published Sylva: or, a discourse of forest trees in 1664 at the behest of the Society and Pepys's name appeared on the title-page of the first edition of Newton’s Principia in 1687.

2.2 Pepys, Evelyn and Religion
On the 25th December 1657 Evelyn and his wife were arrested for celebrating the forbidden festival of Christmas. In 1679 Pepys was committed to the Tower and charged with treason as a result of the Popish Plot. Religion played a divisive part in the lives of our diarists and we will investigate something of that in this session.

3.1 Pepys, Evelyn and the Royal Navy
Pepys and Evelyn first meet and became friends during the second Dutch War of 1665-67. Pepys worked for many years in the Navy Office under the Lord High Admiral, James, Duke of York, working hard to increase the professionalism of the Royal Navy.

3.2 The Rule of the Strumpets
In his magisterial history of England published in 1848 Lord Macaulay remarked that with the fall of the Commonwealth and the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660, the rule of the saints was replaced by the rule of the strumpets. Charles II fathered thirteen illegitimate children by a succession of mistresses and remarked that the mistresses of his Catholic brother, James, were so ugly it was obvious that they were chosen for him by his confessors as a penance! This session will examine something of the scandals and controversies associated with the Court.

4.1 Pleasures of the World I – Coffee Houses and the Theatre
The significance of the diaries of Pepys and Evelyn is not just what they tell us about politics and religion but what they reveal about the social like of Restoration England. In these sessions we will explore their discovery of ‘coffee’ and, in particular, Mr Pepys’s love of the theatre.

4.2 Pleasures of the World II – Music, Books and the Garden
Continuing the theme, we will explore Pepys's love of music, Evelyn’s devotion to his garden and their shared love of books.

5.1 Plots, Exclusion and Revolution
Politics broke into the ‘pleasures of the world’ in the 1670s, the ‘Popish Plot’ of 1679-80 witnessed Pepys in the Tower of London fighting for his life against a charge of treason. Neither men approved of the deposition of James VI & II in 1688-9. This session will discuss their struggles to come to terms with a revolutionary situation.

5.2 Retirement, Diaries and Conclusions
This last session will examine the lives of Pepys and Evelyn in retirement, how their diaries have come down to us in various editions and their lasting significance.

Non-credit bearing

Please note that our Virtual Summer Festival of Learning courses are non-credit bearing.

Certificate of Participation

A certificate of participation will be sent to you electronically within a week of your Summer Festival course(s) finishing.

Welcome week: Before the course starts

Courses are delivered online via our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). A week before your course starts you will receive an email from our Teaching & Learning (TEL) team confirming your VLE login details. Once you have logged into the VLE, you should:

• Access the ‘Course Information’ and ‘Welcome to the course’ areas.
• Carry out any technical checks, including video checks.
• View the VLE ’Online course tour’ and familiarise yourself with your learning environment.
• Watch the Course Director’s welcome video.
• Introduce yourself to the Course Director and other students using the general forum.
• Access and carry out any pre-reading or activities for the course provided in the ‘Welcome to the course’ area.

Study week: Course delivery, video content and study time

• You will be taught largely through a series of pre-recorded course videos.
• Course videos will be released on a daily basis, Monday to Friday.
• We suggest that you set aside around 1.5 hours each day to watch the course videos, view course materials and resources and complete any related reading, activities and discussions in the daily forums. This does not need to be done in one sitting, you have the flexibility to access content when and where you want, and to go back and review it as often as you wish.

At the end of the course

• Content for each course will remain available on the VLE for 5 weeks after the course has finished
• Course forums will close for postings on the Monday after the course, but existing messages will still be visible for 5 weeks after the course has finished
• You will receive a certificate of participation via email within a week of your course finishing

Pre-recorded course videos

Courses include one or two videos per day, these are designed by the Course Director to help you address different aspects of the main topic. All of our course videos are subtitled.

Course discussion forums

There will also be the opportunity to engage in written form with other course participants and discuss questions set by the Course Director on the discussion forums. Your Course Director will launch a number of discussions on the daily forums and will generally respond to a selection of key questions and comments on a daily basis. You are encouraged to actively take part in these discussions to get the most out of the course and to add to your overall enjoyment.

Resources, reading lists and activities

During the course and up until 5 weeks after the course has finished you will have access to a number of learning resources which may include links to websites, readings and research papers. These are provided by the Course Director to support the teaching and will be available on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

You may wish to consider these additional related courses on offer in the Festival:

If you are able to study more than one course or for more than one week, you may wish to consider streams of related course subjects.  There will be many other options – this is just an illustration of possible course combinations:

And don’t forget to watch the series of talks included in your course booking (usually charged at £50). Further details and a link to access the talks will be sent to you a week before the Festival starts.

Booking a course

To book a Festival course please click the Book Now button at the top of the course page. You will be taken to our secure bookings portal where you can set up an account using your email address, and pay for your course by credit or debit card.

All of our courses are limited to 50 places, in order to allow students and Course Directors the opportunity for interaction via the discussion forums on the VLE.

Bookings will remain open until midnight the day before the course starts. If your preferred course is full at the time of booking you can add yourself to a waiting list. You will be notified, by email, if a place becomes available. We recommend that you book early to avoid missing out.

Please note that if you book a place the weekend before a course starts, it may take up to 48 hours to process your application and notify you of your VLE log in details. You may therefore not have access until the end of the second day of the course, but can go back and review sessions which have already been released.

‘How to book a course’ video

Our short video below talks you through the necessary steps to register and create an account before booking on to your chosen course(s) via our secure payment portal.

Before booking, please ensure that you have read and understood our Booking terms and conditions

Talks

As part of our Summer Festival we will also be offering a series of talks showcasing the variety of subjects on offer here at the University, as well as research, global current affairs and a range of other topics.

By booking a Summer Festival course, you automatically qualify for free access to these talks (usually charged at £50). Further details and a link to access the talks will be sent to you a week before the Festival starts.