Pepys ‘curated’ letters to conceal being offered enslaved boy as bribe – research

Cambridge University historian uncovers letter to diarist who was a naval official in 1670s His journals would become famed for their vivid detail and candour. But now, almost exactly 360 years after diarist Samuel Pepys chronicled the Great Fire of London, new research has found that he “erased” and “curated” correspondence to conceal he had been offered…

Key takeaways

Quick scan — what you need to know:

• Cambridge University historian uncovers letter to diarist who was a naval official in 1670s His journals would become famed for their vivid detail and candour.
• But now, almost exactly 360 years after diarist Samuel Pepys chronicled the Great Fire of London, new research has found that he “erased” and “curated” correspondence to conceal he had been offered…
• Cambridge University historian Dr Michael Edwards consulted hundreds of records in The Pepys Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge; The National Archives; and the Bodleian Library in Oxford for…
• Continue reading...

Background

What led here, in plain terms:

• Cambridge University historian uncovers letter to diarist who was a naval official in 1670s His journals would become famed for their vivid detail and candour.
• But now, almost exactly 360 years after diarist Samuel Pepys chronicled the Great Fire of London, new research has found that he “erased” and “curated” correspondence to conceal he had been offered…
• Cambridge University historian Dr Michael Edwards consulted hundreds of records in The Pepys Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge; The National Archives; and the Bodleian Library in Oxford for…
• Continue reading...

Why it matters

Why readers and decision-makers should care:

• Cambridge University historian uncovers letter to diarist who was a naval official in 1670s His journals would become famed for their vivid detail and candour.
• But now, almost exactly 360 years after diarist Samuel Pepys chronicled the Great Fire of London, new research has found that he “erased” and “curated” correspondence to conceal he had been offered…
• Cambridge University historian Dr Michael Edwards consulted hundreds of records in The Pepys Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge; The National Archives; and the Bodleian Library in Oxford for…