John Evelyn's Diary 1701

1st January 1701. I finished the sale of North Stoake in Sussex to Robert Michell, Esq, appointed by my brother to be sold for payment of portions to my nieces, and other incumbrances on the estate.

4th January 1701. An exceeding deep snow, and melted away as suddenly.

19th January 1701. Severe frost, and such a tempest as threw down many chimneys, and did great spoil at sea, and blew down above twenty trees of mine at Wotton, Surrey [Map].

9th February 1701. The old Speaker [aged 53] laid aside, and Mr. Harley [aged 39], an able gentleman, chosen. Our countryman, Sir Richard Onslow [aged 46], had a party for him.

27th February 1701. By an order of the House of Commons, I laid before the Speaker [aged 39] the state of what had been received and paid toward the building of Greenwich Hospital [Map].

27th February 1701. Mr. Wye, Rector of Wotton, died, a very worthy good man. I gave it to Dr. Bohun, a learned person and excellent preacher, who had been my son's tutor, and lived long in my family.

18th March 1701. I let Sayes Court, Deptford [Map] to Lord Carmarthen [aged 42], son to the Duke of Leeds [aged 69]. 28th. I went to the funeral of my sister Draper, who was buried at Edmonton in great state. Dr. Davenant displeased the clergy now met in Convocation by a passage in his book, p. 40.

1st April 1701. A Dutch boy of about eight or nine years old was carried about by his parents to show, who had about the iris of one eye the letters of Deus meus, and of the other Elohim, in the Hebrew character. How this was done by artifice none could imagine; his parents affirming that he was so born. It did not prejudice his sight, and he seemed to be a lively playing boy. Everybody went to see him; physicians and philosophers examined it with great accuracy; some considered it as artificial, others as almost supernatural.

4th April 1701. The Duke of Norfolk [deceased] died of an apoplexy, and Mr. Thomas Howard of complicated disease since his being cut for the stone; he was one of the Tellers of the Exchequer. Mr. How [aged 52] made a Baron.

1st May 1701. Some Kentish men, delivering a petition to the House of Commons, were imprisoned.

1st May 1701. A great dearth, no considerable rain having fallen for some months.

17th May 1701. Very plentiful showers, the wind coming west and south. The Bishops and Convocation at difference concerning the right of calling the assembly and dissolving. Atterbury [aged 38] and Dr. Wake writing one against the other.

20th June 1701. The Commons demanded a conference with the Lords on the trial of Lord Somers [aged 50], which the Lords refused, and proceeding on the trial, the Commons would not attend, and he was acquitted.

22nd June 1701. I went to congratulate the arrival of that worthy and excellent person my Lord Galway [aged 53], newly come out of Ireland, where he had behaved himself so honestly, and to the exceeding satisfaction of the people: but he was removed thence for being a Frenchman, though they had not a more worthy, valiant, discreet, and trusty person in the two kingdoms, on whom they could have relied for his conduct and fitness. He was one who had deeply suffered, as well as the Marquis, his father, for being Protestants.

1st July 1701. My Lord Treasurer [aged 56] made my grandson [aged 19] one of the Commissioners of the prizes, salary £500 per annum.

8th July 1701. My grandson [aged 19] went to Sir Simon Harcourt [aged 39], the Solicitor General, to Windsor, Berkshire [Map], to wait on my Lord Treasurer. There had been for some time a proposal of marrying my grandson to a daughter [aged 26] of Mrs. Boscawen [aged 58], sister of my Lord Treasurer [aged 56], which was now far advanced.

14th July 1701. I subscribed toward rebuilding Oakwood Chapel, now, after 200 years, almost fallen down.

1st August 1701. The weather changed from heat not much less than in Italy or Spain for some few days, to wet, dripping, and cold, with intermissions of fair.

2nd September 1701. I went to Kensington, and saw the house, plantations, and gardens, the work of Mr. Wise, who was there to receive me.

2nd September 1701. Died the Earl of Bath [deceased], whose contest with Lord Montague [aged 40] about the Duke of Albemarle's estate, claiming under a will supposed to have been forged, is said to have been worth £10,000 to the lawyers. His eldest son shot himself a few days after his father's death; for what cause is not clear. He was a most hopeful young man, and had behaved so bravely against the Turks at the siege of Vienna, that the Emperor made him a Count of the Empire. It was falsely reported that Sir Edward Seymour [aged 68] was dead, a great man; he had often been Speaker, Treasurer of the Navy, and in many other lucrative offices. He was of a hasty spirit, not at all sincere, but head of the party at any time prevailing in Parliament.

29th September 1701. I kept my first courts in Surrey, which took up the whole week. My steward was Mr. Hervey, a Counsellor, Justice of Peace, and Member of Parliament, and my neighbour. I gave him six guineas, which was a guinea a day, and to Mr. Martin, his clerk, three guineas.

31st October 1701. I was this day 81 complete, in tolerable health, considering my great age.

1st December 1701. Great contentions about elections. I gave my vote and interest to Sir R. Onslow [aged 47] and Mr. Weston.

27th December 1701. My grandson [aged 19] quitted Oxford.