John Evelyn’s diary, 1699

My cousin Pierrepoint died. She was daughter to Sir John Evelyn, of Wilts, my father's nephew; she was widow to William Pierrepoint, brother to the Marquis of…

My grandson went to Oxford with Dr. Mander, the Master of Baliol College, where he was entered a fellow-commoner.

A most furious wind, such as has not happened for many years, doing great damage to houses and trees, by the fall of which several persons were killed.

The old East India Company lost their business against the new Company, by ten votes in Parliament, so many of their friends being absent, going to see a tiger…

My only remaining son died after a tedious languishing sickness, contracted in Ireland, and increased here, to my exceeding grief and affliction; leaving me one…

After an extraordinary storm, there came up the Thames a whale which was fifty-six feet long. Such, and a larger of the spout kind, was killed there forty years ago…

My deceased son was buried in the vault at Wotton, according to his desire. The Duke of Devon lost £1,900 at a horse race at Newmarket. The King preferring his…

Lord Spencer purchased an incomparable library of ... wherein, among other rare books, were several that were printed at the first invention of that wonderful art,…

I dined with the Archbishop; but my business was to get him to persuade the King to purchase the late Bishop of Worcester's library, and build a place for his own…

At a meeting of the Royal Society I was nominated to be of the committee to wait on the Lord Chancellor to move the King to purchase the Bishop of Worcester's…

The Court party have little influence in this Session.

The Duke of Ormond restored to his commission. All Lotteries, till now cheating the people, to be no longer permitted than to Christmas, except that for the benefit…

After a long drought, we had a refreshing shower. The day before, there was a dreadful fire at Rotherhithe, near the Thames side, which burned divers ships, and…

This week died Conyers Seymour, son of Sir Edward Seymour, killed in a duel caused by a slight affront in St. James's Park, given him by one who was envious of his…

My cousin, George Evelyn, of Nutfield, died suddenly.

The heat has been so great, almost all this month, that I do not remember to have felt much greater in Italy, and this after a winter the wettest, though not the…

Finding my occasions called me so often to London, I took the remainder of the lease my son had in a house in Dover Street, to which I now removed, not taking my…

Seasonable showers, after a continuance of excessive drought and heat.

I drank the Shooters' Hill waters. At Deptford, they had been building a pretty new church. The Bishop of St. David's deprived for simony. The city of Moscow burnt…

There was in this week an eclipse of the sun, at which many were frightened by the predictions of the astrologers. I remember fifty years ago that many were so…

My worthy brother died at Wotton, in the 83d year of his age, of perfect memory and understanding. He was religious, sober, and temperate, and of so hospitable a…

After an unusual warm and pleasant season, we were surprised with a very sharp frost. I presented my "Acetaria," dedicated to my Lord Chancellor, who returned me…

There happened this week so thick a mist and fog, that people lost their way in the streets, it being so intense that no light of candles, or torches, yielded any…

At our chapel in the evening there was a sermon preached by young Mr. Horneck, chaplain to Lord Guilford, whose lady's funeral had been celebrated magnificently the…

I signed Dr. Blackwell's election to be the next year's Boyles Lecturer. Such horrible robberies and murders were committed, as had not been known in this nation;…

Calm, bright, and warm as in the middle of April. So continued on 21st of January. A great earthquake in Portugal. The Parliament reverses the prodigious donations…