A portrait of Samuel Pepys

Samuel Pepys

Samuel Pepys was a famous diarist who wrote about London life in the 17th century - from the triumphant restoration of Charles II in 1660 to the disasters of the plague and the Great Fire of London in 1666. Pepys began his diary on 1 January 1660 and added entries until 1669, when he stopped writing because he feared he was losing his eyesight. Pepys was a naval administrator who rose to become chief secretary of the Admiralty commission, and he is known for bringing professionalism to the Royal Navy. He died on 26 May 1703

An edited image of a man with long curly hair and a lacy ruff. The right hand side of his face is colour inverted so it appears black with a red eye

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An illustration of the Great Fire of London, c1675. St Paul's Cathedral is seen in flames (Photo by Museum of London/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

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An illustration depicting the Great Fire of London.

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A portrait of Samuel Pepys, English writer and diarist. (Photo by Culture Club/Getty Images)

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An engraving by Wenceslaus Hollar depicting Old St Paul's on fire during the Great Fire of London, 1666. Frantic efforts to fight the flames quickly turned into an equally fevered search for a scapegoat. (Photo by Culture Club/Getty Images)

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Man smoking a pipe, early 17th century

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Samuel Pepys portrait

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My history hero: Samuel Pepys (1633-1703). This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.