Emily Pepys facts for kids
Emily Pepys (born August 9, 1833, died September 12, 1877) was an English girl who kept a diary. Her diary gives us a great look into the life of a wealthy bishop's family. She was a distant relative of the famous diarist Samuel Pepys.
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About Emily Pepys
Emily was born on August 9, 1833, in a place called Westmill, Hertfordshire. Her father was a church leader there at the time.
Emily's Family Life
Her father, Henry Pepys (who pronounced his name "peppis"), was a bishop in the Anglican Church. He became the Bishop of Sodor and Man in 1840. Just one year later, he became the Bishop of Worcester. He also played a small part in politics as a Liberal member of the House of Lords. This is like a part of the government in the United Kingdom.
Emily's mother, Maria Pepys, was the daughter of John Sullivan. He was an important government official.
Emily was the youngest of four children who grew up. Her older siblings were Philip Henry, Maria Louisa, and Herbert George. Philip later worked for a court that handled money problems. Maria married a church leader in Worcestershire. Herbert became a vicar, which is another type of church leader.
Emily's Marriage and Legacy
On September 28, 1854, Emily Pepys married the Hon. and Rev. William Henry Lyttelton (1820–1884). He was a church leader in Hagley, Worcestershire. His niece, Lucy Lyttelton, was 13 years old when Emily got married. Lucy wrote in her own diary that Emily was "charitable, young (21), amiable, humble, good-looking..." This means Emily was kind, friendly, modest, and pretty.
Emily died on September 12, 1877, probably at Hagley Rectory, which was her husband's home. She did not have any children. After her husband died, a special fund was created in her memory in 1884. It was called the Lady Emily Lyttelton Fund and helped with nursing in the local area.
Emily's Diary: A Glimpse into the Past
The Journal of Emily Pepys is about 60 pages long. It covers six months of her life from 1844 to 1845. Emily wrote it when she was ten years old. She lived at Hartlebury Castle, which was the official home of the Bishop of Worcester.
How the Diary Was Found
The diary was later found by a 14-year-old girl named Dee Cooper. She found it on a shelf in her family's house. Dee helped get the diary published so others could read it.
The diary is very interesting because Emily wrote it for herself, not for an adult. It shares all the little details that people often forget later in life. The journal was also included in an American book of English women's diaries in 1991.
What Emily Wrote About
Emily was very smart for her age. Her diary is clear and honest. It shows us what life was like in a busy, wealthy church family. Like many people at that time, Emily cared a lot about being good and improving herself.
She enjoyed reading a book called Influence... by Charlotte Anley. Emily wrote, "I think it did me a lot of good, the 'Ellen' there was so like me... Since I read that I have felt much happier." She even admitted that she "began speaking crossly" when told to go to bed early.
Emily also read other books like Martin Chuzzlewit and a ghost story called "White Lady". She chose The Pickwick Papers from a box of books from a circulating library. She knew she was allowed to read that one.
Friends, Family, and Fun
Emily wrote about her older relatives dating. She even imagined she was in love with her cousin, Teddy Tyler. But he didn't write back to her letters. She liked her cousins Harriet and Katey, but they broke her musical instrument. She had to hide it so they wouldn't keep playing with it.
Emily also wrote about her brother Herbert. She wondered if he and Katey would fall in love, but she didn't think it was very likely.
Activities and Lessons
Archery was a popular activity. Dancing was a bit more complicated. Emily wrote about dancing with boys she didn't like because they smelled of snuff and tobacco. She also mentioned a dance called the Polka. Her mother didn't like her dancing it with boys who weren't family members.
Emily had regular lessons. She spent time on French exercises, maps, and music. She wrote, "I like doing Maps very much; they are traced out, and one only has to put the names in and paint it." She even said she wrote this description in case she got married and had children, so it might be useful to them. Sadly, she died without children.
She was surprised that her mother had so few books when she was a child. Emily also went with her mother to the village school and visited poor people to help them. She wished she had money to buy more things for the poor.
Emily sometimes did things for her mother's praise, not just because it was right. She was disappointed when she didn't get credit for not going to a cricket match.
A Christmas Fire
The longest part of her diary describes a fire that happened very early on Christmas Day. The family had to huddle in the hall in their nightclothes. Luckily, the fire stayed in one room and was put out quickly. Her father almost fell into a hole in the floor but was saved. Emily wrote, "I never was in a house on fire before, and hope I never shall be again."
The diary suddenly stops on January 26. There's no explanation why. Her parents were supposed to have dinner with the Queen Dowager, Adelaide, the next day. Then they were moving to their London house. The blank pages in her notebook were later used by other people for notes and shopping lists.
More About Emily Pepys
There is a nice photograph of a lady named Emily Pepys on a London gallery's website. This picture might be of the diarist herself. Or it could be her cousin, Lady Emily Harriet Pepys (1829–1891). This cousin also wrote stories for young people. In Emily's diary, her cousin appears as an older girl named Emy or Emie.
