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Memoires of the Royal Navy, 1690

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Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) has forever remained famous for the diary he kept on naval affairs (and some of his own!) between 1 January 1660 and 31 May 1669. Credited with bringing order to a chaotic Royal Navy, he held the posts of Clerk of the Acts from 1660 to 1679 and Secretary to the Admiralty from 1684 to 1688.

Arriving on the scene at a time when the Royal Navy was in complete disarray and the political situation surrounding the Royal Family as volatile as ever it was, he nailed his own colours firmly to the mast of King Charles II, to whom he remained staunchly faithful - a loyalty which was later transferred to the King's brother James.

Losing office when a revolution placed William and Mary on the throne, his administrative records have proved to be a matter of conjecture and controversy ever since they were first documented. So much so that during his retirement, Pepys published this book as a disputatious defence of his actions during the time he held office under the guise of it being an historic document. It is the only book Pepys published during his lifetime. His more famous diary was never intended for public viewing - especially by his wife.

Dr David Davies is a leading British historian on this particular era and subject and is well placed to put together this work for the modern generation. It does much to expose the minutiae of detail which went into running a 17th Century Navy and will prove to be essential for those engaged in research.

NM