The Journal of Emily Pepys

by Emily Pepys, Gillian Avery (Editor)

This short diary excerpt by the ten-year-old Emily Pepys was found and published in a larger collection,The Journal of Emily Pepys, for the first time by Gillian Avery in 1984.

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Emily Pepys was an English child diarist, whose account of six months of her life provides a vivid insight into a wealthy bishop's family. She was a collateral descendant of the diarist Samuel Pepys.

Reviews

[Nancy]

This slender volume is a delightful look from a young person's eyes at another era. It is always interesting to me what entertainments were popular and how people spent their time. Surprisingly little about any kind of education. But as a young girl in 1844 not terribly surprising.

[Emily]

Emily Pepys's journal has both a limited scope and a lack of interesting historical details, due probably to the age of the writer (10-11). Her entries are repetitive (listing dances danced and house guests and weather) though occasionally charming ("had a very dull sermon which I do not think I learnt much from, as I am afraid I did not pay much attention"). It seems odd to review a diary. After all, this was never intended for publication and is of historical value regardless of the "quality" of its entries. Also, it's a short read and a unique chance to observe the inner thoughts of a lively pre-Victorian girl. So enjoy it for what it is, but don't have high expectations for the content.

[Alex Alder]

Visit Hartlebury Castle on holiday last year, picked this up in the gift shop. An interesting read for a history buff or someone with some local knowledge.

I'm not going to give a diary of a 10 year old in 1844 a rating. No expectation of literary genius here. She was 10... and it was 1844!