Emily Pepys

Biography

Emily was born on 9 August 1833 at Westmill, Hertfordshire, where her father was rector at that time.

Her father, Henry Pepys (this branch of the family pronounced the name "peppis", not "peeps", 1783–1860), was created the Anglican Bishop of Sodor and Man in 1840 and translated only a year later to Worcester. He played a minor political role as a Liberal in the House of Lords. Her mother, Maria Pepys (1786–1885), was the daughter of John Sullivan, a privy councillor and a commissioner of the Board of Control.

Emily was the youngest of the four children who survived to adulthood, the others being Philip Henry (1824–1886), later registrar of the London Court of Bankruptcy, Maria Louisa (1827–1924), who would marry a well-connected Worcestershire parson, the Rev. Edward Winnington-Ingram, and Herbert George (1830–1918), who became vicar of the new parish of Hallow, Worcestershire.

Emily Pepys married the Hon. and Rev. William Henry Lyttelton (1820–1884), rector of Hagley, Worcestershire, and son of William Lyttelton, 3rd Baron Lyttelton, on 28 September 1854. His niece, Lucy Lyttelton, then aged 13 and surprised at the news, described Emily in her diary as "charitable, young (21), amiable, humble, good-looking...".

Emily died without issue on 12 September 1877, probably at Hagley Rectory. Under her husband's will, a Lady Emily Lyttelton Fund was set up in 1884 in her memory for local nursing purposes. She was a collateral descendant of the diarist Samuel Pepys and the niece of Charles Christopher Pepys, 1st Earl of Cottenham.

Journal

The Journal of Emily Pepys itself takes up 60 printed pages – two pages of the manuscript are missing – and covers six months of 1844–1845 spent in the family home, Hartlebury Castle, the official residence of the Bishop of Worcester. It was written when Emily was ten. It found its way into the possession of a family called Nutt, but it is not known how. There it was discovered on a shelf in the family house by a 14-year-old girl, later Dee Cooper, who instigated its publication. As Gillian Avery points out in her introduction, it is all the more interesting and informative because it was not an assignment given by an adult, but a private diary containing "all the matters that are usually forgotten by the time the mature adult comes to write memoirs." The journal also featured in a 1991 American anthology of female English diary writings.

Emily is vocal and intelligent beyond her years; her journal is coherent and frank, giving a glimpse of busy life in a wealthy clerical family. Like many at that time, Emily was much concerned with moral values and matters of obedience and self-improvement. She is impressed by Charlotte Anley's popular didactic novel Influence...: "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" (15 July). She goes on to admit how she "began speaking crossly" when told she had to go to bed earlier. Other reading matter around that time included Martin Chuzzlewit, which was appearing in parts (18 July), and a ghost story called "White Lady", while out in the park with her sister Louisa (20 July). Later she chose The Pickwick Papers from a box of books that arrived from Cawthorn's circulating library, "as I know I may read that, and the others I may not read until Mama comes home."

Emily observes the courting behaviour of her elders and fancies herself in love with a cousin, Teddy Tyler, although he does not answer her letters. Two of Teddy's sisters come to stay again, but not the three boys: "In the evening Tiny (alias Maria) said, 'The boys send their love Emy, and hope you will write soon', though it is their turn over and over. I should like very much to have a little private letter from Teddy to show me his heart, and also I should like to see him again to revive my love" (7 August). Her cousins Harriet and Katey are more to her liking, except that "they spoilt my Harmonicon, and when I mended it, they would not leave off, so I was obliged to hide it" (30 July). The next day, as they leave: "I remember saying to Harriet, what fun it would be if Katey and [Emily's older brother] Herbert were to get in love though I do not think there is much chance on Herbert's side" (31 July).

External resource

There is a fine photograph of a lady named Emily Pepys on the website of a London gallery. This may depict the diarist, or possibly her namesake and cousin, Lady Emily Harriet Pepys (1829–1891), author of a pair of tales for young people. She appears as an older girl named Emy or Emie in the diary.