Barrels
Barrels is in Volumes.
Culture, General Things, Volumes, Barrels, Firkin
Firkin. A quarter of a barrel ie nine gallons or , for fish or butter, fifty-six pounds.
Culture, General Things, Volumes, Barrels, Runlett
Runlett. A small barrel. Appears to be from three to twenty gallons.
Pepy's Diary. 03 Dec 1663. Up and to the office, where all the forenoon, and then (by Mr. Coventry's (age 35) coach) to the 'Change [Map], and so home to dinner, very pleasant with my poor wife. Somebody from Portsmouth, Hampshire [Map], I know not who, has this day sent me a Runlett of Tent.
Culture, General Things, Volumes, Barrels, Tierce
Tierce. A nine gallon barrel.
Pepy's Diary. 16 May 1660. Soon as I was up I went down to be trimmed below in the great cabin, but then come in some with visits, among the rest one from Admiral Opdam1, who spoke Latin well, but not French nor English, to whom my Lord made me to give his answer and to entertain; he brought my Lord a tierce of wine and a barrel of butter, as a present from the Admiral. After that to finish my trimming, and while I was doing of it in comes Mr. North very sea-sick from shore, and to bed he goes. After that to dinner, where Commissioner Pett was come to take care to get all things ready for the King on board. My Lord in his best suit, this the first day, in expectation to wait upon the King. But Mr. Edw. Pickering (age 42) coming from the King brought word that the King would not put my Lord to the trouble of coming to him; but that he would come to the shore to look upon the fleet to-day, which we expected, and had our guns ready to fire, and our scarlet waistcloathes out and silk pendants, but he did not come. My Lord and we at ninepins this afternoon upon the Quarterdeck, which was very pretty sport. This evening came Mr. John Pickering on board, like an ass, with his feathers and new suit that he had made at the Hague. My Lord very angry for his staying on shore, bidding me a little before to send to him, telling me that he was afraid that for his father's sake he might have some mischief done him, unless he used the General's name. To supper, and after supper to cards. I stood by and looked on till 11 at night and so to bed. This afternoon Mr. Edwd. Pickering (age 42) told me in what a sad, poor condition for clothes and money the King was, and all his attendants, when he came to him first from my Lord, their clothes not being worth forty shillings the best of them2. And how overjoyed the King was when Sir J. Greenville brought him some money; so joyful, that he called the Princess Royal (age 28) and Duke of York (age 26) to look upon it as it lay in the portmanteau before it was taken out. My Lord told me, too, that the Duke of York (age 26) is made High Admiral of England.
Note 1. The admiral celebrated in Lord Dorset's ballad,
To all you ladies now at land.
Should foggy Opdam chance to know
Our sad and dismal story;
The Dutch would scorn so weak a foe,
And quit their fort at Goree
For what resistance can they find
. From men who've left their hearts behind? B.
Note 2. Andrew Marvell alludes to the poor condition, for clothes and money, in which the King was at this time, in "A Historical Poem":-
At length, by wonderful impulse of fate,
The people call him back to help the State;
And what is more, they send him money, too,
And clothe him all from head to foot anew.
Pepy's Diary. 03 Mar 1663. After dinner I took them down into the wine-cellar, and broached my tierce of claret for them. Towards the evening we parted, and I to the office awhile, and then home to supper and to bed, the sooner having taken some cold yesterday upon the water, which brings me my usual pain.
Pepy's Diary. 02 Jun 1663. After dinner to the office, where all the afternoon till late, and so to see Sir W. Pen (age 42), and so home to supper and to bed. To-night I took occasion with the vintner's man, who came by my direction to taste again my tierce of claret, to go down to the cellar with him to consult about the drawing of it; and there, to my great vexation, I find that the cellar door hath long been kept unlocked, and above half the wine drunk. I was deadly mad at it, and examined my people round, but nobody would confess it; but I did examine the boy, and afterwards Will, and told him of his sitting up after we were in bed with the maids, but as to that business he denies it, which I can [not] remedy, but I shall endeavour to know how it went. My wife did also this evening tell me a story of Ashwell stealing some new ribbon from her, a yard or two, which I am sorry to hear, and I fear my wife do take a displeasure against her, that they will hardly stay together, which I should be sorry for, because I know not where to pick such another out anywhere.
Pepy's Diary. 07 Jul 1665. Up, and having set my neighbour, Mr. Hudson, wine coopers, at work drawing out a tierce of wine for the sending of some of it to my wife, I abroad, only taking notice to what a condition it hath pleased God to bring me that at this time I have two tierces of Claret, two quarter casks of Canary, and a smaller vessel of Sack; a vessel of Tent, another of Malaga, and another of white wine, all in my wine cellar together; which, I believe, none of my friends of my name now alive ever had of his owne at one time.
Pepy's Diary. 22 Jun 1666. Up, and before I went out Mr. Peter Barr sent me a tierce of claret, which is very welcome. And so abroad down the river to Deptford, Kent [Map] and there did some business, and then to Westminster, and there did with much ado get my tallys (my small ones instead of one great one of £2,000), and so away home and there all day upon my Tangier accounts with Creed, and, he being gone, with myself, in settling other accounts till past twelve at night, and then every body being in bed, I to bed, my father, wife, and sister late abroad upon the water, and Mercer being gone to her mother's and staid so long she could not get into the office, which vexed me.
Pepy's Diary. 21 Aug 1667. Thence by coach, took up my wife, and home and out to Mile End [Map], and there drank, and so home, and after some little reading in my chamber, to supper and to bed. This day I sent my cozen Roger (age 50) a tierce of claret, which I give him. This morning come two of Captain Cooke's (age 51) boys, whose voices are broke, and are gone from the Chapel, but have extraordinary skill; and they and my boy, with his broken voice, did sing three parts; their names were Blaewl and Loggings; but, notwithstanding their skill, yet to hear them sing with their broken voices, which they could not command to keep in tune, would make a man mad-so bad it was.
