Why did Samuel Pepys bury his cheese and wine?
Matthew Wilson
Published Mar 30, 2026
Why did Samuel Pepys bury his cheese and wine?
Samuel Pepys, we know, buried his cheese and wine in the face of the Great Fire of London because it was valuable to him (a man whose priorities we can all appreciate), and because it was valuable objectively speaking, being worth a great deal of money. Cheese is practically a currency.
Who buried a cheese?
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys buried a wheel of Parmesan cheese in his back garden to save it from the Great Fire of London.
What was Samuel Pepys Favourite food?
His day to day comments on his diet tell us a lot about his food preferences. Since he mentions it nearly fifty times, one of his favourite dishes seems to have been the luxury meat venison, which he usually encountered in the form of venison pasty.
Did Samuel Pepys go blind?
Fear of losing his eyesight prompted Pepys to stop writing the diary in 1669. He never actually went blind. In June 1660, Pepys was appointed clerk of the acts to the navy board, a key post in one of the most important of all government departments, the royal dockyards.
Who buried cheese in 1666?
Samuel Pepys was stationed at the Navy Office on Seething Lane and from 1660 lived in a house attached to the office. It was in the garden of this house that he famously buried his treasured wine and parmesan cheese during the Great Fire of 1666.
Did Samuel Pepys house burn down?
The fire, which broke out in the house of the King’s baker, Thomas Farynor, early in the morning of Sunday 2 September, decimated four-fifths of the city: over 13,200 houses, 87 parish churches, 52 Livery Company Halls, the Guildhall, the Royal Exchange and St Paul’s Cathedral.
Which cheese did Pepys bury?
parmesan cheese
Did Samuel Pepys get the plague?
We believe in the free flow of information During a different pandemic, one 17th-century British naval administrator named Samuel Pepys did just that. He fastidiously kept a diary from 1660 to 1669 – a period of time that included a severe outbreak of the bubonic plague in London.
What killed Samuel Pepys?
May 26, 1703
Samuel Pepys/Date of death
Did the Great Fire of London Stop the Black Death?
The idea is that there was a silver lining to the tragedy of the fire, as it ended the great plague that swept the city from 1665-66. This was the last major outbreak of the bubonic plague in London, and killed 100,000 Londoners- about 20% of the city’s population.
Can you bury cheese?
Bury the dairy products under a thick layer of already decomposing compost and dry materials (about 18 inches should do). This will also help filter smells. Mix with plenty of brown materials.
What happened to Thomas Farriner?
After the fire, he rebuilt his business in Pudding Lane. He and his children signed the Bill falsely accusing Frenchman Robert Hubert of starting the fire. Farriner died in 1670, aged 54–55, slightly over four years after the fire.
What kind of cheese did Samuel Pepys Bury?
As peculiar as that sounds, Pepys wasn’t an idiot, the cheese he buried was a pristine piece of parmesan, a hard Italian cheese famed for it flavor. Even today, with all of the technological innovations and improvements to delivery infrastructure, a wheel of parmesan will set you back thousands of dollars.
What are some interesting facts about Samuel Pepys?
Samuel Pepys kissed a dead queen Samuel Pepys loved the play Macbeth Pepys rescued a cheese from the Great Fire He was the victim of a vendetta He is the first to record drinking an English cup of tea He had dozens of mistresses but no children He kept a lion as a pet
What did Samuel Pepys Bury in the Great Fire of London?
February 8, 2017. From Blue Peter time capsules to Samuel Pepys burying his cheese during the Great Fire of London, humanity has a long history of burying or depositing material goods.
Who was the pope that sent Queen Mary cheese?
As late as mid 16 th century Pope Pius V had sent Queen Mary a diplomatic gift of “eight great Parmesan cheeses” and the cheese was used as a store of value as well since it did not deteriorate, came in standard weights, and could not easily be counterfeited. Even in the 21 st century cheese is held by Italian banks as loan collateral.
As peculiar as that sounds, Pepys wasn’t an idiot, the cheese he buried was a pristine piece of parmesan, a hard Italian cheese famed for it flavor. Even today, with all of the technological innovations and improvements to delivery infrastructure, a wheel of parmesan will set you back thousands of dollars.
What did Samuel Pepys Bury in his garden?
Despite his wealth and status, Pepys didn’t have the means to save all of his belongings from the coming fire and he eventually resorted to burying the possessions that were left in a big hole in his garden, including a big-ass wheel of cheese.
What kind of job did Samuel Pepys have?
A few months later, his cousin, Edward Montagu, Earl of Sandwich took him on as secretary as he sailed … Diarist. Secretary to the Admiralty. Born the son of Margaret Kite and John Pepys, a tailor, in London, the fifth of eleven children.
How old was Samuel Pepys when he died?
Samuel Pepys died on May 26, 1703 at the age of 70. When was Samuel Pepys born? Samuel Pepys was born on February 23, 1633. When did Samuel pepys start his diary? Samuel Pepys started his diary in 1660 When was Samuel Pepys Cockerell born? Samuel Pepys Cockerell was born in 1754. Did Samuel Pepys die in the great fire of LONDON?