1679 - Deane & Pepys sent to London Tower

Anthony Deane, naval architect expert to the Surveyor of the Navy, and Samuel Pepys, kingpin of the Admiralty, both Members of Parliament, have been indicted for treason and briefly put behind bars. They were denounced as having leaked naval secrets to the French.

Ironically, two years ago, Pepys used the French threat to convince his colleagues to reinforce the strength of the navy. Last year, as other well-known persons, Pepys had already been denounced by Titus Oates, 30 years old, a sleazy Anglican priest who fabricated a Catholic conspiracy, the popish plot, supposed to aim at killing King Charles II, at replacing him by his Catholic brother, then at massacring Protestants.

¤ Simultaneously France is unsettled by the affair of the poisons which unleashes tales and lies. La Brinvilliers, a poisoner, was beheaded three years ago. La Voisin, another famous poisoner, has just been arrested and produces prolific confessions which seem to be as many lies. It partly works. Everywhere people are eager to gossip and to malicious rumour.

Alas the lies have met the latent public’s prejudices and the liar is acclaimed as a hero. His lies have been instrumentalised for political purposes by Anthony Ashley-Cooper, earl of Shaftesbury, 58 years old – hence Pepys’ and his friend’s indictments on the strength of tales, of gossip and likely of forged documents, as it has become fashionable in these terrible days.

Amidst the mental chaos which creeps in, there is a man in Britain who goes through the events with clear minds : this is King Charles II, involved though as the potential first victim of the plot and under pressure to replace, as his legitimate heir, his Catholic brother, James, duke of York, 46, by his illegitimate but Anglican elder son, James Scott, duke of Monmouth, 30. When receiving and questioning Oates, he easily confounded the liar. Afterwards he has tried over and over to convince his callers that Oates’ tale was absurd, in vain owing to public hysteria and to some political interests which ride over it.

Charles II finds some deserved relaxation of public outcry in working with the old Jonas Shish and his son John, newly Master Shipwright at Deptford dockyard, on the plans of the 44-gun Tiger, a fast ship meant to chase pirates.

The ideal team of shipbuilding supervision dissolves. The momentum has been broken. The thirty-ship building programme of 1677 slows down. Fortunately for the navy, it does not stop and its spirit is to last.

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IN RETROSPECT FROM TODAY

NOTE A - About possible guilt of Pepys & Deane.

There is nothing in the files. Prosecution will be dropped in 1680 for lack of evidence, when public hysteria calms down. Yet Edmund Dummer, who had assisted Deane by designing draughts for the 30-ship programme in 1677-79, will be forbidden to deliver him further ones for fear of leaks to France. As usual, defamation leaves traces in memories. The best team that the navy has had is scattered.

NOTE B - About the fate of Deane, Dummer & Pepys.

Deane will carry on as a private builder and as a commissioner for victualling until King James II’s departure.

Dummer will travel a bit to collect information in Italy and in France. His report will be so relevant as to gain him John Evelyn’s patronage in addition to Pepys’ one. He will be then appointed as Assistant Shipwright at Chatham dockyard (1686), then Assistant to the Surveyor (1689), the same John Tippets he already assisted during the 30-ship construction endeavour, aged 67 then, before becoming Surveyor at the latter’s death, three years later (1692).

Pepys will resume his job, being also briefly the king’s secretary to the Admiralty until King Charles’ death, then again Secretary of the Admiralty until James’ leave. He will also briefly be the president of the Royal Society (1684-86), which gives him the privilege of being mentioned in the frontispiece of Isaac Newton’s masterpiece, Principia Mathematica (1686).