Deb Willet
Encyclopedia
Deborah "Deb" Willet was a young maid
employed by Samuel Pepys
(1633–1703), an English
naval administrator
and Member of Parliament
. She and Pepys, about 20 years her senior, engaged in extramarital liaisons that were chronicled in his famous diary. When Pepys's diary first was published in the late nineteenth century, the more-explicit parts describing the author's affair with Deb Willet were not printed. They only appeared in the most-recent version of the diary.
Willet was described by Pepys as being a native of Somerset
shire. In late September Pepys was introduced to Willet, and she was employed as a companion for Pepys's wife, Elisabeth, from 1 October 1667 with whom she attended the theatre. In late October 1668 Willet began an intimate relationship with Samuel Pepys. Elisabeth Pepys soon discovered her husband with Willet, and after a few weeks the maid was dismissed. Pepys later gave Willet money, sought her out at her new home, and kissed her. His wife threatened to attack the "girle" on learning this, and Pepys was forced to renounce Willet in writing.
Deb Willet was not the only personal servant with whom Pepys was intimate, but she appears to have been the one with whom he was most smitten. In the next-to-last sentence of Pepys's 10-year diary one reads, "my amours to Deb are past."
In 2006, Kate Loveman reported that Deb Willet remained in London after leaving the Pepys household, marrying a theology graduate named Jeremiah Wells in 1670. Pepys later helped Wells obtain a position as a ship's chaplain.
Willet died in 1678 and her husband followed a year and a half later.
Maid
A maidservant or in current usage housemaid or maid is a female employed in domestic service.-Description:Once part of an elaborate hierarchy in great houses, today a single maid may be the only domestic worker that upper and even middle-income households can afford, as was historically the case...
employed by Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
(1633–1703), an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
naval administrator
Navy Board
The Navy Board is today the body responsible for the day-to-day running of the British Royal Navy. Its composition is identical to that of the Admiralty Board of the Defence Council of the United Kingdom, except that it does not include any of Her Majesty's Ministers.From 1546 to 1831, the Navy...
and Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
. She and Pepys, about 20 years her senior, engaged in extramarital liaisons that were chronicled in his famous diary. When Pepys's diary first was published in the late nineteenth century, the more-explicit parts describing the author's affair with Deb Willet were not printed. They only appeared in the most-recent version of the diary.
Willet was described by Pepys as being a native of Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
shire. In late September Pepys was introduced to Willet, and she was employed as a companion for Pepys's wife, Elisabeth, from 1 October 1667 with whom she attended the theatre. In late October 1668 Willet began an intimate relationship with Samuel Pepys. Elisabeth Pepys soon discovered her husband with Willet, and after a few weeks the maid was dismissed. Pepys later gave Willet money, sought her out at her new home, and kissed her. His wife threatened to attack the "girle" on learning this, and Pepys was forced to renounce Willet in writing.
Deb Willet was not the only personal servant with whom Pepys was intimate, but she appears to have been the one with whom he was most smitten. In the next-to-last sentence of Pepys's 10-year diary one reads, "my amours to Deb are past."
In 2006, Kate Loveman reported that Deb Willet remained in London after leaving the Pepys household, marrying a theology graduate named Jeremiah Wells in 1670. Pepys later helped Wells obtain a position as a ship's chaplain.
Willet died in 1678 and her husband followed a year and a half later.