Sympson the Joiner
Encyclopedia
Sympson the Joiner was a joiner (and perhaps cabinet maker) who worked at the Royal Naval
Dockyard
at Woolwich
in London
. He is remembered only because Samuel Pepys
mentions his name several times in his diary.
Pepys' job as a naval administrator brought him into daily contact with the naval dockyards and he was responsible for various aspects of their administration. Although the diary explicitly notes that Pepys was paying him handsomely, it is probable that Sympson was working for Pepys instead of working on the interiors of warships.
In the 17th century, a "joiner" built furniture out of frame-and-panel construction, a refined version of the techniques that were also used to frame up doors and for the panelling of rooms, while a "cabinet-maker" built furniture with flush surfaces suitable for veneer
s or marquetry
, assembled using dovetails. The two trades were quite distinct, and for the fitting out of Royal Navy ships the services of a joiner would have been much more appropriate.
Pepys' diary records that he used Sympson's services on several occasions to work on improvements for his office and his home in Seething Lane, London. For example on 14 August 1668 he wrote: "At home I find Sympson putting up my new chimney-piece in our great chamber which is very fine, but will cost a great deal of money, but it is not flung away".
Of especial interest is the fact that Pepys had Sympson build bookcase
s for his growing library of official papers and personal manuscripts and printed books. It is probable that these cases are the same ones that have been preserved in the Pepys Library
at Magdalene College
in accordance with the stipulations of Pepys's will
.
Pepys wrote on 17 August 1667
and a few days later
The surviving bookcases have paired glazed doors each in 21 small panes, over a low section, also with glazed panes, made to hold large folio
volumes. The doors of the lower section slide to the side like a sash window, probably Pepys' own invention. The base moldings and cornices are finely and robustly carved with acanthus leaf. Such tall bookcases with doors glazed like paned windows, were a contemporary innovation, but Pepys was alert and curious and well-connected in London, and there is no reason to think his "book-presses" were the very first with glass-paned doors.
Pepys began with three or four and kept adding to them until he had twelve.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
Dockyard
Woolwich Dockyard
Woolwich Dockyard was an English naval dockyard founded by King Henry VIII in 1512 to build his flagship Henri Grâce à Dieu , the largest ship of its day....
at Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He is remembered only because 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...
mentions his name several times in his diary.
Pepys' job as a naval administrator brought him into daily contact with the naval dockyards and he was responsible for various aspects of their administration. Although the diary explicitly notes that Pepys was paying him handsomely, it is probable that Sympson was working for Pepys instead of working on the interiors of warships.
In the 17th century, a "joiner" built furniture out of frame-and-panel construction, a refined version of the techniques that were also used to frame up doors and for the panelling of rooms, while a "cabinet-maker" built furniture with flush surfaces suitable for veneer
Wood veneer
In woodworking, veneer refers to thin slices of wood, usually thinner than 3 mm , that are typically glued onto core panels to produce flat panels such as doors, tops and panels for cabinets, parquet floors and parts of furniture. They are also used in marquetry...
s or marquetry
Marquetry
Marquetry is the art and craft of applying pieces of veneer to a structure to form decorative patterns, designs or pictures. The technique may be applied to case furniture or even seat furniture, to decorative small objects with smooth, veneerable surfaces or to freestanding pictorial panels...
, assembled using dovetails. The two trades were quite distinct, and for the fitting out of Royal Navy ships the services of a joiner would have been much more appropriate.
Pepys' diary records that he used Sympson's services on several occasions to work on improvements for his office and his home in Seething Lane, London. For example on 14 August 1668 he wrote: "At home I find Sympson putting up my new chimney-piece in our great chamber which is very fine, but will cost a great deal of money, but it is not flung away".
Of especial interest is the fact that Pepys had Sympson build bookcase
Bookcase
A bookcase, or bookshelf, is a piece of furniture, almost always with horizontal shelves, used to store books. A bookcase consists of a unit including two or more shelves which may not all be used to contain books or other printed materials. Shelves may be fixed or adjustable to different positions...
s for his growing library of official papers and personal manuscripts and printed books. It is probable that these cases are the same ones that have been preserved in the Pepys Library
Pepys Library
The Pepys Library of Magdalene College, Cambridge, is the personal library collected by Samuel Pepys which he bequeathed to the college following his death in 1703....
at Magdalene College
Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary Magdalene...
in accordance with the stipulations of Pepys's will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
.
Pepys wrote on 17 August 1667
- So took up my wife and home, there I to the office, and thence with Sympson, the joyner home to put together the press he hath brought me for my books this day, which pleases me exceedingly.
and a few days later
- and then comes Sympson to set up my other new presses for my books, and so he and I fell into the furnishing of my new closett ... so I think it will be as noble a closett as any man hath.
The surviving bookcases have paired glazed doors each in 21 small panes, over a low section, also with glazed panes, made to hold large folio
Book size
The size of a book is generally measured by the height against the width of a leaf, or sometimes the height and width of its cover. A series of terms is commonly used by libraries and publishers for the general sizes of modern books, ranging from "folio" , to "quarto" and "octavo"...
volumes. The doors of the lower section slide to the side like a sash window, probably Pepys' own invention. The base moldings and cornices are finely and robustly carved with acanthus leaf. Such tall bookcases with doors glazed like paned windows, were a contemporary innovation, but Pepys was alert and curious and well-connected in London, and there is no reason to think his "book-presses" were the very first with glass-paned doors.
Pepys began with three or four and kept adding to them until he had twelve.
External links
- The Diary of Samuel Pepys, serialised as a weblog
- Pepys library online