Qnd §, No 19., May 10.56.) 
NOTES AND QUERIES. 
365 
LONDON, SATURDAY, MAY 10, 1856. ¢ 
Notes. 
PETER THE GREAT AT SAYES COURT, DEPTFORD. 
In the latter part of the seventeenth century, 
Sayes Court, Deptford, the seat of the celebrated 
John Evelyn, was honoured by the temporary 
residence of the Czar of Muscovy, Peter the 
Great, who was then on a visit to this country. 
He was desirous of obtaining a knowledge of ship- 
building, and consequently chose this spot in order 
that he might be near the dockyard at Deptford, 
where he would have ample opportunity for pur- 
suing his studies in naval architecture. Until 
about this period Evelyn had made Sayes Court 
his residence, where he bestowed great pains in 
cultivating and laying out his garden. In 1696, 
he let the premises to Captain Benbow, afterwards 
Admiral, of whom he thus speaks in his Diary : 
“T have let my house to Captain Benbow, and have 
the mortification of seeing every day much of my former 
labours and expense there impairing for want of a more 
polite tenant.” 
In the commencement of the year 1698, Ben- 
bow underlet the house, together with all his fur- 
niture, to the Czar, but he soon had to regret the 
accommodation he had afforded to his Majesty, 
for in the month of May in that year we find him 
petitioning the Lords of the Treasury that com- 
pensation be made him for the damage the Czar 
had done to his house, garden, and furniture. 
The proceedings on this petition, which I have 
made the subject of this communication, afford | 
interesting details of the dilapidations caused by 
the Czar’s tenancy of Sayes Court, and I believe 
now meet the public eye for the first time. 
The petition is as follows: 
“To the Right Honourable the Lords Commissioners of his 
Majesty’s Treasury. 
“The humble Peticion of John Benbow, 
“ Sheweth, 
“That your Petitioner did some time since, take the 
House of John Evelyn, Esquire, call’d Sayes Court at 
Deptford, and is bound by Agreement to keep the same 
a pa with the Gardens), &c. in Good, and Sufficient 
rder and Repair; And to leave them in the same at the 
Expiration of his Terme; And so it is (May it pleas your 
Honours), That his Czarish Majestie coming to your 
Petitioner about Three Months agoe, did request the use 
of his House, dureing the time of his Stay in England, as 
also the Furniture in it, as it stood. Hee freely con- 
sentented* thereto, and imediately removed his Family 
out of it, and gave him posession; Soposing it might be a 
leasure to his good Master the King, and that he would 
ve used his house, Goods, and Gardens, otherwise than 
he finds he hath; which are in so bad a condition that he 
can searsly describe it to your Honours: besides much of 
the Furniture broke, lost, and destroy’d. 
“Your Petitioner therefore humbly prays 
that your Honours will please to order a 
* Sic in orig. 
Survey upon the House, &c.: to see what 
damages he hath sustained and that Repar- 
ation be made him, that so he may not be a 
Sufferer for his Kindness; 
“ And he shall pray, &c.” 
On the sixth of May this petition was sent to 
Sir Christopher Wren, who was directed to survey 
the house, gardens, and goods, and to report how 
much the damage done by the Czar and his retinue 
amounted to. Within a very few days Wren, 
with the assistance of Mr. Sewell, of the moving 
wardrobe, and Mr. London, the king’s gardener, 
made his survey, and estimated the total damages 
at 3507. 9s. 6d., the full particulars of which ap- 
pear from the following documents: 
“ May 9th, 1698, 
“ Account of Dammages done to the building and Fences by 
the Czar of Moscovy and his Retinue at Sayes Court 
in Deptford ad : 
na 
“ For 150 yards of Painting at - - 10 
For 244 yards of Whiting in the House - 0 
For 300 Squares in the Windows - - 15 
For 20 Quarries) - - - - i! 
For 3 Brass Locks - - - - 8 
For 9 more that’s dammag’d - - 5 
For keys wanting to all the said Locks - 0 
For 90 foot of Dutch Tyles to repaire in 
£ d. 
7 0 
2 8 
0 0 
0 8 
2 0 
2 0 
1 0 
Chimneys - - LR 10' +0 
For 100 foot of Flemish Tyle paying to re- 
paire - - - - = ghd Sug 
For 90 foot of Purbeck paving to repair in 
ye Kitchin - - - Saas me (1 ea) 
For mending the Stoves there - - 0 10 0 
For plaining the Dressers - - me One LOO 
For repairing an oven dammaged - - 0 10.0 
All the floores dammag’d by Grease and 
Inck - - - - = he Zhe Dg O 
For 2 new Deale Dores - - Cet epee ost) 
For a new Floore to a Bogg House <7 0 0nO 
For repairing 300 foot of flint and Pebble 
paving - - - - oh ible Oy" 
For 240 foot running of Posts and Pales of 
Firr - - - - - 60 00 
For 170 foot running of Posts and Raile of 
Oake = - - - = }LeEn8” 0 
For 100 foot running of border board in ye 
Garden - - - - = PASS 
For new pollishing 4 marble foot paces and 
a Marble Table - - - - 1 40 
For 3 wheelbarrows broke and Lost * ot ERBEG a) 
Measured by William Dickinson Clarke. 
“ An Inventory of Admirall Benbow’s Goods that is Lost, 
Broake, and damage done to them while the Czar of 
Moscovey Lodged theire, is valued as followeth. 
Lis Bey a, 
“The Bedchamber hung with blew paragon 
and a blew paragon Bed lined with a 
Buff Colloured silke all much stained and 
spoyled - - - - - 4 10 00 
* We read that one of the Czar’s favourite amusements 
at Sayes Court consisted in being wheeled through Evye- 
lyn’s famous holly hedge. Perhaps the barrows men- 
tioned in this item were the identical vehicles in which 
His Majesty rode. 
