Samuel Pepys frustration to Pepys. Pepys' diary provides a first-hand account of the Restoration, and it is also notable for its detailed accounts of several major events of the 1660s, along with the lesser known diary of John Evelyn. In particular, it is an invaluable source for the study of the Second Anglo-Dutch War of 1665–7, the Great Plague of 1665, and the Great Fire of London in 1666. In relation to the Plague and Fire, C. S. Knighton has written: "From its reporting of these two disasters to the metropolis in which he thrived, Pepys's diary has become a national monument."
John Byng, 5th Viscount Torrington assessment that "The Torrington Diaries" or "Rides Round Britain" have no enduring historical value. Like Samuel Pepys, Byng conveys a most vivid impression of what it was like for the diarist to live from day to day in the society of his own period. John Byng, 5th Viscount Torrington John Byng, 5th Viscount Torrington (18 February 1743 – 8 January 1813), styled for most of his lifetime "The Hon. John Byng" (before 1812), was a notable English diarist. His fifteen extant diaries, covering the years 1781–1794, describe his travels on horseback throughout England and Wales during twelve summers. He was