Students at a Cambridgeshire school have voted to remove 17th-century diarist Samuel Pepys’ name from one of its houses.
That comes after research highlighting his “abusive and exploitative” behaviour towards women.
Pepys House is one of five houses at Hinchingbrooke School, each named after historical figures with strong local connections.
Mr Pepys was a naval administrator who was famed for documenting the Great Plague of 1665 and the Great Fire of London of 1666 in his diary.
He attended the then Huntingdon Grammar School in the 1640s.
However, an email sent to parents by Hinchingbrooke School in 2025 said that recent research into Pepys’s behaviour had uncovered “actions that were harmful, abusive and exploitative, especially in his relations with women”.
The school held a consultation on whether to rename Pepys House, and a majority of students voted to seek a new figurehead for the house.
The school said it would now begin developing a shortlist of potential alternative figureheads for Pepys House.
Andy Hunter, the principal of Hinchingbrooke School, said: “Recent research highlighting aspects of Samuel Pepys’s behaviour towards women, recorded in his own diaries, prompted us to consider whether his name should continue to appear as one of the icons of our house system.
“Following a period of consultation, the school voted by 1,764 votes to 1,054 to look for a new figurehead for Pepys House.”
Mr Hunter said he was proud of the way that the school community conducted itself throughout the process.
“The students have been curious, reflective and, above all, respectful throughout,” he said.
“It is important to note that there are no plans to rename the Pepys building, nor to change long-established references such as the Pepys Stairs.
“These aspects were never under consideration.
“The school maintains a strong and valued historical association with Samuel Pepys and remains proud of that connection.”
