She is notable because over 10% of the population of London were women servants and her life is well documented by her employer's detailed personal diary.

The Navy also supplied "a boy" who wore livery, carried a sword, and ran errands for Samuel.

In 1662 Samuel Pepys recorded that he was contemplating trying to see if "his wench" would co-operate, but he decided that Birch may well cause him problems if she reported his misbehavior to his wife.

[1] Birch married Tom Edwards who was an ex-chorister (recommended by Henry Cooke) who was employed by the Navy to look after Samuel Pepys in 1664.

[1] Pepys died in 1703 and in his will he left Jane Birch five guineas to pay for her clothes for the funeral and re-confirmed a £15 annuity that he had given her in 1690.