Receipt book, containing medicinal, culinary, and household recipes. Contains a range of preparations for ointments, powders, salves, and cordials for a variety of complaints (such as "a preservative against the plague" (leaf 24r), "A medisen for one that cannot hold theyr water in there sleape" (leaf 67r), "for the canker in a womans breste" (leaf 68v), "A plaister for [th]e goutt or ache in [th]e ioynts, wher w[i]th [th]e lord Ro. Rich was cured, when all [th]e churgions thought him to be vnecuereable" (leaf 75r), several for Matthew Lucatelli's balm (leaves 1v-2v, 76, 115v) and one for "Sir Walter Rallyes pille" (leaf 17v)). A number of recipes relate to headaches, convulsions, etc. (notes and remedies for "phrensie" (leaf 22r-23r)), "It is good to comfort [th]e brayne and takes a way aney payne of the head" (leaf 37r) "for [th]e megrome & [th]e impostam of [th]e head" (leaf 64v), and "For convolchen fetts in yong Children" (leaf 102). Culinary recipes include biscuits, cakes, preparations for meats (especially sausage and including two "after [th]e Bolognia fation" (leaf 53r)), "To make ffrench fritters" (leaf 35), "To make veriuce of grapes" (leaf 94v), "To make the Anchovian spratts" (leaf 98r). Also recipes for black and red inks (leaf 100r), "To take out stayns or ink out of a linen Cloth" (leaf 38v), "To make blacke sere cloth" (leaf 54r), and significant number of cosmetic recipes (including "To take away the freckles or morfew" (leaf 38r), "To make your hands white & softe" (leaf 86r), "a water to make [th]e face red (leaf 97v), "To keepe hare from fallinge & to make it grow thicke" (leaf 110r)). Notes on measurements and alchemy at end of volume (leaves 133-134). Many passages can be matched to printed sources. For the definition of alchemy (leaf 133v-134r), see Joseph Du Chesne's The practice of chymicall, and hermeticall physicke (London: Printed by Thomas Creed, 1605), fol. AA4.
Note
Several remedies are listed with attributions ("Mrs. Denis," "Mrs. Weeks," "my Lady Corbett," "my cousen Staffords," "my cousen Gooden," et al.); others closely resemble ones in Hannah Woolley's The accomplisht ladys delight in preserving, physick and cookery (1675). The recipes on leaves 57-79 are numbered 1-112. Two other receipt books compiled by Margaret Baker, ca. 1650, are now in the collection of the British Library (Sloane MS 2485 and Sloane MS 2486). Foliated by cataloger.
Binding information
Limp vellum binding, detached; remnants of ties.
Provenance
Ownership inscription of Margarett Baker on leaf ii. Acquired from Samuel Gedge, 2011.
Exhibited
Washington, D.C., Folger Shakespeare Library, 2019. First Chefs. Opening: Closed.
