Culinary and medicinal recipe book [manuscript] : manuscript, between circa 1695 and circa 1720.

Dealer's title: Cookery recipes

England?, date of production between circa 1695 and circa 1720.

1 volume (187 leaves, partially blank) ; 19 x 15 cm

Contains over 200 culinary and medicinal recipes written in at least 4 hands. Recipes are numbered 1-205, with about 20 recipes following unnummbered. Culinary recipes include "To make A Harty Choke Pye," (leaf 2r), "To stew Oysters" (leaf 4r), "To make Almond Butter" (leaf 8r), "To make Lemon Creame" (leaf 9r), "To Sowse a Pigg" (leaf 13v), "To make Portingall Cakes" (leaf 14r), "To make Chocolate Cakes" (leaf 14v), "To make an Oring Puding" (leaf 33r), "To make a Bred & Butter Puding" (leaf 42r), "To make Burch wine" (leaf 43r), and "Mrs Boswells Eye Water" (leaf 68r). Medicinal recipes include "A Medesen for [th]e Green sickness & all [th]e payns of [th]e stomick" (leaf 24r), "A plague water good for [th]e plague small pox Measels or surfitts" (leaf 32r), "A recept to cure [th]e King's Evell if it be Broken or not broken" (leaf 51r), "Lozenges Preserve [th]e Lungs" (leaf 60v), and "To Make [th]e Lime water for [th]e scurvie" (leaf 62r). Attributions appear throughout the volume, including mention of a "Cousen Grace Butler" (leaves 53v and 67v), an "Aunt Bobyn" (leaf 71v), and "Lady Blount" (leaf 64v) along with "Mrs Powell" (leaf 34v), "Mrs Rooper" (leaves 44r, 62r, 62v), "Mrs Norton" (leaves 40r, 48r-50r), "Mrs Collens" (leaves 59v, 61r, 61v), and others.

Title devised by Folger cataloger.
Date based on handwriting styles and inscribed dates. Place of production based on language of the text.
Foliated every fifth leaf by Folger cataloger 2019. First leaf has been partially excised but is foliated "1". Leaves 77-185 are blank.
Inscribed on front pastedown in a contemporary hand: "turn [th]e knob of [th]e little Clock, to [th]e Diall plat, to make it goe faster, & from it to goe slower" and "Edward Parker return'd again [th]e eight of July 1715." Later pencil markings include note: "Recipes c. 1690-1720."
Inscribed on the penultimate leaf "October [th]e 12 1703 p[ai]d to my Mother for bord 5 pounds, 0 shillings, 0 pence."
Unidentified watermark, possibly of a shield, includes initials "HG" (see leaves 79, 80).

Reference to "Lady Blount" on leaf 64v may refer to Lady Katherine Blount (nee Butler), daughter of Grace Butler (d. 1734) and James Butler (1615-1696). Katherine Blount married Sr. Thomas Pope Blount (d. 1731) in 1695 and also had a sister named Grace Butler (possibly the cousin referred to). Sir Thomas Pope Blount had a sister named Elizabeth Blount (1673-1734), who may be the Betty Blount referred to on leaf 60r. (See curatorial file for family tree.)

Brown full leather binding with gilt panelling and gilt edges.

Formerly owned by Edward Parker. Acquired from Forum Auctions sale (Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper, lot 35), 2018-03-22.

Manuscript Cookbooks Survey description of Folger Shakespeare Library V.a.685
Digital image(s) of Folger Shakespeare Library V.a.685

Great Britain -- England, -- production place.

V.a.685

curatorial file available.

270166