Manuscript receipt book from the household of Sir Edward Clarke, Lord Mayor of London for the year 1696-1697 [manuscript], 1696-1697.
1696
Items
Details
Title
Manuscript receipt book from the household of Sir Edward Clarke, Lord Mayor of London for the year 1696-1697 [manuscript], 1696-1697.
Created/published
England, 1696-1697.
Description
1 item ; 202 x 15 8mm, 286 leaves.
Associated name
Clarke, Edward, associated name, Sir.
Note
This is a PRELIMINARY RECORD. It may contain incorrect information. The "FAST ACC" number is a temporary call number. Please email catalog@folger.edu for assistance.
Genre/form
Manuscripts (documents)
Cookbooks.
Cookbooks.
Place of creation/publication
Great Britain -- England.
Item Details
Call number
FAST ACC 272728
Folger-specific note
From dealer's description: "COOKERY & MEDICINE - MANUSCRIPT Manuscript culinary and medicinal receipt book from the household of Sir Edward Clarke, Lord Mayor of London for the year 1696-1697. Manuscript receipt book from the household of Sir Edward Clarke, Lord Mayor of London for the year 1696-1697, written in several hands, consisting of 30 preliminary leaves beginning with a list of contributors, "The Names of those Noble Persons By whose Assistance I made this Collection" (such as "The Right Noble an most Honble Lord Ruthven Earl of Gowry, Sir William Ellis M.D... Lady Middleton..." etc.), chart of measures ("Half a Scruple/ One Scruple/ Half a Dram... The Four Cordiall fflowers... The four greater hot seeds... The five Emolient herbs..."), Bills of Fare for the "Mayorality of the Right Honourable Sir Edward Clarke at his Lordshipps or his Officers Tables..." organised by month, followed by the receipts in three sections, firstly "Preserves Conserves etc." ("To Preserve Pippins at Candlemass", "To make white Marmalett of Quinces", "To Make Biskett" "To make Jelly of Hartshorne", "To make Chocolate", "Wormwood Cakes", "To make French Jumballs", "Orange Chipps", "Apricock Wine"); then "Cookery Pastry" ("To Collar Eales", "To make Carraway Wiggs", "Cock Ale" ("...take a Red Cock parboyle him... pound him bones and all in a mortar..."), "How to make a Lumber Pye", "To make Angellotts" ("...keep it in flannell till it is Eaten..."), "To Pickle Ashen Keyes"); finally "Phisick Chyrurgery etc." ("To keep the Body Soluable" ("...it will give you two or three Stools you may goe abroad..."), "For the Kings Evill", "A Poultis for St Anthonys Fire", "For a Mattery Substance in the Eye", "The Green Oyle to be made in May called Oyle of Charity", "The Weapon Powder" ("...If it be a contused wound... add... the Powder of the Moss that grows upon a dead mans Skull... If so be bones be broken you must then add thereto the bones of a man which were taken out from him when he was alive..."), many with attributions (the majority to "Madame Bolton", also "Lady Herbert", "Lady Wharton", "Dr Packer", "Dr King" etc.), calligraphic titles, red rules between recipes, pages numbered, each section with ruled index headed with red initials ("Cookery Pastry" index bound out of order), c.286 leaves (29 of which are blank), dust-staining and marks, liquid stains and marks particularly to medicinal pages, some show through, ink gall burn causing hole to title page, small tears, later rebound in cloth-backed boards, slightly scuffed, g.e., 4to (202 x 158mm.), [late seventeenth century] Footnotes 'THERE STOOD ON THE SIDEBOARD A COLLAR OF BRAWNS THAT WEIGHTED 162£ AND A VERY LARGE GOOSE PYE': RECEIPTS AND MENUS FROM THE LORD MAYOR'S TABLE. A particularly attractive volume of culinary and medicinal receipts, clearly written and decorated in calligraphic flourishes and touches of red, compiled from receipts donated by members of society. The seasonal Bills of Fare which take up much of the preliminary pages give an insight into the lavish entertaining undertaken by the Lord Mayor of London in the late seventeenth century, noting not only which dishes were presented but how they were presented ("There was sett on Blocks as Garniture Colared Beefe, Collared Eale, Pickles, Oranges"). Details are given of a lavish dinner for the Judges in January ("...there stood on the sideboard of A Collar of Brawns that weighted 162£ and a very Large Goose Pye..."), a "Cold Treat given by my Lord Mayor to the Officers of the Artillery Company" in June, a dinner for the Governors of Bridewell and Bethlehem hospitals on 5 August 1697 and "The Entertainment of the Right Honourable Sir Edwd Clarke on the day that he was Sworn to Mayor of the City of London (att Guildhall) being the day before the Lord Mayors day Anno Dni 1696". On that auspicious occasion, the Lord Mayor and his guests began the day with a breakfast of rib of beef, little cakes and 20 gallons of burnt claret. Despite such extravagances the anonymous author is keen to point out that they have omitted the feast days such as Easter as "...such magnificent entertainments as those were are proper only for such great solemnities and Cannot without Great Extravagancy be Imitated By Private Persons...". Sir Edward Clark of Brickendon, Hertfordshire, was a member of the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors and held several prestigious posts in his career including Sheriff of London in 1690 and Director of the Bank of England in 1694. He was Lord Mayor of London for the year 1696-1697. Provenance: Sir Edward Clarke, Lord Mayor of London (d.1703); Helen & Michael Oppenheimer, bookplate." Ordered from Christopher Edwards, D9614, 2022-11-29, purchased at Bonhams Auction "FINE BOOKS AND MANUSCRIPTS" 9 November 2022, London, Knightsbridge, lot #14. Purchase made possible by <funding info goes here>.
Folger accession
272728