Manuscript Location

Library of Congress, Rare Book/Special Collections Reading Room (Jefferson LJ239)

Place of Origin

England ➔ East Sussex ➔ Battle

Date of Composition

likely ca. 1840s-ca. 1860s

Description

The title "Receipt Book" is stamped in gold on the cover of this recipe book. The book's author was Lady Sarah Joanna Webster (ca. 1803-1889), who signed her name on the front flyleaf. The library catalog record states that Lady Webster probably began the book before her late-life marriage to Sir Godfrey Webster, 6th Baronet (1815-1853) and continued it for some time after 1851.The book comprises approximately 125 pages of culinary and medical recipes as well as some horticultural advice. Some material is clipped from printed sources and pasted to the pages.  

Sir Godfrey Webster, 6th Baronet is identified by online sources as the owner of Battle Abbey, which was founded by King William I to commemorate the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings, which occurred nearby. Much of the site is now a ruin, but one building, which has been occupied by a school since World War I, still stands. Possibly that building was the residence of Lord and Lady Webster. Lady Webster funded the building of both a church and a school in the Netherfield district of Battle. She was the "sole manager and proprietor" of the school from its inception, in 1859, and she taught there three or four times a week between 1864 and 1869. In 1871, Lady Webster converted to Catholicism and so ceased to manage the school, which was an Anglican Foundation. However, she continued to be a benefactor of the school and left money for the school clubs in her will. The Netherfield CE Primary School is still in operation.