Place of Origin

England ➔ Northamptonshire ➔ Potterspury

Date of Composition

1774

Description

This account book, written in a single hand, contains a record of the foodstuffs bought and consumed by Augustus Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Grafton and his family at Wakefield Lodge, London, and Euston. Each page lists dishes consumed by My Lord Duke, My Lady Duchess, and family; and records items bought from such food purveyors as the butcher, the poulterer, the fishmonger, and the butterman.

Augustus Henry Fitzroy (1723-1811) was a Whig politician who served as Prime Minister to King George III from 1768 to 1770, one of the few dukes to hold this office. He had three children with his first wife and nine with his second wife, Elizabeth Wrottesly (1745-1822), whom he married in 1769. Wakefield Lodge was originally built as a hunting lodge by his grandfather, the 2nd Duke of Grafton, and later expanded into a country house. Only a portion of the house is still standing.