Place of Origin

England ➔ Staffordshire ➔ Stone

Date of Composition

1789-1807

Description

This recipe book of 69 leaves, written in various hands, contains approximately 376 culinary, medical, and household recipes. The book is presumed to have been compiled within the Fitzherbert family of Swynnerton, in Staffordshire, because many of the recipes are attributed to persons associated with the family, including Mrs. Gage, Lady Barkshire, Mrs. Chute, Lady Arundell, and, especially, Lady Sefton (Maria Molyneaux, Countess of Sefton; 1769-1851). She was the aunt of Maria Anne Fitzherbert (1756-1837), who was married to Thomas Fitzherbert of Norbury and Swynnerton from 1778 to his death in 1781 and was secretly, and illegally, married to the future King George IV in 1785. Maria Anne Fitzherbert was, in turn, the godmother of Maria Augusta (Rosarii) Tasburgh (1792-1844), whose signature appears inside the front cover. The volume includes two recipes with dates: "To make blacking for boots & shoes," signed "Mr. Shenster Florence 1807" and "To make whey for sick people," labeled "Dr. Martelles recipe 1799 Lucca."