Manuscript Location

University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Kislak Center for Special Collections

Place of Origin

Ireland ➔ County Mayo ➔ Kiltimagh

Date of Composition

1780-1813

Description

Thomas Ormsby was a member of a prominent Irish family that was granted an estate in County Mayo, Ireland, near the village of Kiltimagh, by Queen Elizabeth I in 1677. The family built a new house on the estate during the eighteenth century, where Thomas Ormsby (1738-1822) and his wife, Elizabeth Rutledge (1746-1830), lived with their ten children. The house is now occupied by a nursing home.

Thomas Ormsby's recipe book was written by at least three individuals besides Thomas Ormsby. One of these individuals was his son, Adam Ormsby (1775-1835), and the rest may have been other members of his family. Dates written at the bottom of a few pages indicate that the book was begun at least as early as 1780 and was continued at least to 1813. The book contains a mix of culinary, household, and medical recipes. The culinary recipes include both sweet and savory dishes, most with no connection to specifically Irish culinary traditions. The 238-page volume contains contemporary pagination on pages 1-193. Most the recipes on the numbered pages are listed in a table of contents at the back of the volume (pages 226-231).