Manuscript Location

Duke University, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library

Place of Origin

England

Date of Composition

1781-1783

Description

Eleanor King, possibly of Liverpool, England, wrote this 13-page commonplace book. The book contains poems--some original, others attributed--interspersed with cooking and medicinal recipes. King typically signs her name and gives the dates of each entry. Recipes range from "Raison Wine," to "Sherif Cake," to her "Elixer of Health." One poem, possibly written by King, is devoted to the pleasures of breastfeeding and is titled: "On Seeing a Lady Nursing her own Child." Several pages of the book were cut away at an early date.