Manuscript Location

Winterthur Library, Quaker and Special Collections

Place of Origin

England

Date of Composition

1669

Description

This handsomely bound volume contains 177 pages of recipes written in a beautiful, clear hand, likely that of a professional scribe. A full index contains the following headings: "Cakes" (19 recipes); "Sweetmeats" (93 recipes, including dessert creams, wines, and sack); "Waters" (28 recipes, all medicinal); "Perfumes and Phisicall Receipts, with Salves, plaisters, and other Excellent things" (163 recipes); and "An Index or Table of all of the Receipts of Cookery Wrytten in this end of this Booke . . ." (63 recipes, including meat and poultry dishes, pies, puddings, pickles, cheeses, breads, and little cakes). The last section, including the index, was written with the book reversed. Some recipe titles include the name of a person who gave the recipe to Lady Frescheville. (The recipes are indexed in a database available at the library.)

The inside front cover of this book is inscribed, "My Lady Frescheville's Receipt Book, Anno Domini 1669." Lady Frescheville was Ann Charlotte, the wife of John, who was created Baron Frescheville of Stavely in 1665. She was the daughter of Sir Henry de Vic, and was born around 1640 in the Channel Islands. Her father served in several posts under King Charles II. In 1666, Ann Charlotte de Vic married John, Lord Frescheville, as his third wife. His home was at Staveley in Derbyshire. (Part of the house still stands.) Lord Frescheville was appointed governor of York shortly after this marriage. Lord Frescheville had daughters, but no sons. Because of this, he sold his estate to the Earl of Devonshire, and thus his wife inherited money when he died. She then moved to London and served as a lady-in-waiting to Princess (later Queen) Anne. Lady Frescheville died in 1717 and was buried at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.

To view digital images of this book, click on the link in the library catalog under "Multimedia," then click on "1600s."