Lot 103
Early 18th Century Manuscript Recipe Book
Printed Books, Maps and Manuscripts
Auction: 11 July 2006 at 12:00 BST
Description
Ms recipe book, dated 1708 on front pastedown, oblong 8vo [10cm high by 16cm wide], 182 pages, in 18th Century brown ink, 42 pages of medicinal recipes, remainder culinary, contemporary calf, rubbed, some foxing, bookplate
Footnote
Provenance: Later bookplate of Cranstoun of Corehouse.
Note: A fine early example of a well categorised manuscript recipe book, dating from a period when more affulent women began recording recipes in ink where previously they would have been passed on through word of mouth. A number of receipes indicate their sources, including Lady Heriot's water (pp.145) and Plague water from Lady Forres (pp.150).
Further indication that this volume originates from a affulent household can be seen in the variety of fruit recipes. Several of these require apricots, a fruit which can only be grown under glass. On page 79 one of the earliest recipes for spreadable orange marmalad is recorded, the earliest known record from 1701 was identified by Clarissa Dickson Wright [sold by Lyon and Turnbull, July 2003].