English Recipe Book, late 17th - early 19th century

Collection of cookery and medical recipes, written in various hands.

The collection is arranged in two parts, the cookery receipts written from the front of the volume, the medical from the back. Among the professional medical authorities named are Dr 'Leydaa' or 'Leydeh' (ff. 62v., 73v., 75, 87v.), Dr 'Sidenham' [presumably Thomas Sydenham 1642-1689] (f. 64), Dr Thorogood [?Michael Thorogood fl. 1680-1706, surgeon of Ingatestone, Essex] (f. 69), Dr Bates (ff. 70v., 75v.), Dr Cox (ff. 72v., 83v.), Dr Danvers (ff. 73, 76), Dr Cooke (f. 82v.), Mrs Badeley 'a midwife' (f. 84v.), Dr Lower [presumably Richard Lower 1631-1691] (ff. 82v., 85v.), Dr Johnson (f. 86), and Dr Alsop (f. 86v.). There are also many prominent lay authorities, for both medical and cookery recipes, including Lady St John (ff. 10, 32, 55v.), Lady Peterborough (ff. 53, 55), Lady Rochester (ff. 69v., 77, 80v.), Lady Fleetwood (ff. 75v., 79v.), Lord 'Tenet' (ff. 76v., 82), Lady Overbury (ff. 77v., 78v., 81v.), and Lady Betison or Betsworth [presumably the same person] of Higham (ff. 83-85). A Mrs Smith of Bedford is also named on f. 71.