English Recipe book, early 18th century

A manuscript medical and cookery receipt book, early to mid 18th century.

The volume is arranged in the following sections:

ff.1-5 index.
ff.6-44 largely medical recipes but including some culinary and household mixed in.
ff.45-52 recipes for various kinds of alcohol including wine made from blackberry, quince, "current", "july flower", "jelley flower" and "apricock", as well as meade.
ff.52-91 largely culinary recipes.
ff.92-94 index.
Between ff.70-71 several blank pages have been cut out.

Among the receipts are to be found:

"Sir Walter Rawley's Cordiall"
"a Scurvey Drink"
"to make a man Sleep, tho he is Lunatick"
"the Lady Kemps Powder"
"the Lady Allens Water"
"Water against Mallancoly"
"Dr. Coxe's bitter Draught to Clear the Stomac & Cause Apetite"
"to Cure an aque Mrs Anderson"
"Lady Poscotts Water for ye cancer, as I use it my Self; M. Pennington"
"the Goats Blood Medicine for a plurisie"
"Calves Pluck Water godd for a Cough or an Inflamation of the Lungs"
"a full Discovery of the Medicines given by me Joanna Stephens for the Cure of the Stone & Gravel, & a Particular Acct. of my Method of preparing & giving the same" [Joanna Stephens flourished in London society after the publication in 1738 of Ten cases of persons who have taken Mrs. Stephens's medicines for the stone. With an abstract of some experiments, tending to illustrate these cases. In 1740 she was paid £5000 by parliament for making public her cure for bladder stones following an apparently successful year-long trial of her remedy. She died in 1774. For further information see the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]
"Mrs Beelbyes Worm Powder aproved"
"Goody Boswells Receipt for Elder Wine from Mrs Remington"
"The Green Sickness Mrs Eversfeeld"
"Dr Johnson of York's proscription for the honble Mrs Pennington for her cholick"
"pills for head ach by Dr Lowther"

early18th century

1 volume 1 vol, 310 x 190 mm, 94 ff.

There has been some water damage, but most of the text is still legible.

Purchased from Nigel Phillips, Feb 2009 (ex Dominic Winter Auctioneers's sale 29 January 2009, lot 531)

The references to the name Pennington suggest a connection to the Penningtons of Muncaster, Cumberland, especially as two recipes are ascribed to 'brother Lowther'. The Pennintons of Muncaster and Lowthers of Lonsdale were interrelated over several generations.