Recipe books at the Folger Shakespeare Library

List of recipe books at the Folger Shakespeare Library

This page contains a list of all early modern English manuscript recipe books at the Folger Shakespeare Library. It is updated frequently. Recipes also appear written in printed books and interspersed in letters and other manuscripts. At some point we hope to create another page which lists those additional recipes.

Transcriptions for the following recipe books are searchable (using original spelling) in Luna: Folger Manuscript Transcriptions Collection: Bd.w. A1767, E.a.4, E.a.5, V.a.7, V.a.8, V.a.20, V.a.125, V.a.140, V.a.215, V.a.260, V.a.361-2, V.a.364, V.a.387, V.a.388, V.a.401, V.a.425, V.a.430, V.a.434, V.a.450, V.a.452, V.a.456, V.a.468, V.a.490, V.a.544, V.a.561, V.a.563, V.a.600, V.a.612, V.a.619, V.a.621, V.a.630, V.a.677, V.a.669, V.a.680, V.a.682, V.a.683, V.a.684, V.a.686, V.a.697, V.b.13, V.b.272, V.b.301, V.b.316, V.b.342, V.b.363, V.b.366, V.b.399, V.b.400, W.a.111, W.a.113, W.a.136, W.a.283, W.a.302, W.a.303, W.a.315, W.a.332, W.b.103, W.b.653, W.b.668, W.b.79, X.d.24, X.d.469, X.d.602, X.d.738, X.d.742, X.d.743, X.d.745, X.d.746, X.d.750, X.d.751, Y.d.77 (1), Y.d.77 (2). Vetted transcriptions are being added on a regular basis and we will try to keep this site as up to date as possible. Because of formatting limitations they are not perfect, but will hopefully get you to the relevant digital image.

If a recipe book's transcription is available for search in Luna, then the thumbnail will take you to the transcribed images in the Manuscript Transcriptions Collection, rather than to the images in the Folger Digital Image Collection.

We are grateful to the Pine Tree Foundation for supporting the digitization of the entire recipe book collection at the Folger. We also acknowledge the work of our Photography and Digital Imaging team, including Julie Ainsworth (now retired), William Davis, Melanie Leung, and Christine Naulty. The crowdsourcing effort has been led by Heather Wolfe. An amazing group of volunteers from Zooniverse's Shakespeare's World, the Early Modern Recipes Online Collective, Folger docents, and Folger paleography courses, have created full transcriptions of every recipe book that has been digitized (so far!). We are in the process of vetting the remaining transcriptions (an effort led by Nicole Winard and Robert Tallaksen, with support from Elisabeth Chaghafi, Sara Butterfass Schliep, Stephen Schmidt, and Heather Wolfe). Emily Wahl has made the transcriptions available through full text search in Luna, our digital image database. As part of the Mellon-funded 'Before' Farm to Table' initiative in collaborative research, research fellow Elisa Tersigni has encoded the documents, cleaned the data, and transformed our transcriptions into semi-diplomatic PDF reading copies, using an XSL style sheet created by Michael Poston. The user names of all of our volunteers are part of the XML for each recipe book to which they contributed.

*Editors' note: dates have been altered somewhat from Hamnet records for functionality of the table. For example, a date original cataloged as "ca. 1700" has been rendered as "1700 (ca.)"; "[1700?]" has been rendered as "1700 (?)", etc. See Hamnet for authoritative dating.

Call Number	Creator(s)	Title	Year(s)	Reading copy	Image/transcription	Transcribers
Bd.w. A1767		Miscellaneous collection of receipts [manuscript]				usernames
E.a.4		Receipt book [manuscript]
E.a.5	Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London	Medical miscellany [manuscript]
V.a.7	Buckhurst, Jane, of Sutton Valence	Cookbook of Jane Buckhurst [manuscript]
V.a.8	Cromwell, L., 17th cent.	Cookbook of L. Cromwell [manuscript]
V.a.19		Cookbook [manuscript]
V.a.20	Hall, Constance, fl. 1672.	Cookbook of Constance Hall [manuscript]
V.a.21		Pharmaceutical and cookery recipes [manuscript]
V.a.125		A book of verses collected by me, R. Dungarvan (with recipes) [manuscript]
V.a.140	Baley, Walter, 1529-1592. Blundell, Richard, active 16th century.	Receipt book [manuscript]
V.a.215	Packe, Susanna, fl. 1674.	Cookbook of Susanna Packe [manuscript]
V.a.260		Miscellany [manuscript]
V.a.347	Phillips, Dorothy	A sermon book with culinary and medical recipes [manuscript]
V.a.361-362		A book of receipts which was given me by several men for several causes, griefs and diseases . . . [manuscript]
V.a.364	Webster, Nicholas, fl. 1650	Certain profitable and well experienced collections for making conserve of fruits . . . as also of surgery, approved medicines . . . [manuscript]
V.a.387	Packer, Katherine, fl. 1639	A boocke of very good medicines for seueral deseases, wounds, and sores both new and olde [manuscript]
V.a.388	Corlyon, Mrs., fl. 1660	A booke of such medicines as have been approved by the speciall practize of Mrs. Corlyon [manuscript]
V.a.396	Patrick, Penelope, 1646-1725	Receipt book of Penelope Jephson [manuscript]
V.a.397	Brown, Katherine, fl. 1650-1662, compiler	Medicinal and cookery recipes [manuscript]
V.a.398	Slee, Andrew, 1629 or 1630- compiler	Medicinal recipes compiled by Andrew Slee [manuscript]
V.a.401	Staveley, Jane, 17th century	Receipt book of Jane Staveley [manuscript]
V.a.425	Longe, Sarah, fl. 1610	Receipt book of Sarah Longe [manuscript]
V.a.429	Kendall, Rose, active 1682. Cater, Anne, 1651 or 1652-. Clarke, Elizabeth, active 17th-18th century. Bold, Anna Maria, 1708-	Cookery and medicinal recipes [manuscript]
V.a.430	Granville family	Cookery and medicinal recipes of the Granville family from Worcestershire and Cadiz [manuscript]
V.a.434	Smith, Ann, fl. 1698	Cookbook of Ann Smith, Reading [manuscript]
V.a.450	Pudsey, Lettice, fl. 1675	Cookery book of Lettice Pudsey, Seisdon, Staffordshire [manuscript]
V.a.452	Sheppey, Thomas, fl. 1675	A book of choice receipts collected from several famous authors a great part in monasteries and often experimented as to a great number of them [manuscript]
V.a.456	Baumfylde, Mary, fl. 1626	Medicinal and cookery recipes of Mary Baumfylde [manuscript]
V.a.458		Medicinal, household and cookery recipes [manuscript]
V.a.468	Fowler, Elizabeth, fl. 1684	Cookbook of Elizabeth Fowler [manuscript]
V.a.490	King, John, 1696-1728	Medicinal and cookery recipes [manuscript]
V.a.540	King, John, 1696-1728	Pattern and medical receipt book of Thomas Bathings [manuscript]
V.a.544 item 2		Cookery and medicinal recipes [manuscript]
V.a.561		Cookeries [manuscript]
V.a.562		Cookery and medicinal recipes [manuscript]
V.a.563		Medicinal, household and cookery receipts [manuscript].
V.a.600	Castleton, Grace Saunderson, Viscountess, d. 1667	The Lady Grace Castleton's booke of receipts [manuscript]
V.a.612	Carr, Anne, active 1674, compiler	Choyce receits collected out of the book of receits, of the Lady Vere Wilkinson [manuscript] / begun to be written by the Right Honble the Lady Anne Carr, Jan. 28 1673/4
V.a.619	Baker, Margaret	Receipt book of Margaret Baker [manuscript]
V.a.621	Bacon, Catherine, 1660-1757, author	Receipt book of Catherine Bacon [manuscript]
V.a.630		Manuscript cookery book [manuscript]
V.a.669		Cordial waters simple waters and syrrups [manuscript]
V.a.677		Receipts in Cookery &c: [manuscript]
V.a.680		Receipt book [manuscript]
V.a.682	Smith, Mary	Culinary and medicinal recipe book of Mary Smith [manuscript]	1662 (ca.)
V.a.683		Miscellaneous Receipts [manuscript]	1709-1727?
V.a.684	Hutson, Beulah	Receipt book [manuscript]	1680 (ca.)
V.a.697		Receipt book [manuscript]	1660s (ca.) - 1680s (ca.)
V.b.13		Cookbook [manuscript]
V.b.14	Dawson, Jane, 17th cent.	Cookbook of Jane Dawson [manuscript]
V.b.129	De Feckenham, John, 1515?-1585, compiler	This book of sovereign medicines against the most common and known diseases ... collected of Master Doctor Feckenham, late Abbot of Westminster [manuscript]
V.b.272		Receipt book [manuscript]
V.b.273		Receipts in cookery and medicine [manuscript]
V.b.286		Pharmaceutical recipes, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire [manuscript]
V.b.301	Randolph, Grace, 1674-1750	Cookbook of Grace Blome, Kent [manuscript]
V.b.316	M. W.	Cookery and medicinal recipes of M.W. [manuscript]
V.b.342	Hookes, Mary, fl. 1680	Receipt book of Mary Hookes [manuscript]
V.b.363		Receipt book [manuscript]
V.b.366	Winch, Rebecca, d. 1713	Receipt book of Rebeckah Winche [manuscript]
V.b.380		English cookery and medicine book, [manuscript]
V.b.399		Culinary manuscript compilation [manuscript]	1680-1690 (ca.)
V.b.400		Receipt book [manuscript]
W.a.87		Cookbook [manuscript]
W.a.111		Cookbook [manuscript]
W.a.112	Eyre, Margaret, b. 1686?	Cook-book of Margaret Turner [manuscript]
W.a.113	Langley, Elizabeth, fl. 1757	Cookbook of Elizabeth Langley [manuscript]
W.a.136	Smith, Elizabeth, fl. 1749-1800	Receipt book of Elizabeth Smith [manuscript]
W.a.283	Stevens family. Warwick family.	Receipt book, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire [manuscript]
W.a.302	Webb, Jane, fl. ca. 1725-ca. 1750	Cookery book of Jane Webb, compiled by several people [manuscript]
W.a.303	Mallett family.	Cookery and pharmaceutical recipes of the Malet family, Northamptonshire [manuscript].
W.a.311	Johnston, Mrs., compiler	Receipts for cookery and pastry work [manuscript]
W.a.315	Stone, Dorothy, fl. 1725	Receipt book of Dorothy Stone [manuscript]
W.a.317		Cookbook [manuscript]
W.a.318	Pennyman, Dorothy, 1698 or 9-1754, compiler	Cookery and medicinal recipes [manuscript]
W.a.332	Goodenough, Ann, fl. 1700-1775.	Cookery book of Ann Goodenough [manuscript]
W.b.79	Knight, Mrs., fl. 1740	Mrs. Knight's receipt book [manuscript]
W.b.98		Cookbook [manuscript]
W.b.100		Cookbook [manuscript]
W.b.102	Puleston, Mary, d. 1764, compiler	Cookbook of Mary Puleston [manuscript]
W.b.103	Payne, Valert, 18th cent.	Cook-book of Valert Payne [manuscript]
W.b.456	Vesey, Lettis, fl. ca. 1725	Cookery book of Lettis Vesey [manuscript]
W.b.653		Cookbook [manuscript]
W.b.668	Kirk, Rachel	Mrs. Rachel Kirk Book 1707 [manuscript]
X.d.24	Cruso, Mary, fl. 1689.	Cookbook of Mary Cruso and Timothy Cruso [manuscript], 1689 September 5.
X.d.457 (1-19)	Staveley, Jane, 17th century	Receipt book of Jane Staveley [manuscript]			LUNA Digital Images and LUNA Digital Images	X
X.d.469		Medical recipes [manuscript]	1625 (ca.)		LUNA Digital Images	X
X.d.602		Recipes for ale [manuscript]	17 th century		LUNA Digital Images	X
X.d.738	Perssehouse, Richard.	Bifolium miscellany of medical, domestic, and veterinary receipts [manuscript], Belhall	1643		LUNA Digital Images	X
X.d.742		Autograph receipt for a medical broth for purifying the blood..., [manuscript], c1690	1690 (ca.)		LUNA Digital Images	X
X.d.743		Autograph receipt "For the gout" [manuscript], c1690	1690 (ca.)		LUNA Digital Images	X
X.d.745		Autograph receipt for making gooseberry and currant wine [manuscript], c1690	1690 (ca.)		LUNA Digital Images	X
X.d.746		Autograph receipt for making a plaister using oyl of olives, half and ounce of opium dissovled in a little brandy, whale ambergris, and other herbs. "this is above all wishing the good efforts of this to my good friend J. W." [manuscript], c1690	1690 (ca.)		LUNA Digital Images	X
X.d.750	Mosay, M., creator	Receipt for sciatica	1700 (ca.)		LUNA Digital Images	X
X.d.751		Receipt for scurvy grass ale [manuscript], ca. 18th century	18 th century (ca.)		LUNA Digital Images	X
Y.d.77 (1)		Recipes [manuscript]	1765 (ca.)		LUNA Digital Images	X
Y.d.77 (2)		Recipes [manuscript]	1765 (ca.)		LUNA Digital Images	X
V.a.672	Spurgeon, Leonard	English 17th century manuscript book of recipes, remedies and household notes [manuscript]	1656 (ca.)		LUNA Digital Images
V.a.671	Ornesby, Henry et al	Pocketbook with veterinary recipes [manuscript]	1656 - 1727 (approximately)	Lanchester, County Durham
V.a.674		English cookery and medicine [manuscript]	1670
V.a.675	Lyford, Mary	Medical and cookery recipes [manuscript]	1665 (approximately)
V.a.677		Manuscript cookery book [manuscript]	17 th century (late)
V.a.678		Manuscript cookery book [manuscript]	17 th century (late) - 18 th century (early)
V.a.681	Shirley, Dorothy, 1683-1721, compiler	Receipt book [manuscript]	1694 (approximately)
V.a.685		Receipt book [manuscript]	18th century (approximately)		LUNA Digital Images
V.a.686		Manuscript cookery book [manuscript]	1680 - 1720 (ca.)		LUNA Digital Images	X
V.a.704	Thayer, John	Receipt book [manuscript]	1600s (ca.)
V.b.381		Receipt book, [manuscript]	1690s (ca.)
W.a.521	Spearman, John, author	English receipts & notes on celestial and terrestrial globes [manuscript]	1689 - 3 Dec. 1703
W.a.527		Receipt book [manuscript]	1710 (ca.)
acc. no. 270959	Halliday, Molly	Receipt book [manuscript]	1660-1720
acc. no. 271103	Napkyn, Hugh	A booke conteyning divers excellent & approoved remedyes in phisique and chyrugery [manuscript]	1630s
acc. no. 271199		Receipt book [manuscript]	18th century
acc. no. 271237	Bragge family	Receipt book [manuscript]	1688 (ca.)
acc. no. 271242		Receipt book [manuscript]	17th century
acc. no. 271390	Banner, Susanna	Receipt book, 2 vols. [manuscript]	1707
acc. no. 271399	Handley, Hanah	Receipt book [manuscript]	1695 (ca.)
acc. no. 271774	Jackson, Sarah	Receipt book of Mrs Sarah Jackson [manuscript]	1688 - 1755 (ca.)
acc. no. 271794		Receipt book [manuscript]	1740 - 1770 (ca.)
acc no. 271764	Jordason, Elizabeth	Receipt book [manuscript]	1734
acc no. 271765		A Collection of excellent Medicines, Balsames, Plaisters Salves, &c: the contents Whereof are exprest in the next page [manuscript]	1715 (ca.)
acc. no. 271790	Hoo, Susanna	Receipt book [manuscript]	1654
acc no. 271936	Hitch, Miss and Polley Lee	Receipt book [manuscript]	1730 (ca.)	Yorkshire
acc. no. 271931	Jodrell, Ann	Receipt book [manuscript]	1776 (ca.)
acc. no.	Turner, Sarah	Receipt book [manuscript]	1658 - 1755 (ca.)
acc. no.		Receipt book [manuscript]	1726 (ca.)
acc. no.	Astry, Diana	Receipt book [manuscript]	1701 - 1708 (ca.)