| Content Description | This volume contains chiefly a number of 17th century manuscript 'recipes' for making medicines and remedies for a wide range of illnesses and afflictions. The suggested ingredients are varied and interesting, and not all are derived from minerals. However, there are a few recipes for culinary dishes interspersed between those of a medicinal nature.
Many recipes appear as copies of letters from various individuals, in which they offer remedies of their own.
There are also a number of instructions for curing afflictions affecting animals, notably horses.
Pencil annotation on f 1v states 'Title page and many entries in the handwriting of Thomas Farr. Some pages in that of Wm. Cavendish Duke of Newcastle'. |
| Descriptive Features | Watermark, double: Coat of Arms, shield surmounted by large links of a chain, and surmounted by a a crown: at dexter, one and half fleur de lis; sinister divided into two quaterings with ornate designs, approx. 90 x 64 mm; Secondary watermark, Insignia, Roman cross and letters AV surmounted by a crown, approx, 75 x 67 mm (all 196 folios in this MS are made of the same type of paper which has 2 watermarks per sheet)
Italic throughout; various scripts
Ruled
Deep red morocco leather with gold tooling, oblong field with corners ending in five ornamental designs; spine divided into seven blocks, gold tooled; remnants of silk ties in fore-edge of upper and lower covers; gold graphed; front and back pastedowns, 19th century marble paper; no flyleaves. |