Monthly Archives: November 2016

A Pair of Famous Quacks

Despite The Enlightenment, the eighteenth century was still an age of credulity and superstition. Astrological almanacs and charms were sold by the thousand. Every sort of fortune-teller, quack doctor and peddler of patent remedies set themselves up in business. Since … Continue reading

Posted in Medicine & Science | 4 Comments

Eighteenth-century ‘Packet Soup’

Browsing through the cookbook of Katherine Windham, wife of the squire of Felbrigg Hall in the late-seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, I came across the recipe above for “Solid Soup”. What on earth might that have been? As you can see, … Continue reading

Posted in Cookery & Housecare | 5 Comments

Did the Georgians have a Drink Problem?

One of the aspects of Georgian life that puzzles visitors to the NT property where I am a volunteer guide relates to the vast amount of alcohol consumed by just about everyone in the 18th century. Most visitors, I suspect, … Continue reading

Posted in Georgian Society | 4 Comments

The Georgian and Regency Home Medicine Chest

On a recent visit to Edinburgh, my wife and I visited The Georgian House in Charlotte Square. It’s a late-Georgian townhouse, wonderfully preserved, furnished and displayed by The National Trust for Scotland. During our visit, we spotted the early Regency … Continue reading

Posted in Medicine & Science | 2 Comments

Making Georgian Bacon

I noted in an earlier post how autumn was the time for preserving fruits and vegetables against the winter months to come. It was also essential to be able to build up stocks of meat. A high proportion of farm animals … Continue reading

Posted in Cookery & Housecare | 2 Comments