The Craven Cookery Book

 

Elizabeth née Skipwith, wife of 2nd Baron Craven. Painted by Godfrey Kneller.
            

   This attractive portrait of a lady from the reign of Queen Anne shows Elizabeth, wife of the 2nd Baron Craven, whose claim to fame is that she wrote a cookery book that survives in manuscript and is preserved in the library of Pennsylvania State University in America.

   Elizabeth née Skipwith was born in 1677 or 1679. Her family lived at Newbold Hall in Warwickshire, not far from Coombe Abbey. She married the 2nd Baron Craven on the 12th October 1697 and gave birth to two sons.

   She belonged to a generation of women who were proud to preserve traditions of household management and herbal medicine from past centuries. Being a fine lady did not mean never going into the kitchen. She also liked to experiment with new ingredients such as chocolate. Her book of recipes, meticulously written, carefully attributes each recipe to the friend or relative who gave it to her. These friends include Lady Bridgman, Lady Anderson, Lady Duncomb, Mrs Skipwith (perhaps an aunt), and her husband Lord Craven.


I am indebted for this photograph of the title page of the book to the article by Marissa Nicosia that appeared on her Rare Cooking website relating to early modern cookery.

She includes a recipe for "Chocolett Cream" and I would gladly see more of them. I hope the book will be printed in full. 

The library catalogue tells us that the book contains both sweet and savoury recipes, and is carefully indexed.

Tragically, this Lady Craven died in 1704 giving birth to her second child. She is buried at Binley, close to Coombe Abbey.

Her portrait appears to be rather popular as several companies offer copies of it in poster form!

And here is the more famous Elizabeth Lady Craven, who lived a century later.



https://rarecooking.com/2023/10/02/to-make-chocolett-cream-lady-elizabeth-craven/?fbclid=IwAR0yqjkckdYSd67CY1NvyxuiXiCwqL6WT7idaV0dYXE5s3HUq-eI4ZcDJRI

https://www.art.salon/artwork/sir-godfrey-kneller_portrait-of-elizabeth-skipwith-lady-craven-1679-1704-three-quarter-length-in-a-blue-dress-and-red-shawl-a-wooded-river-landscape-beyond_AID19856

https://catalog.libraries.psu.edu/catalog/40803309

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Skipwith-162

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