English wills, 1498-1526 and Diana Astry's recipe book

About this volume

The wills are those in English in the first surviving register of wills proved in the Court of the Archdeacon of Bedford, now held by Bedfordshire and Luton Records and Archives Service at ABP/R/ 1. They are mainly presented here as abstracts: a few of the earlier wills and some of the more interesting ones are fully transcribed. There are some intimate glimpses of sixteenth century life, such as bequests of clothes (‘his black gaberdine with a fox fur’) and provision for the testator’s widow. The Latin wills from ABP/R/ 1 are published in volume 45.

The second part of this volume contains Diana Orlebar (nee Astry)’s recipe book and a notebook. The 375 recipes – culinary, medicinal, for wines, cordials, preserves and pickles, etc – were collected by Diana Astry. The notebook contains menus of dinners she attended between 1701 and 1708.

About the author(s)

Alan F. Cirket (5)

Alan Cirket was a member of staff in Bedfordshire County Record Office from 1936 to 1983, except for war service. He was also honorary curator of the Bunyan Museum, Bedford.

Bette Stitt (1)

Reviews

Of English wills: ‘These wills of yeomen and lesser gentry of Bedfordshire afford material for the economic and social historian, especially in the details of personal effects and religious benefactions and in the provisions made for the inheritance of land’. – Mary Finch, Economic History Review (1958), vol. 11, p.176.

Of Diana Astry’s recipe book: ‘Cookery books make fascinating reading. To the pleasure of savouring past delights is added the hope of new experiences, and, in the case of Diana Astry’s recipe book, most ably edited and introduced by Mrs Bette Stitt, the satisfaction also of proving that English cookery was once both varied and resourceful. Writers of the seventeenth century and earlier had no doubts about it.’ – Eleanor Cottrill, Archives (1957) vol. 3, p.18.

Publication details

English wills, 1498-1526, edited by A. F. Cirket and Diana Astry’s recipe book c. 1700, edited by Bette Stitt. Streatley, BHRS, 1957. 199p., illus. BHRS vol. 37

Out of print

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Keywords

Archdeaconry of Bedford (3)

Astry (Diana) (2)

food (2)

Orlebar (Diana) (2)

recipes (1)

wills (8)

Time period

1498-1526, 1700-1708