Place of Origin

Ireland ➔ Dublin

Date of Composition

1858-1867

Description

Wilhelmina (Minnie) Wrixon was a wealthy Irish woman born on May 18, 1838, in Mallow, County Cork, Ireland, to John Nicholas Wrixon, Esq. (1796-1872) and Wilhelmina Crofts Wrixon (1802-1879). By 1858, the Wrixon family lived at 59 Upper Baggot Street, Dublin, Ireland. Wrixon married William Hone Davis, Captain, 4th Hussars (1831-1895) on July 9, 1861. She died on July 24, 1931, in London, England.

The 108-page volume contains seventy-three culinary recipes written by the author between December 29, 1858 (page 1) and 1867 (page 63). Recipes for sweets (puddings, creams, custards, cakes, and cordials) are written from the front of the volume, and recipes for savory dishes are written from the back, upside down in relation to the front. However, the front section contains some out-of-category recipes for savory puddings and soups, as well as recipes for preserved lobster and potato puffs. Included in the book are recipes for Chancellor’s Pudding, more commonly called Cabinet Pudding, and Sir Watkin’s Pudding, also called Sir Watkin Williams Wynne’s pudding, a steamed suet and bread pudding with marmalade, which was listed on an 1852 banquet menu of London’s Mansion House. Also included is a recipe for Mock Turtle Soup made with calf's head, a favorite dinner party opener of the time.

The notebook has been trimmed, causing the original handwriting to be cut off in some places, and it appears that some pages were scrambled when the volume was rebound.