Godfrey-Faussett Family Receipts

Recipe books of the Godfrey-Faussett family of Heppington, Nackington, Kent.

MSS.7997-7999 bear the book plate of the Revd. Bryan Faussett (1720-1776), the son of Bryan Faussett and his wife Mary Faussett née Godfrey. The volumes contain mainly culinary recipes, with a few medical recipes, and some veterinary recipes in MS.7998. There is great overlap in the contents of MSS.7997-7999, with recipes copied word for word, but it is difficult to ascribe a chronology to the volumes as few dates are given and the hands used date from roughly the same period. Five different hands appear: two unidentified hands in MS.7997; one unidentified hand and Mary Faussett in MS.7998; and Catherine Godfrey and Mary Faussett in MS.7999.

Mary Faussett née Godfrey (1695-1761) received MS.7999 from Catherine Godfrey (fl.1699), possibly her mother, and MS.7998 presumably from another relative. Mary later copied identical recipes into the volumes (e.g. recipe for vinegar, MS.7998, p.121 and MS.7999, p.118), perhaps in order to pass the collection on to daughters or other family members. The volumes were numbered artificially and indexed at a later date.

Recipes which are repeated in other volumes are annotated with the relevant volume and page reference.

MSS.8000-8001 are more informal volumes of recipes, while MS.8002 is a collection of loose recipes.

MSS.7997-8002 have been digitised and images are linked to the individual catalogue record for each manuscript.

Family papers of the Godfrey-Faussett family are held elsewhere as follows: