Early Bakewell Pudding Recipe

Here is the recipe for a Bakewell Pudding discovered in the recipe book of Clara Palmer-Morewood, one time resident of Alfreton Hall. Dated as it is in 1837 it is possibly the first ever documented version of the almond dessert which local legend claims was invented by accident in the 1860s. Why not have a go at making the famous local dish yourself to this unique 1837 recipe? And don’t forget to let us know how you get on, and send your pictures in (Record.Office@derbyshire.gov.uk) and we’ll put them up here.

It reads: “Lay a Puff paste over a tin, open tart mould, put into it two dozen raisins stoned and chopped fine (Dryed cherries would be better) Almonds cut thin, candied orange peel, or any kind of Preserve. Beat well the yolks of four eggs, & the white of one, add ¼ lb of clarified butter, & some powdered sugar, beat all together & fill up the mould with the mixture, (Lemon would improve it) bake it in a slow oven – to be eaten cold & sprinkled over with powdered sugar. 1837”

(click image to enlarge)

We will be adding more recipes from Clara’s book (including some medicinal and gardening “recipes”) over the coming weeks, so keep an eye for more delicious dishes to try your hand at

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Further disturbance.

A search room regular concurs with our manager’s view that this little fellow is a chaffinch.

Disturbance in the search room

A very insistent little bird is pecking away at one of the search room windows, clearly intrigued as to what is going on inside.

On this day in 1770…

was born George Canning, future Prime Minister. In the first sketch by Derbyshire-born artist and caricaturist, George Murgatroyd Woodward, entitled “Naughty Boys giving in their Resignations”, Canning on the left and Castlereagh on the right, bow to the King in the centre, while handing in their resignations.
George III protests: “What, what, going to shoot one another. I am a plain Country Gentleman and don’t approve of it, if you must shoot go and shoot Buonaparte.”
Canning replies:”But when my honor is considered”, while Castlereagh laments: “That it should come to this!! Farewell ye bed of roses”.

In the second sketch also by George Woodward Canning is depecited at St Stephen’s fair on a booth announcing ‘A COLLECTION OF SKY ROCKETS just arrived from DENMARK very curious’  referring to his role in the bombardment of Copenhagen and capture of Danish fleet.

(both copright Derbyshire Record Office)

Hydranthea Brenda

Phew!  Well, that’s the Radio Derby bit done with – it always gives me a minor case of the heeby-jeebies.  As I think Aleena said after I had finished talking to her, Hydranthea later went by her middle name of Brenda (as you can see from the 1901 census), which is what I would have done under the circumstances.

But I omitted a favourite fact, taken from Hugh Hornby’s terrific book, “Uppies and Downies”, all about the history of mass-participation ballgames, including the Ashbourne Royal Shrovetide Football.  He mentions a form of “Cornish hurling” at St Ives, Cornwall, where the ball is made of wood and covered in silver (rather than cork covered in leather as in Ashbourne).  According to an antiquarian who saw the game played in 1846, the way they chose teams was to have one team made up of men called Thomas, William and John and another made up of people with different names.  Those three names were so common at the time that the teams were usually fairly evenly matched!