What Isabella Beeton Said in 1861

by Marian Arkwright
(Yorkshire, England)

The Book of Household Management by Mrs Isabella Beeton was, for the most part, a recipe book but you can tell she covered a lot more than recipes by the sub title which read

Comprising Information for the
Mistress, Housekeeper, Cook, Kitchen-maid, Butler, Footman, Coachman, Valet, Upper and under house-maids, Lady’s-maid, Maid-of-all-work, Laundry-maid, Nurse and nurse-maid, Monthly, wet, and sick nurses, etc. etc.
also, sanitary, medical, & legal memoranda;
with a history of the origin, properties, and uses of all things connected with home life and comfort.




Before giving out a recipe for mutton, for example, she waxed lyrical about the rearing of sheep
"the chief wish of the grazier is to find a dull, indolent sheep, one who, instead of frisking himself, leaping his wattles, or even condescending to notice the butting gambols of his silly companions, silently fills his paunch with pasture, and then seeking a shady nook, indolently and luxuriously chows his cud with closed eyes and blissful satisfaction, only rising when his delicious repast is ended, to proceed silently and without emotion to repeat the pleasing process of laying in more provender, and then returning to his dreamy siesta to renew the delightful task of rumination."




On the homepage of this website it says us Brits say grill and the Americans say broil and they say grill when they put food on the gridiron over a barbecue. Well, back in 1861 Mrs Beeton talks of broiling on the gridiron

"Cut the chops from a well-hung tender loin of mutton, remove a portion of the fat, and trim them into a nice shape; slightly beat and level them; place the gridiron over a bright clear fire, rub the bars with a little fat, and lay on the chops. Whilst broiling, frequently turn them, and in about 8 minutes they will be done.

It's like what the American Brit Bill Bryson talks about in his book 'Mother Tongue' The Brits say Autumn and the Yanks say Fall but the Brits used to say Fall when they first settled North America. And I've no doubt back then they used to drop the h when they spoke of herbs




Back then she sold 60,000 copies in under a year. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who wrote the Sherlock Holmes books said of Mrs Beeton's book "more wisdom to the square inch than any work of man"

Read more of her here

The entire book is here