I am striving to recreate missing Suffolk cheeses and to develop some of my own. For more information see the blog: ;xNLx;Sciapod Dairy Diary;xNLx;;xNLx;Dates may be generalised where sources are not specific.;xNLx;;xNLx;
The victuallers and inhabitants of Bawdsey request that whereas they were charged by the officers of Edward III and of the King to provide Calais with flour, ale, cheese and other victuals, for which the soldiers in Calais owe them about 300 marks, and the governor and treasurer of Calais cannot force the soldiers to pay their debts without a special order, that a warrant be directed to the governor and treasurer to take and keep in their hands as much of each soldier's wages as is owed to the petitioners, and to pay this to the petitioners. They also request that an ordinance be given to the governor and treasurer that whenever the victuallers of Bawdsey come to Calais with their victuals, the victuals should only be taken by an officer assigned by the governor, and that anyone who cannot pay for their victuals should have it put on record to be kept by the governor so that he can take the money owed from the next payment of their wages to pay the victuallers.
Framlingham Castle acquired cattle from fairs at Clare, Diss, Lodon and Newmarket
Sibton Abbey Herd doubled in size to 140 cows and started to experiment in selective breeding.
Short title: Whyte v Levolde. Plaintiffs: John WHYTE of Beccles, yeoman. Defendants: Robert LEVOLDE of Gillingham, yeoman. Subject: Sale of cheese and butter to other persons after contracting to sell his whole produce to complainant. Suffolk, Norfolk
Short title: Flykk v Garould. Plaintiffs: Edmund FLYKK of Woodbridge. Defendants: William GAROULD of Linstead. Subject: Cheese, salt and butter bought for delivery at Walberswick. Suffolk
Short title: Symondes v Browne. Plaintiffs: John SYMONDES of Stowmarket. Defendants: William BROWNE of the same, butcher. Subject: Refusal to complete a sale of cheese. Suffolk
Need to check details
ADDENDA: MIXED COUNTIES: Interrogatories as to purchases of cheese and butter in counties Norfolk and Suffolk. (needs investigation)
The purchase and sale of butter and cheese by John Bales. His examination as to the quantity he had purchased from Jno. Blobald, Thomas Smythe and William Blomfelde. Suff.
NAVY.: VICTUALLING (VARIOUS).: J. Sone and R. Norton. Butter, cheese, and bacon provided in Suffolk for the navy.
ARMY.: CONTRACTORS, PURVEYORS, &C. (HOME).: R. Norton. Purveyor of cheese, butter, and red herrings in Suffolk for Berwick, Calais, and London.
This excites me - any connection to Robert Bloomfield of the Farmer's boy I wonder? The sale of butter and cheese by Robert Blomfelde. Touching the quantity sold, etc. Suff. - need proper dates
Order to constables to find provisions (butter & cheese) for Her Majesty's navy 1596/7
Robert Feryer v. John Smyth. Butter and cheese engrossed by the defendant. Suff. - need date check
From ask the fellows who cut they hay - a recipe of Prissy Savage's for cheese
Acording to Fruitful Endeavours Helmingham had an Inner Dairy equipped for every stage of cream, butter and cheese making. Probably producing an Angelot cheese, they also had a double presse and a maw potte
Order to constables to search for butter and cheese stolen from Robert Shale's barn
Suffolk had reputation for some of the largest dairy herds in the country and provision of quality cheese and butter
Warrant to provide 1/2 waye of cheese and 2 firkins of butter for the use of the navy to be delivered at Walberswick, to receive 41s the waye for cheese and ?3 for the barrel for butter
For provision by Babergh hundred of eight barrels of butter and eight whey of cheese for victualling Her Majesty's navy 2 Sep 1601
Warrant to the constables of Framlingham to deliver 2 barrels of butter and 2 wayes of cheese to MrLeonard Shawe at Woodbridge for the use of the Queen's Navy
Death of Elizabeth 1
James 1 takes over
1650 - Start of the trade in Cheshire cheese to London by boat following cattle disease in Suffolk in the 1640s. Until then large amounts of Suffolk cheese went to London ordered especially by the Navy. Port records show the growth in Cheshire Cheese landings from 1650. This was a full milk cheese - as originally was Suffolk - but cheaper. Production of Suffolk cheese declined in the wake of cattle disease. Suffolk farmers then switched to making butter for the lucrative London market and made poorer tasting skimmed milk cheeses. After this period, Cheshire Cheese would have been sold at a premium to the now inferior Suffolk Cheese.
In his diary Pepys says...Having been to the theatre with Captain Ferrers and drinking a bottle or two of China ale Pepys comes home to find his wife "vexed at her people for grumbling to eat Suffolk cheese, which I am also vexed at. So to bed""
Samuel Pepys opted to bury his parmesan cheese as the fire of London approached
A trading token inscribed with Dennington Edward Stubbs 1668, may have no connection to cheese but too good not to include as he was discussed over the Sciapod in Dennington church.
Andrew Hawes. A long account relating to the supply of Suffolk and Cheshire cheese.
Nathaniel Simmons. The soldiers on board are in a mutinous condition and threaten to run his vessel on shore. They have staved cask in the hold. They are not satisfied that he has no other victuals for them but bread and Suffolk cheese. Dares not go on board the vessel himself, if he does they will force him to run the vessel ashore. Deal
Thomas Rodbard, Thames Street. He undertakes to supply Suffolk cheese for the soldiers going to Virginia.
Will of John Jennix, Cheese Factor of Mendlesham, Suffolk
There are a number of references about this time as to Navy ships lacking supplies of cheese, beer, pork and pease. this one refers to suppliers refusing to supply more than they were contracted without payments
In a complete course chymistry by George Wilson ... to fortify cracked glasses... Take scrapings of hard Suffolk Cheese and Calx Vive (quick lime) (also uses white of egg and linen to reinforce damaged glassware!)
On the 16th June 1759, the following item appeared in the Ipswich Journal To Suffolk Farmers----The Suffolk Cheese being so badly made for some years past, the Lords of the Admiralty have thought it fit to exclude it from the Royal Navy for one year. By it being made better it is recommended for the future, it being no worse than two meal sleet leaving only the morning milk of which cheese is made or four meal, putting in all the morning milk on the day the cheese is made. It is hoped the dairymen will desist from making cheese from November till the beginning of May as it is of bad quality and has brought great odium to the country cheese.
Account from Samuel Holdrich for the purchase of cheese and tobacco to be delivered to R Chipperfield at the Pest House, paid
An account of Francois de La Rouchfoucauld tour of Suffolk, various references to butter and dairying
Deed to declare terms of trust set up with purchase money paid by William Fisk to Elizabeth Underwood: Robert Mayhew, Ipswich, cheese and butter factor, and Samuel Thorndike, Ipswich, silversmith, trustees appointed by Elizabeth Underwood: John Ambrose, Mistley, Essex and John Swinbourne, Dedham, Essex, grocer and draper, trustees appointed by William Fisk
Note of farms in Fressingfield that pay custom cheese, and "farms that graze"
Bill from J Estaugh to Mr Salmon for cheese for the workhouse, 24th Apr 1800; paid.
A giant cheese was sent to Jefferson in 1802, with the political statement "Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God."
The Farmer's Boy poem from which many of the negative quotes about Suffolk cheese come
Under Roman Cement in Eaton 1822 a reference to Suffolk Cheese being the best for making Roman Cement!
A definition of the method for Suffolk Cheese from The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches, Adapted to the Use of Private Families
Moor's book on Suffolk dialect contains fabulous references to cheese including Wonmil and Bang
Bang was a flet cheese at its worst made from milk three times skimmed and azure blue.
Trip - soft Suffolk cheese - made of milk but not of cream
Account from James Larrett to Mr Cracknel for cheese, 5 Nov 1830
Bill from Edmund Goodwyn to the Guardians of Framlingham for cheese
Gives a general description of his district which is mainly agricultural but includes the ports of King's Lynn, Lowestoft and Ipswich with herring and mackerel fishing and 'considerable income from salvage'. Bombazines, crapes, shawls, chalets, muslins-de-laine and camlets' are manufactured in Norwich and Wymondham and there are silk throwing mills at Yarmouth, Norwich, Hadleigh, Glemsford, Haverhill and Bungay, with silk weaving at Hadleigh, Sudbury, Glemsford, Haverhill and on the Essex/Suffolk border. He comments on the agricultural improvements in Norfolk He explains that last harvest the turnip crop suffered near the coast and on the dry soils; corn was good and hay was even shipped to northern England (unknown for 20 years). The winter was bad with poor fodder for stock and problems in supplying the London market but Norfolk and Suffolk had a good fall of lambs. Kay sent out a circular on wages to those farmers he considers will make accurate replies; he received 22 returns. He has asked for detailed information about family numbers and various sources of income. He received details of 247 labourers' families, divided the responses into 8 categories and made various calculations from the returns (stated). He quotes verbatim from a letter he has received from George Edwards of Framlingham which explains the intricacies of the farmer/labourer relationship, the complexities of any division between day labour and task work, the distinctions between horse drivers and field / barn labourers, and the use of gang labour. Edwards also quotes rent payments, harvest income, and gives a description of the labourers' diet (pork, flour, bread, cheese, potatoes, milk broth, onions and cabbage). Kay states that in 1836 about 3000 people emigrated or migrated to manufacturing districts or places of public works from Norfolk and there were similar figures for Suffolk. He summarises the effects of the Poor law Commissioners orders and regulations and draws conclusions from his investigations into conditions before and after the implementation of the new poor law. He describes the shipping trade in Yarmouth, King's Lynn and Lowestoft with a 15% increase in foreign trade and 25% in coastal; herring and mackerel fishing have been particularly successful. The fishermen of Sheringham, Winterton, Yarmouth, Pakefield, Lowestoft and Southwold have 'raped a large harvest from salvage'. He details the salvage 'dole' peculiar to Lowestoft. Children are still employed in the Norwich silk-throwing and worsted yarn mills despite the reduced cost of raw materials. He gives wages rates for home loom weavers, shawl and chalet makers and chamlet weavers, although commercial relations with China are problematic. The employment of hand loom weavers has been affected by the loss of raw materials and the Court of Guardians Incorporation in Norwich has regulated poor relief. Kay states that the throwing mills in Suffolk and Norfolk have maintained hours of work and numbers employed. The recent commercial down turn has now affected the rural silk weavers of Sudbury, Glemsford and Haverhill like the Spitalfields weavers. He claims that 'tranquillity prevails throughout Norfolk and Suffolk' but reports some opposition to the new law in two unnamed unions.
Bill for beer, bread and cheese, with "Mrs Gross Bill for Confirmation" written on it
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