Three Thousand Dishes on a Georgian Table, 1788-1813 - Dataset

This dataset makes accessible the uniquely comprehensive dining records of King George III, Queen Charlotte, the Prince Regent, and their households during the declining years of the King (1788-1813). It includes a transcription and structuring of two volumes that outline day-by-day what members of the royal households were fed at each meal. It includes details of more than 40,000 plates of food from over 3,000 distinct recipes, recorded by the kitchen staff as part of their financial accountability, but offering historians a rich glimpse into the culture and consumption of two royal palaces, as well as the rich multicultural influences on eighteenth century cooking.

The dataset includes a spreadsheet of all dishes, and an accompanying appendix that outlines our methodology and some suggestions for using the material effectively.

Additional context and information about the records is available in: Adam Crymble; Sarah Fox; Rachel Rich; Lisa Smith, ‘Three Thousand Dishes on a Georgian Table: The Data of Royal Eating in England, 1788-1813’, Food & History, vol 21, no 2 (2023).

License

We release the following documents under a creative commons ‘CC-BY 4.0’ license

●      Appendices

●      Three Thousand Dishes on a Georgian Table - Dataset, Version 1.0 (.xlsx file)

© Images of the 'Kew Ledger' reproduced by permission of The National Archives, London, England. These images are NOT released under a CC license. Until 2027, copies of the 'Kew Ledger' images can be found at https://www.migrants.adamcrymble.org/menus/, after which our license to share them will expire. The National Archives give no warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or fitness for the purpose of the information provided. Images may be used only for purposes of research, private study or education.  Applications for any other use should be made to The National Archives Image Library, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, Tel: 020 8392 5225   Fax: 020 8392 5266.

Images of the menu book of the Prince Regent are available via the Royal Archives 'Georgian Papers' website: https://gpp.rct.uk/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=GEO_MENUS%2f1.

Citation

Anyone publishing academically or commercially based on research conducted with this dataset in whole or in part is asked to credit the authors with the following citation:

• Adam Crymble; Sarah Fox; Rachel Rich; Lisa Smith, ‘Three Thousand Dishes on a Georgian Table: The Data of Royal Eating in England, 1788-1813’, Food & History, vol 21, no. 2 (2023).

This dataset is provided as-is. Anyone conducting research or making use of the dataset for any purpose whatsoever is encouraged to use their own judgment when deciding whether or not to accept the interpretations of the authors.

Data creation occurred between 2015 and 2023.

These data were compiled with the financial support of the British Academy "Tackling the UK’s International Challenges Programme 2019" (IC4/100235) and of the School of Cultural Studies and Humanities, Leeds Beckett University.

The original materials are held as the ‘Kew Ledger’ at the National Archives in the United Kingdom:

• ‘Kew Ledger’ The National Archives (TNA), LS/9/226.

The original materials are held as the ‘Menu Book for the Prince Regent and his Household, principally relating to Carlton House, 1812-1813’ at the Royal Archives in the United Kingdom:

• ‘Menu book for the Prince Regent and his Household, principally relating to Carlton House’ The Royal Archives, MRH/MRHF/MENUS/MAIN/MIXED/1.