Cookery Books - The Thatched House Tavern

 

The Thatched House Tavern operated as a venue for large social gatherings and fine dining for the upper echelons of society. Jonathan Swift (Gulliver’s Travels) dined there with friends in 1711, though they had to send out for wine. 

James Willis took over from Benjamin Frere in 1770, by which time the Tavern was in its heyday and was catering for various clubs and societies, prior to gentlemen’s clubs obtaining their own premises and business taking a downturn during the first half of the 19th century. James was a member of the Vintners Company and wine was available! There was a large public room decorated with an impressive ceiling and it was lit by chandeliers. The Society of Dilettanti held dinners there and displayed their collection of paintings by artists including Sir Joshua Reynolds. Other clubs and societies included the Carlton Club, the Royal Naval Club and the Literary Club. 

Dinner wasn’t always up to expectations. There’s an account repeated on various websites of a very smelly, unappetising beef pie being served and I’m sure that I also read about someone dying after overindulging at the Tavern the previous evening. I can’t find a source for that one at the moment!

Two cooks from the Tavern took the opportunity to publish their own cookbooks. Both are readable and downloadable on the internet for free - see below.

Cookery Made Easy by Michael Willis - First published in 1824.

Read the book here or  download it from Google Books here

Michael Willis was obviously a family member but there were quite a few Michaels in the family and I can’t be sure which one he was. I think that the most likely candidate is Michael Thomas Willis, born 1785. He was the son of James Willis and Elizabeth Tebb and younger brother to James Willis and William Willis, who ran the Thatched House Tavern and Almack’s after their father’s death in 1794. In 1799, Michael was apprenticed to Edward Green of the Vintner’s Company, which sounds like a good step into the family businesses.

There are plenty of illustrations and instructions on preparing meat for cooking and carving. I quite like this one, though I don’t think that I’ll be trying out any of the recipes. 

The Cook’s Dictionary by Richard Dolby - first published in about 1830.

read the book or download it here 

As with Michael Willis above, it’s difficult to work out which Richard Dolby was which. I think that the cookery book writer was probably Richard Dolby, who was apprenticed to William Willis in 1816.  He would have been born in around 1800 and was the son of Richard Dolby of Colchester, a bricklayer who went bankrupt in 1807. He seems to be the obvious candidate.

As with Michael Willis above, it’s difficult to work out which Richard Dolby was which. I think that the cookery book writer was probably Richard Dolby, who was apprenticed to William Willis in 1816.  He would have been born in around 1800 and was the son of Richard Dolby of Colchester, a bricklayer who went bankrupt in 1807. He seems to be the obvious candidate.

The Willis family also had a connection to the Dolby surname in Egham and Winkfield, Berkshire through William Willis’s wife, Mary Bartholomew. Mary’s sister Ann married George Dolby of Winkfield, a bricklayer. I don’t think that they had a son called Richard, but there was another Richard Dolby, born Winkfield around 1800, who set up in business with his brother-in-law as a hotel keeper and omnibus proprietor in Liverpool some time after the publication of the cookery book - all very confusing! I suspect that Richard Dolby of Thatched House fame was related to the Dolbys of Winkfield and may well have become the Liverpool hotel keeper and omnibus proprietor. 

Richard Dolby’s book was the first cookery book where recipes were printed in alphabetical order. Advertisements claimed that the book contained over five thousand recipes (receipts) in double columns over more than five hundred pages, at a price of only 9s 6d. “In this famous volume will be found receipts for dishes of every kind, from the sumptuous preparations fitted for regal banquets, to those over which domestic parties in the middle classes make merry on holiday occasions.” 

Various reviews of the book refer to “Mr Richard Dolby, of the Thatched House Tavern, whose ability to “rule the roast” is well known”.

Spode Willis Pattern at the Thatched House Tavern

 Josiah Spode set up his own pottery company in Stoke-on-Trent in 1776. In 1784 he developed the process of underglaze transfer printing on earthenware. I think that means the pattern would be printed first and then the product would be handpainted and fired. 

The first Josiah Spode died in 1794 and the business was continued by his son, another Josiah. Spode were famous for their elegant bone china but it was not very hardwearing. In 1813 the company came up with a more resilient form - stone-china, which was greyish-white and gritty when unglazed. The second Josiah teamed up with William Copeland, who died in 1826. After Josiah’s death in 1828 the company became Copeland and Garrett in 1833 and then Copeland in 1847. Many patterns would be marked “Late Spode”. The marks are a good way of dating the age of the china. In 1970 the company became Spode again and in 2006 they were bought out by Royal Worcester. 

There are pattern books going back to the late 1700s and Spode are particularly renowned for their blue and white patterned china.

In about 1815 James Willis commissioned some Spode china for use at the Thatched House Tavern. It was stone-china, so would stand up to heavy use - as can be seen from the fact that some pieces still exist today! The pattern he chose was based on the chinese famille rose patterns, which were popular at the time. There was a distinctive butterfly, which sometimes disappeared from the pattern - there’s a theory that diners didn’t like bugs on their plates. 

Over time, the pattern became known as the Willis pattern. It wasn’t exclusive to the Thatched House Tavern and was produced until the 1960s with various colourings and borders. In the 1970s, when Copeland became Spode again, the pattern had a redesign and was renamed Shima. 

There was some discussion about the Willis pattern in The Spode Review, a Spode Society publication, during the 1980s or 1990s. Robert Copeland, a descendant of the original Copeland family, had received a query about a piece of china marked with the inscription “Willis Thatch’d House”. On investigation he managed to find copper engraving plates with inscriptions for “Willis Thatch’d House” and “White, Bush - Staines”, both written in script. There were also engravings for ROYAL SUSSEX HOTEL, BEDFORD HOTEL, WOODSIDE HOTEL and ROYAL VICTORIA HOTEL ST LEONARDS ON SEA - he felt that those were probably not printed on the face of the pattern. We know that the Bush Inn at Staines was run by James Willis’s White inlaws - I’ve been searching for a Willis pattern plate with that inscription but haven’t been able to find anything yet. Willis Thatch’d House inscriptions are few and far between but do turn up from time to time. I’ll have to try to find out about the other hotels - I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that they were being run by members of the Willis or White families. 

There are some more examples of Willis pattern in this flipbook compilation. 

The Thatched House Tavern - for sale!

 

James Willis, the elder, had the lease of the Thatched House Tavern from about 1770. The inn dated back to about 1711 and it was located in St James’s Street, Westminster, just down the road from St James’s Palace and round the corner from Almack’s Assembly Rooms in King Street. A very desirable location and convenient for the upper classes. When James Willis died in 1794 the business, together with the assembly rooms, was carried on by two of his sons, James the younger and William (our ancestor). 

There’s a lot to write about the Thatched House Tavern and I’ll be writing some more stories in the future, but for the time being I’m going to skip to the end - I think that the following newspaper advertisement gives a very good view of the scale of the operation. 

William Willis died in 1839 and it seems that James Willis decided to retire in 1840. William’s son, Charles, and James’s son, Frederick, continued to run the assembly rooms, which became known as Willis’s Rooms. The Thatched House Tavern was put up for sale. 

I found this advertisement while searching for something else entirely!

MORNING ADVERTISER 7th of July 1840.

Thatched House Tavern, St James’s-street, with possession.

MESSRS. WARLTERS and LOVEJOY will Sell by Auction, at Garraway’s, Change-alley, Cornhill, on WEDNESDAY, July 22nd, at Twelve (unless disposed of by private contract), by

order of Mr. James Willis, retiring from the business, the valuable LEASE and BUSINESS of those very superior and well-known Premises, the THATCHED HOUSE TAVERN, St James’s-street, opposite Pall-Mall, with a frontage to St James’s-street of 99 feet., by a depth of 250 feet., including 

six shops in front of St James’s-street; nine houses of ten rooms each at the back, called Thatched House-place; and a valuable public house. The Tavern possesses every accommodation for conducting business in the first style to any extent, held for 28 years at a moderate rent. May be viewed till the sale.

Particulars on the Premises; at Garraway’s; and of Messrs Warlters and Lovejoy, Farringdon-street.

Chris says that the Morning Advertiser is still going strong as a trade magazine for the pub and brewery sector and is the go-to source for business news. It used to be delivered to his offices in Eastbourne, Alcester, and Brighouse and was much read!

The original building was demolished in 1843 to make way for the new Conservative Club building and the Thatched House was was relocated to an adjacent building. It finally closed in 1865. I’m not sure whether the Willis family did end up selling, I’ll have to look into that.

Coming soon (unless something else turns up!) Spode and Willis pattern china.

William Almack's Illustrious In-Laws

 

William Almack 1715 -1781

Elizabeth Cullen 1716 - ?

William Almack married Elizabeth Cullen on the 16^th of May 1752 at St George’s Church, Mayfair, London, a fashionable venue for weddings.

According to the Dictionary of National Biography (not known for its accuracy!), Elizabeth was a waiting-maid to the Duchess of Hamilton. Elizabeth’s father, William, was a lawyer and factor to the Duke of Hamilton, which meant that he ran the duke’s estates. Elizabeth’s brother, another William, was a physician.

William Cullen 1710 – 1790 Elizabeth Cullen’s brother.

William was born in Hamilton, Scotland. He was primarily a physician and also had an interest in the sciences. He was based in Scotland and was president of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and first physician to the king in Scotland.

 

The Pitcairns

William and Elizabeth Almack’s daughter Elizabeth was born in London on the 23^rd of September 1759. She married Dr. David Pitcairn on the 28^th of February 1781 at St James Church, Westminster.

David Pitcairn 1749 – 1809 Elizabeth Almack’s husband.

David was the son of Major John Pitcairn and his wife Elizabeth (maiden name Dalrymple). He was born in Dysart, Fife, Scotland. He was initially educated in Scotland until 1773, when he attended Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and achieved his medical qualifications. David’s career was overseen by his uncle, whose name was William Pitcairn (1712-1791) and who was president of the College of Physicians. In 1785 he was appointed physician to St Bartholomew’s Hospital (Barts), succeeding his uncle in the position. David also had a large private practice and was known for often treating patients for free.

In 1783, on the death of William Hunter (famous anatomist), David was appointed to be one of three trustees of Hunter’s collection of anatomical specimens. These items later formed the basis of the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow. William Hunter had been a pupil of Elizabeth Almack’s uncle, William Cullen, between 1737 & 1740.

David suffered from ill health towards the end of his life and died in 1809. He is buried in the family vault in the church of St Bartholomew the Less together with his wife Elizabeth. Also buried there are David’s uncle William Pitcairn and the supposed remains of David’s father, John Pitcairn.

Robert Pitcairn 1752 – 1770 Son of John Pitcairn, brother of David Pitcairn.

Robert was David Pitcairn’s younger brother. He joined the Royal Navy and in 1767 he was a midshipman aboard the HMS Swallow. He was the first person to spot an island in the South Pacific. It was named after him and the group of four islands became known as the Pitcairn Islands.

Robert joined the crew of HMS Aurora in 1769. The ship and its crew disappeared without trace after calling at the Cape of Good Hope. It is assumed that the Aurora was wrecked in early 1770.

Years later, in 1780 there was a mutiny on the HMS Bounty. Acting-Lieutenant Fletcher Christian and the crew took control of the ship from Captain William Bligh. Bligh and eighteen loyal members of the crew were set adrift on an open boat. They eventually managed to navigate their way to land.

The mutineers sailed on to Tahiti. Some remained there but Fletcher Christian and eight mutineers carried on to Pitcairn, where their descendants still live today.

John Pitcairn 1722 – 1775 Father of David and Robert Pitcairn

John was the father of David and Robert Pitcairn. He was an army major and was stationed in America at the outbreak of the American War of Independence, fighting on the British side.

Major Pitcairn was in command of the advance party that marched on Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775. This skirmish was the start of the American War of Independence. Pitcairn’s troops arrived in Lexington at dawn and ordered the American militia forces to disband. Both sides had ordered their men to hold fire but at least one shot was fired. It is unclear who fired the shot, but it resulted in the British attacking. One British soldier was injured and the party eventually retreated back to Boston.

Two months later, on the 17^th of June 1775, Major Pitcairn commanded a reserve force of about 300 marines at the Battle of Bunker Hill. He was accompanied by his son Thomas, who was also an officer. John had already sustained two bullet wounds as he led the attack up to the hill and was then shot four times as he entered the trenches. He fell into his son’s arms and was carried back to Boston. Major Pitcairn died of his wounds some hours later. He was buried at the Old North Church in Boston. Some remains purporting to be those of Major Pitcairn were later returned to England.

In recent years John Pitcairn has been resurrected as a character in the video game Assassin’s Creed lll.

 

William Almack, founder of Almack's Assembly Rooms

 

William Almack 1715 -1781

William Almack was probably born in Sandhutton, North Yorkshire in about 1715, the son of John and Elizabeth Almack. He was Mary Alice Willis’s  5X great-uncle. His sister, Ann Almack, was Mary Alice Willis’s 4X great grandmother. Ann Almack’s daughter, Elizabeth Tebb, married James Willis in 1768.

 William’s origins are a bit of a mystery. Commentators at the time believed that he was Scottish and that his original surname was McCall. That was not the case, but his wife was born in Scotland and that may have caused confusion.  He is rumoured to have been a valet to the 5th Duke of Hamilton. I haven’t seen any evidence to support this but his wife’s father, William Cullen, did work for the Duke. In later years Elizabeth Cullen’s brother, another William, was physician to the 5^th Duke of Hamilton.

 William married Elizabeth Cullen in London in 1752. They had three children, William 1754 - 1806 who became a barrister, Elizabeth 1759 -1844 who married Dr. David Pitcairn and Euphemia 1760 - 1776. The Pitcairns were only very distantly related to us by marriage but they were an interesting family and I shall write about them separately.

By 1754 William Almack was running a coffee house in Curzon Street, London and then progressed to running private members' clubs. These evolved into Brooks's and Boodle's and were in competition with White’s. The clubs were notorious for the heavy gambling that took place there. 

'the gaming at Almack's which has taken the pas of White's, is worthy the decline of our Empire, or Commonwealth. . . . The young men of the age lose five, ten, fifteen thousand pounds in an evening there.' - Horace Walpole.

Building commenced on Almack's Assembly Rooms in King Street, Westminster in May 1764 and they opened on 12 February 1765. Twelve weekly balls were held during the season, access to tickets was controlled by a committee known as the lady patronesses. 

"All on that magic list depends;

Fame, fortune, fashion, lovers, friends;
'Tis that which gratifies or vexes
All ranks, all ages, all sexes.
If once to Almack's you belong,
Like monarchs, you can do no wrong;
But banished thence on Wednesday night,
By Jove you can do nothing right." Henry Luttrell.

William Almack handed over the running of the busines to James Willis in 1771 due to ill health. James had married Almack's niece Elizabeth Tebb in 1768 (Mary Alice Willis’s 3X great grandparents). The business remained in the Willis family for over a hundred years.

William died on the 3rd January 1781.