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S. Day Pastrycook and Confectioner, Fancy Bread & Biscuitmaker records
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Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts [Contact Us]3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6206
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Samuel Day was born in 1806 or 1807 in Middlesex, England, the son of Thomas Day, a hatmaker. In 1822, Samuel Day became an apprentice to pastry cook and confectioner, Jonathan Thomas Heap of London, and was indentured for seven years. Day later owned and operated his own business, S. Day Pastrycook and Confectioner, Fancy Bread & Biscuit Maker, located in Strood and Rochester, Kent County, England.
According to English census records, Day married Mary Ann Fells (1816-1846) in 1835 and they were the parents of 5 children: Emily, Sarah, Charles, Elizabeth, and David. After Mary Ann's death in 1846, Day married Charlotte Curel Roberts (born 1826) and they were the parents of three additional children: William, Mary Ann, and John. They appear to have spent the majority of their lives in Kent, England. Day probably died in 1883.
This collection contains a small number of records documenting Samuel Day's career as baker and confectioner. Researchers will find his contract of indenture to pastry chef Jonathan Thomas Heap in 1822, with a booklet outlining the rules of apprenticeship for a cook. Included is a partial notebook of recipes with a table of contents, containing recipes for cakes, cookies, rolls, biscuits, etc.; there are also loose recipes, some written on the verso of advertisements. In addition, there are detailed records of clients' orders dating from 1850 to 1873 and listing the client, the order, cost of ingredients, and quantities. Some of the records show that Day not only was a baker but also procured meats and wines for catered events; some include detailed receipts that list the supply of cutlery items, dishes, glasses, as well as pastries and breads provided for a luncheon or party.
Sold by Alastor Rare Books (Lymington, England), cat. 19 (2011), no. 21.
- Publisher
- University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts
- Finding Aid Author
- Kelin Baldridge (cataloged by Nancy Shawcross)
- Finding Aid Date
- 2016 November 10
- Access Restrictions
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This collection is open for research use.
- Use Restrictions
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Copyright restrictions may exist. For most library holdings, the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania do not hold copyright. It is the responsibility of the requester to seek permission from the holder of the copyright to reproduce material from the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts.