Elizabeth Freke facts for kids

Elizabeth Freke (1641–1714) was an English writer known for her personal diaries and memories. She also collected many recipes for both medicine and cooking. Her writings even include a dramatic poem about Eve and the Serpent from the Bible.

Her Family and Early Life

Elizabeth Freke was born in 1641 in Hannington, Wiltshire. Her family, the Frekes, were wealthy and supported the King (they were called Royalists). Her parents were Ralph Freke and Cicely Culpeper. Sadly, her mother passed away when Elizabeth was only seven years old. This made Elizabeth the oldest girl among her four sisters. One of her sisters was Frances, who later became Lady Norton. Elizabeth was mostly raised by an aunt in Kent. Her father was a lawyer in London and owned land in both Kent and Wiltshire.

Marriage and Family Life

In 1672, when she was 30, Elizabeth married her second cousin, Percy Freke. He was from Rathbury Castle in County Cork, Ireland. They had known each other for seven years before marrying. Their wedding happened "withoutt my deer Fathers Consentt or knowledg. In A most dreadfull Raynie day." At that time, marrying at 30 was considered quite late for a woman to start a family. People believed they married for love in Covent Garden.

On June 2, 1675, Elizabeth gave birth to their only son, Ralph Freke. Elizabeth and Percy's marriage was not very happy, and she often wrote about it in her diary. They did not live together for much of their marriage. Elizabeth spent most of her time at an estate in Norfolk that her father had given her. At one point, Percy went back to Ireland, leaving Elizabeth and their son with very little money. She then went to stay with her sister until 1685. Shortly after, her son became ill with smallpox but got better. In 1704, Percy came to live with Elizabeth in Norfolk. He was ill and passed away in her arms two years later.

Her Personal Life and Challenges

Elizabeth Freke had a difficult relationship with her husband, as he often used up her money. Despite this, she became very involved with the local church, St Cecilia's. She spent her own time and money helping to repair the church. As she became more involved, she felt she had a lot of control over the church because of her financial help.

However, this led to a disagreement. On February 14, 1713, the Bishop of Norwich told the church leader in Gayton to stop her from entering the church. She was officially removed from the church community in 1714.

Her Burial Place

Elizabeth Freke had wanted to be buried next to her husband in the church vault she had helped to support. But because she was no longer allowed in the church, she could not be buried there. When she died in 1714 at age 69, she was buried in Westminster Abbey.

Her Writings: Diaries and Recipes

Elizabeth Freke created two special manuscript books, often called "The Freke Papers." In these books, she wrote many diary entries. These entries give us a great look into her daily life and thoughts.

She also wrote down notes from medical books she read and other recipe books she found. She collected many medical remedies from these sources. Using this knowledge, she even prepared some of her own remedies. She would talk with doctors and other medical experts of her time. Elizabeth kept a detailed list of ingredients for her medical recipes, along with the remedies themselves. She was known to have supplies of common "cure-all" recipes from her time, like Aqua Mirabolus, Ague Water, Poppy Water, and Cowslip Wine.

These recipe books were passed down through her family, and Elizabeth kept adding her own writings to them. The original manuscript books are now kept at the British Library. There is also a published version of her diary, edited by Mary Carbery, called Mrs. Elizabeth Freke, Her Diary 1671 to 1714. Mary Carbery copied Elizabeth's original writings and put her diary entries in order, but she left out some of the recipes and all of the ingredient lists.

Elizabeth Freke's Book of Common Prayer

This special prayer book was given to West Bilney church in 1710. It is the oldest book still remaining from St Cecilia's Church. After her husband passed away, Elizabeth also gave the church his Bible and a communion plate. Elizabeth Freke referred to this gift as being to "my church of West Bilney," showing how much she felt it belonged to her.

The book was covered in leather. On the front, it had an engraving of a classical temple with statues of saints. The Latin words "Domus Orationis," which means "House of Prayer," were also written on it. Inside, there were decorated pictures throughout the book, showing how expensive and well-made it was. The book was quite small and did not include metrical psalms (songs based on psalms). The book was repaired in 1964.

There was an ongoing disagreement about her efforts within the church and her not paying certain church fees (called tithes). She believed she had given enough by paying the local priest and for the church's upkeep. A few years later, she was officially removed from the church, and she passed away the following year.