Food and Power in Sixteenth-Century Ireland: Studying Household Accounts from Dublin Castle
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Journal ArticleDate:
2022Access:
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Charlie Taverner, Susan Flavin, 'Food and Power in Sixteenth-Century Ireland: Studying Household Accounts from Dublin Castle', 2022, The Historical Journal;Download Item:
Abstract:
Studying the food practices of one vast and prominent Irish household reveals a com plex history of consumption, status, and power in sixteenth-century Europe. This article
is a close analysis of the little studied but unusually detailed household accounts of
William Fitzwilliam, lord deputy of Ireland during 1572–5 and 1588–94. It first discusses
how early modern historians have probed similar records and how these examples can
be interpreted. The following sections examine the specific foods consumed at Dublin
Castle and the high cost, distinctive rhythms, and deep symbolism of grand-scale dining
at the viceroy’s primary residence. This study of the everyday life of one of the most
powerful officeholders in England and Ireland offers fresh perspectives on the region’s
political history. It also adds to the burgeoning study of Irish consumption, showing
that the country was connected to continental developments. More than an Irish
story, this article offers evidence of Europe-wide changes, like the elaboration of courtly
cuisine and the shifting associations of foodstuffs, and how these changes were filtered
through local circumstances. It suggests too how historians can make productive use
of household accounts, sources well suited to comparison and combination with
other disciplinary approaches
Sponsor
Grant Number
European Research Council (ERC)
803486
Author's Homepage:
http://people.tcd.ie/sflavin
Author: Taverner, Charlie; Flavin, Susan
Type of material:
Journal ArticleCollections
Series/Report no:
The Historical Journal;Availability:
Full text availableKeywords:
Food history; early modern historySubject (TCD):
Identities in Transformation , Making Ireland , Manuscript, Book and Print Cultures , Anglo-Irish relations , British History , Early development of Dublin , Early modern ireland, colonial communities , Irish HistoryISSN:
0018-246XMetadata
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