Elizabeth Raffald: The Experienced English Housekeeper of Manchester

This short booklet aims to give the basic details of Elizabeth Raffald - The Experienced English Housekeeper of 18th Century Manchester, a woman of drive and character. Elizabeth lived at the dawn of the Industrial Age. Her name is unfamiliar to most Mancunians and yet she was a powerhouse of hard work and entrepreneurialism, something for which Manchester has always been renowned. She was a skilled confectionery cook, writer and businesswoman who lived in Manchester from 1763, when she married at the age of 30, until she died in 1781. In that short time she produced a definitive cookbook and the first trade directory for Manchester, financed newspapers, wrote a book on midwifery and yet still found time to have a family. After a varied career she was buried at Stockport and her husband fled to London. Hers is a fascinating story taking in many things and places, including Arley Hall in Cheshire, Kersal Moor racecourse and the Eccles cake. She is a woman who deserves to be remembered for her contribution to Manchester.

I have tried various writing courses, in journalism and creative writing, even enrolling on an MA to develop professionalism in my writing. In the end it was the support of my friends in my local WI, The Heatons, (who gave me invaluable feedback), together with the knowledge that the only thing that would produce a published book was to persevere at writing it, that has now resulted in a shelf full of completed books.