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| 200-year-old recipe book heirloom given to family | 200-year-old recipe book heirloom given to family |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A 200-year-old book of handwritten recipes has been given to the author's great-great-great-grandson, 20 years after it was found at a car boot sale. | A 200-year-old book of handwritten recipes has been given to the author's great-great-great-grandson, 20 years after it was found at a car boot sale. |
| Bob Watson, of Heathfield, East Sussex, bought the 1811 house-keeping book in the 1990s. | |
| Intrigued by its contents, he set out to find out more about its author and her family. | Intrigued by its contents, he set out to find out more about its author and her family. |
| After piecing its history together, Mr Watson handed the book to Colin Peal, 90, of Castle Hedingham, Essex. | |
| Mr Watson said he immediately wanted the book when he came across it at a Brighton car boot sale, and paid £50 for it. | Mr Watson said he immediately wanted the book when he came across it at a Brighton car boot sale, and paid £50 for it. |
| He said: "It's dated 1811 at the front. It's all handwritten and there are a lot of recipes in there. | He said: "It's dated 1811 at the front. It's all handwritten and there are a lot of recipes in there. |
| "It's a house-keeping book, really, and it obviously belonged to a large house. | "It's a house-keeping book, really, and it obviously belonged to a large house. |
| "It details stocks and shares and has a lot on nutrition copied out by a doctor. | "It details stocks and shares and has a lot on nutrition copied out by a doctor. |
| "The handwriting changes halfway through and I've since learned that these books were handed from mother to daughter and passed down over the generations." | "The handwriting changes halfway through and I've since learned that these books were handed from mother to daughter and passed down over the generations." |
| Keen to find out about the family and what became of them, Mr Watson, 54, searched "on and off" for the next 20 years. | Keen to find out about the family and what became of them, Mr Watson, 54, searched "on and off" for the next 20 years. |
| "The cover says 'receipts book' - apparently that was an old English word for recipe - and L Lampet. | "The cover says 'receipts book' - apparently that was an old English word for recipe - and L Lampet. |
| "I've since found out that was Harriet Lampet, or a Mrs Lionel Lampet." | "I've since found out that was Harriet Lampet, or a Mrs Lionel Lampet." |
| Unable to find anything on the Lampets, he had a breakthrough last year. | Unable to find anything on the Lampets, he had a breakthrough last year. |
| "I went on the computer and typed in one of the names in the book, Mary Weston, and it came up with her last will, from 1847. | "I went on the computer and typed in one of the names in the book, Mary Weston, and it came up with her last will, from 1847. |
| "It's a really common name, but the will listed the names of several other people in the book, and said she came from Deddington in Oxfordshire." | "It's a really common name, but the will listed the names of several other people in the book, and said she came from Deddington in Oxfordshire." |
| 'Finally paid off' | 'Finally paid off' |
| Deddington History Society stepped in, with member Jill Adams constructing a family tree to trace Mrs Lampet's oldest living descendant, Mr Peal. | Deddington History Society stepped in, with member Jill Adams constructing a family tree to trace Mrs Lampet's oldest living descendant, Mr Peal. |
| "It's going to be kept in the family now, and looked after," said Mr Watson. | "It's going to be kept in the family now, and looked after," said Mr Watson. |
| "It feels strange to hand it over - it's been a part of my life - but all the searching has finally paid off. | "It feels strange to hand it over - it's been a part of my life - but all the searching has finally paid off. |
| "It's amazing how a book can have such an impact." | "It's amazing how a book can have such an impact." |
| The men met at St Mary the Virgin church in Great Bardfield, near Braintree, where generations of the Lampet family worshipped. | The men met at St Mary the Virgin church in Great Bardfield, near Braintree, where generations of the Lampet family worshipped. |
| Mr Peel said he was "delighted" to have the book and the family tree created by Ms Adams. | Mr Peel said he was "delighted" to have the book and the family tree created by Ms Adams. |
| "It's fascinating. I've got all sorts of documents on family history and luckily my mother and my grandfather retained a lot of the family background. | "It's fascinating. I've got all sorts of documents on family history and luckily my mother and my grandfather retained a lot of the family background. |
| "Bob says it's quite valuable - but it's not the money that interests us, it's the sentimental value and what it means to the family. | "Bob says it's quite valuable - but it's not the money that interests us, it's the sentimental value and what it means to the family. |
| "It's amazing what Bob did." | "It's amazing what Bob did." |