The English Housewife in Taming of the Shrew

Katherine: The English Housewife

The English Hus-wife, the second book in a two book compilation entitled Countrey Contentments written by Gervase Markham, flourished as a best seller in the early seventeenth century. Published in 1615, Markham extends the title to further elaborate the purpose of the book by advertising its “Contayning, The inward and outward virtues which ought to be in a compleat woman. As her skill in Physicke, Cookery, Banqueting-stuffe, Distillation, Perfumes, Wool, Hemp, Flax, Dayries, Brewing, Baking, and all other things belonging to an Houshould” (cover). As the cover states, this text printed by John Blake was sold in Roger Lackson’s shop for the “generall good of [the English] kingdom” (cover). The whole two book compilation is about 129 pages, but this specific book runs from pages 61-129 for a total 68 pages.

The purpose of the book is to teach women domestic skills. The book contains a collection of popular recipes of the time, directions on how to keep a house and garden, tips on how to take care of sick loved ones suffering from various ailments and diseases, and other fashions of the day that Markham believed a woman should be skilled in. Although this book is clearly intended for a female audience, only about 5-10% of women could read during this time. Besides literate aristocratic women who probably already