House Servants Directory | Index | Intro | Section One | Section Two and Three | Section Four and Five | Section Six | Section Seven and Eight | Section Nine and Ten | Glossary
Robert Roberts’s Receipts
A Glossary of Tools and Ingredients
Roberts’s receipts, or recipes, show readers the “science” of servant work. It was work that required knowledge of a wide variety of ingredients, how to combine them and apply the results to the many objects, furnishings, textiles, personal care, and foodstuffs that came under the servant’s care.
Many of the materials used in Roberts’s directions we would recognize today. This Glossary covers items he used that may not be familiar to 21st century readers.
In the Glossary below, the numbers in parentheses following the definition of a term refer to the receipts where the item appears.
Please note that many of Roberts’s ingredients can be toxic and are unsafe for use today.
Alkaline salt
Alkaline salts are soluble hydroxides of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals, and have a pH of 7 or greater. Often used in cleaning solutions, Roberts uses alkaline salt in his receipt for removing spots from cloth. (41)
Alkanet root
The alkanet plant root creates a water-insoluble red dye used to color fat, oil, perfume, wood, marble, and pharmaceutical products. Roberts uses it for cleaning and polishing dark-toned wood furniture, including mahogany. (3, 4)
Alum
An astringent mineral salt, typically occurring as colorless or whitish crystal, used today in dyeing, tanning, sizing paper and fireproofing materials, in water purification, and in medicine. Roberts has several uses for alum. (58, 67, 70 ,83, 93, 97, 102)
Ammoniac salt
A chemical compound formed by the reaction between ammonia (NH3) and an acid. These salts are widely used in various applications today, including agriculture, industrial processes, and household products. It is an ingredient in Roberts’s preparations to turn iron white, gild copper and bronze, and remove oily spots. (63, 84, 86)
Aromatic salt
The aromatic gum resin of a southwest Asian herb (Dorema ammoniacum) of the carrot family, aromatic salt is used as an expectorant and stimulant and in plasters. Roberts uses it for a spot removal solution. (62)
Baize
A coarse wool or cotton material with a felt-like texture. For doing “dirty work,” Roberts recommends a green baize apron. He also uses it as a wrap for firearms that will prevent rust. This fabric had many uses in Roberts’s time. (22)
Butter of antimony
An older term for the chemical compound antimony trichloride, a colorless or white crystalline solid. It was called butter of antimony due to its butter consistency when melted. Roberts uses it in a cleaning solution for brass and copper. (14)
Black rosin
A kind of resin in a solid form obtained as a residue after the distillation of oil of turpentine from crude turpentine. The color of the product (yellow, brown, or black) depends on the length of time that heat is applied during distillation. It appears in Roberts’s receipts for furniture polish, varnish, and bottle cement. (6, 27, 105)
Black soap
Any of various types of dark-colored soap. Historically, in Roberts’s time, this was likely a soft soap made from alkali and animal blubber or fish oil. He uses it for spot removal. (41)
Blacking
Any of a number of substances that will make an object black when applied. In his receipt 16 “Another beautiful polish for black grates” Roberts uses black lead for this purpose. In 1 “To make the best liquid blacking,” he uses ivory black. Blacking appears in several of Roberts’s receipts. (1, 12, 13, 16, 18, 82)
Bristol brick
A material of the mineral silica made in the form of a brick, used for cleaning cutlery. Roberts suggests its use in his directions for cleaning knives.
Bullock’s gall
Gall from a young bovine bull. Gall is bile, the yellow or greenish alkaline fluid that is secreted by the liver, stored and concentrated in the gallbladder, and passed into the intestines where it aids in the breakdown and absorption of fats. It is an ingredient in four of Roberts’s cleaning solutions for use on textiles. (41, 63, 66, 85)
Bung hole
The hole in a cask, which is closed with a large cork stopper called a bung. He mentions the cask bung hole in his receipts for wine and beer. (52, 78, 98, 101)
Burgundy pitch
Pitch is a resin from pine trees. For waterproofing boots, Roberts’s specifies “burgundy,” likely meaning a yellowish brown or reddish-brown resin from the Norway spruce. (2)
Crocus
A polishing powder composed of peroxide of iron. Roberts uses this substance in his directions and receipts for polishing steel and japanned items and for removing rust from steel. (12, 23)
Demijohn
A large bottle with a bulging body and a narrow neck, usually holding from 3 to 10 gallons, enclosed in wickerwork. (59, 60)
Essential oil of sulfur
Roberts is likely referring to oil of vitriol or sulfuric acid. (see the entry below for oil of vitriol.) A strong and corrosive substance, its uses today include food processing. Among its functions, oil of vitriol can help to purify sugar. In Roberts’s lemonade receipt, it is a main ingredient, along with lemons and sugar. (56)
Florence Oil
A superior kind of olive oil, which appears in a corn plaster receipt. (95)
Florentine orris
Orris is the root of an Iris plant, including the Iris germanica, Iris florentina, and Iris pallida species. A subtile or fine powder of orris, which Roberts uses, is often used to add a sweet aroma to food or perfumes. Roberts specifies the Florentine for his solution to renew embroidery. (85)
Frankincense
An aromatic gum resin from trees of the genus Boswellia. This herbal extract is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. Roberts included it in his corn plaster. (95)
Gall nuts [sic]
A gallnut is an abnormal outgrowth of plant tissue, especially oak trees, usually due to insect or mite parasites or fungi and sometimes forming an important source of tannin. Roberts adds it to a solution that can revive old deeds and other paper documents. (30)
Gill
A measure of capacity for liquids, varying by locality and year. In Roberts’s receipts, this is likely a half-pint measure. (34, 36)
Gin
This alcoholic beverage has several applications in Roberts’s guide. He specifies New England gin for cleaning plated articles (20), and unspecified “gin” in his directions for cleaning steel forks, polishing steel grates and mirrors and looking glasses. Also see Holland’s gin.
Gum arabic
A water-soluble gum obtained from acacias and used especially in the manufacture of inks, adhesives, pharmaceuticals, and confections. It works as a glue or binder, and hardens in drying, but is usually soluble in cold or hot water. Among its many uses, today it appears in shoe polish. Roberts uses it in his liquid blacking used on shoes and boots. (1)
Gum lac
The resinous secretion produced by lac insects known as shellac. One application is wood varnish. It appears in Roberts’s black varnish. (27).
Hartshorn balls
A powder made from the antlers of a male reindeer (hart). Often used as leavening in baking, Roberts includes it in preparations for the cleaning and polishing of plate. (17, 18)
Holland’s gin
A variety of gin distilled in the Netherlands from a mixture of grains and flavored with herbs and juniper berries. This spirit typically has a lower alcohol content than either London gin or Plymouth gin and a sweeter taste, and contains fewer botanicals. It was historically sold in square-faced bottles and usually drunk neat. Roberts adds it to his receipt for polishing steel grates. (11)
Ivory black
A fine soft black pigment, obtained by calcining ivory—heating it to high temperatures— in a closed vessel, used by Roberts in blacking for shoes and harnesses. (1, 82)
Ley
Alkalized water or any strong alkaline solution, especially one used for the purpose of washing. Roberts uses a wine ley, pearl ash ley, and unspecified ley. (28, 38, 63)
Mantle cloth
A cloth suitable for mantles (cloaks and shawls) and other exterior clothing. Roberts suggests the use of a piece of mantle cloth when cleaning brass and copper. (14)
Marsh mallow leaves
Leaves of a shrubby plant found in brackish ditches, Althaea officinalis, of the family Malvaceae, native to Eurasia and North Africa, which has ovate leaves and pale pink flowers. Roberts adds this ingredient to his receipt for reviving the color of cloth. (66)
Muslin
Any of various lightweight cotton fabrics in a plain weave. (22, 87)
Mutton suet
Fat from sheep, commonly used in candles. Roberts applies it to iron and steel to prevent rust. (22)
Oil of vitriol
Oil of vitriol is an old-fashioned name for sulfuric acid, a highly corrosive, dense, oily liquid. Green vitriol is iron sulfate. Roberts uses oil of vitriol and green vitriol. (7, 10, 84.) Also see “Essential Oil of Sulfur.”
Oxalic acid
A crystalline dibasic acid occurring in wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) and many other plants. It is toxic when ingested in large quantities. Roberts uses it in solutions to clean brass and cooper, and to remove ink stains. (14, 71)
Pearl ash
This is crude potassium carbonate, called pearl-ash when purified. Roberts uses this ingredient to wash and clean glass decanters and lamps, and in receipts for polishing and removing oil stains from boards. (28, 38)
Pipkin
A small (usually earthenware) pot or pan. (3, 6, 33, 95, 103)
Porter
A dark-brown or black bitter beer, brewed from malt which has been partly charred or browned by drying at a high temperature. Also mentioned as a beverage in his Directory, Roberts uses porter as an ingredient in some receipts. (1, 12, 25)
Quick lime (Slaked/Unslaked Lime)
Quick lime is a caustic compound made by heating limestone to a red heat, by which method the carbonic acid is driven off, leaving pure lime, a brittle white solid. Combined with water, it gives off heat and forms hydrate of lime (slaked lime). Roberts uses quick lime in a receipt to make iron look like silver (86) and in a mastic. (29)
Unslaked and slaked lime appear in receipts 22, 23, and 38.
Quick silver
The liquid metal mercury, used by Roberts in cleaning plated articles. (17, 19, 20).
Red lead
A bright red, crystalline or amorphous oxide of lead, used today as a pigment in paints. It appears in one of Roberts’s receipts for a corn plaster. (95)
Rock alum
An astringent mineral salt, typically colorless or whitish crystals, used as a mordant for dyeing, in tanning, for sizing paper, and fireproofing materials, in water purification, and in medicine. Roberts adds it to receipts for refining cider and whitening ivory. (58, 97)
Rose pink
A pinkish pigment made by coloring whiting or chalk with an extraction made by boiling Brazil wood or other colored wood. Roberts adds it to his solutions for cleaning and polishing mahogany. (3, 4)
Rottenstone
A siliceous [containing silica] limestone made crumbly by weathering. A preparation of this material is used as a powder or paste for polishing metal and wood. Roberts use it in a polish for steel grates. (10, 21)
Sandarech [sic]
Sandarach is a red arsenic sulfide, a resin from the tree Callitris quadrivalvis, native of North-West Africa. Roberts uses it in black varnish. (27)
Shammy leather
A kind of soft, pliable leather, also known as chamois. Roberts specifies a number of types of cloth in his directions. He recommends shammy for polishing.
Slaked lime see Quick Lime
Spirits of turpentine
Oil of turpentine is a volatile oil, contained in the wood, bark, leaves, and other parts of coniferous trees, and usually prepared by distilling crude turpentine. Roberts uses this ingredient in several ways, often for polishing. (3, 6, 8, 10, 16, 24, 82)
Spirits of wine
Purified or distilled wine. This ingredient appears in a number of receipts. (11, 17, 19, 20, 27, 34, 39, 53, 69, 80, 81, 104)
Sweet oil
Any oil of pleasant or mild taste. Roberts recommends this oil in cleaning, blacking, and polishing solutions. (1, 8, 10, 11, 15, 74)
Turpentine
An extract from coniferous trees, turpentines are semi-fluid substances consisting of resins dissolved in a volatile oil. In his receipt for waterproofing shoes and boots (2), Roberts specifically calls for turpentine and not spirits of turpentine (distilled turpentine). In all other receipts using turpentine, he specifies “spirits of turpentine.”
Unslaked lime see Quick lime
Venice turpentine
Venice turpentine is a pale green viscous liquid that is collected from the larch tree (Larix decidua, or L. europea). Used today for lithographic work and in sealing wax and varnishes, in Roberts it appears in a varnish for pictures and prints (34) and a corn plaster. (95)
Virgin wax
A fresh, new, or unused beeswax, sometimes the wax produced by the first swarm of bees. Also, a purified or high-quality wax, especially used in making candles.
Roberts uses it in his Italian varnish for furniture. (5)
White karabe
A hard, translucent fossilized resin, typically yellow, orange, or brown in color, used for jewelry and ornaments since ancient times and also in perfumery and medicine. Roberts adds it to a varnish. (104)
Whiting
A preparation of finely powdered chalk used for whitewashing, cleaning plate, and various other purposes. Roberts uses it in solutions for cleaning silver, silver plate, and steel forks. (11, 15, 19, 20)
Sources
Definitions in this glossary are drawn primarily from the following:
Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, December 2024, https://oed.comorg.
Britannica, www.britannica.com.
Merriam Webster, www.merriam-webster.com.
House Servants Directory | Index | Intro | Section One | Section Two and Three | Section Four and Five | Section Six | Section Seven and Eight | Section Nine and Ten | Glossary
