Festive dining? A 1782 pub bill

In our current exhibition Wonder, and within the ‘Domestic Bliss’ case, there is a small bill incurred at the King’s Arms pub in Kew Green by Carl Linnaeus’ son, Carl Linnaeus the Younger, at some time in 1782.

Carl the Younger (otherwise known as Linnaeus filius, 1741–1783) had succeeded his father as Professor of Botany at the University of Uppsala in 1762 at the age of 22, and did so while his father was still alive, which caused quite a bit of resentment amongst colleagues. Relations between father and son were not easy, and at the death of his illustrious father in 1778, Carl the Younger had to fight to retain the collections of his father for his own use. In 1781, Carl the Younger set off to the Continent, visiting England, France, the Netherlands, and Denmark. He was in England between February and August 1782, mostly staying in London, mingling with the circles around Joseph Banks, and visiting various gardens. The Linnean Society holds many of his manuscripts from this period and the pub bill is kept amongst other bills for the period, including bills from his landlord, Mr Carpenter.

The pub bill is unfortunately undated but is probably indicative of a meal taken following, or during a visit to the botanical garden at Kew. It reveals quite a large dinner, worthy of the festive season: Carl the Younger clearly liked his food, and consumed bread, lamb chops, cold ham, pickles, and cheese, washed down with beer, wine, and brandy.

One item, however, has remained a mystery since this pub bill was catalogued in 2014: it is the item listed just below ‘Pekels’ (pickles). Many visitors to the exhibition have had a go at it (could it be a fish, like ‘Perch’, as fish seems to be lacking from the menu?). If you think you can decipher it, please contact us at library@linnean.org.

We hope your festive dining this coming Christmas is as enjoyable as that of Carl Linnaeus the Younger in this Kew Green pub many moons ago!