Hannah Woolley was a mid-17th century writer – and possibly England’s most prolific public author of household guides. Woolley’s most famous work, published in 1670, carried the long title The Queen-Like Closet or Rich Cabinet, stored with all manner of Rare Receipts for Preserving, Candying and Cookery. Much of The Queen-Like Closet was concerned with cooking, household management and other useful tips for housewives, picked up during Woolley’s time in domestic service. She also offered some homespun medical cures. For example, for shingles Woolley says to:

“…Take a cat and cut off her ears and her tail, and mix the blood thereof with a little new milk and anoint the grieved place with it, morning and evening, for three days.”

For “morphew” (scaly skin) or freckles:

“Take the blood of any fowl or beast and wipe your face all over with it every night when you go to bed, for a fortnight… and sometimes hold your face over the smoke of brimstone for a while.”

And for leprosy, Woolley suggests swallowing gold bullets. And when they work their way through your system and emerge at the other end, swallow them again:

“Swallow every twelve hours a bullet of gold, and still as you void one, wash it in treacle-water and at the hour swallow it again… continue doing this a long time and it will cure.”

Source: Hannah Woolley, The Queene-Like Closet, &c., London, 1670. Content on this page is © Alpha History 2019-23. Content may not be republished without our express permission. For more information please refer to our Terms of Use or contact Alpha History.