This is a historical fiction blog based on a day in the life of William Sparrow.
Saturday, July 8, 1769
" Quarter Lamb
Butter 19 lbs.
Crabbs
Fish
Half a Shoat
Mutton
12 Ducks"
William Sparrow Account Book
Tim Logue as William Sparrow
Early one July
morning, before the sun peered over the chimneys of Williamsburg, the checkered
curtains of William Sparrow parted as he looked out over the courtyard
below. It was hot and humid with the
noise of cicadas roaring in the background.
It was a typical summer day in Tidewater, Virginia. William Sparrow was the principal cook to
Governor Botetourt. Making more money
than any other servant on the Governor’s staff, he was Botetourt’s secret
weapon. Sparrow’s only job was to
impress anyone who entered the dining room with some of the best food in
Virginia. He catered to the upper
echelons of society with diners such as George Wythe and Peyton Randolph. This was no small feat, so knowing what he
had to do, Sparrow stretched and began getting ready for the day ahead.
William Sparrow's Room
By this time
around six o’clock in the morning, the sun had risen and the food factory at
the Palace was thrust into action. While
Mr. Sparrow and Mr. Marshman, the butler, planned the day, the undercook and scullery
maids began the task of getting the kitchen ready for the day. Fires had to be stoked, water had to be
brought in from the well and the oven had to be lit. After ensuring the Governor had food for
breakfast, Sparrow hurried to the kitchen to plan the meal of the day, which
had to be served by two o’ clock.
After quickly
taking inventory of the cellar and garden, Sparrow walked out of the side gate to
the market at the center of town. As he
walked by all of vendors, a menu began to take shape in his mind. He quickly
loaded his cart with mutton, lamb, fresh fish from the James River and geese
from a farmer in James City County. All
of these ingredients will make up the dishes to be served to the Governor
and his guests. Upon arriving at the Palace, an army of scullions and scullery maids
descended upon the cart to make ready all of the ingredients for Sparrow to
use.
Upon entering
the kitchen, a scene comparable to a great composer conducting a symphony
commenced. Every ingredient was
perfectly placed, every dish was perfectly timed and every method of cooking
was masterfully exhibited. As the hands
on the old clock inched closer to two o’ clock, a meal began to take shape
under tin meat covers and in copper pots.
When Sparrow was happy with every aspect of his dishes, he rang the brass
bell tucked in the corner of the kitchen.
This ushered a wave of footmen to carry the food over to the palace. It is in the palace where Sparrow makes his
final effort to dazzle. Plating his
incredible food on imported china from England, garnishing it with citrus from the
Caribbean and arranging it in a beautifully symmetric way. As the guests walked in, they were in awe of
the incredible spread before them. There
were fine table linens, ornate silver cutlery and the best French wines chilled
with ice from the palace ice house.
Tim Logue as William Sparrow
The Route of the Footman to the Warming Room
The Warming Room
Photo By: Melissa Blank
At this point,
people began to gracefully dine as Sparrow is plating the second and third
courses for the table. As finely dressed
servants removed the first course and began placing the second, Sparrow once
again went into planning mode as he took inventory of the leftovers. The leftovers from this meal would be
re-purposed and served for the Governor’s supper and his breakfast the
following day. Any of the perishable
leftovers that couldn’t be used for the Governor were consumed by Sparrow and
the other servants as nothing went to waste.
A possible first and second course based of Sparrow's purchases and what was in season in July.
After the third
course of candies and barley creams was served around four o’ clock, Sparrow’s
work for the day was coming to a close. William Sparrow had succeeded in
impressing the guests of the Governor. As
he began his work of updating the account books, scullery maids and scullions
began their end of the day tasks of polishing wares, sweeping floors and cleaning surfaces. As Sparrow made his way to
the servant’s hall, he was dripping with sweat and his feet ached from all
of the pacing on the brick floors. He
made his way to his room, closed his checkered curtains and passed out in his
bed hoping for a good night’s rest before this process would began again
tomorrow.