Ledger of court wine, 1762-73 (pen & ink on vellum)

John Carbonell (c.1700-1773). Manuscript ledger, apparently chiefly in the hand of John Carbonell [official purveyor of wine to the English court], August 1762 – December 1773, ownership inscription of John Carbonell, folio (375 x 240mm), (loose in binding). Vellum over boards (worn, lacking spine). Provenance: by descent from John Carbonell. Entries are filled in chiefly on a monthly basis for the various wines delivered and returned from the court of George III, most often to the Great Cellar at St James' Palace, but also to the Privy Cellar, the Queen's House, Somerset House and Kew Palace; separate notes are made for burgundy delivered, including for the 'side board' at St James'. Accounts are also kept for individual members of the court; supply to the same named individuals remains constant for many years. Tastes evidently remain unchanged, too, for the types of wine never vary: port, claret, burgundy, madeira, sack, [Spanish] mountain, and sherry.