Menu that sparked the legend King James I invented 'sirloin' after knighting joint of beef in Lancashire goes up for auction

A 400-year-old menu that sparked the legend King James I invented “sirloin” after knighting a joint of beef at Hoghton Tower has gone up for auction.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

King James I and his royal party made a return journey from Scotland to London in August 1617.

On their journey they stopped at Hoghton Tower in Lancashire, the mansion of Sir Richard Hoghton, where the royal party stayed from August 15 to 18.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Legend says during his stay James I was given a cut of beef so delicious that he famously decided to bestow an honour upon it.

Legend has it that when James I dined at Hoghton Tower in he was given a cut of meat so delicious that he decided to bestow an honour upon it.Legend has it that when James I dined at Hoghton Tower in he was given a cut of meat so delicious that he decided to bestow an honour upon it.
Legend has it that when James I dined at Hoghton Tower in he was given a cut of meat so delicious that he decided to bestow an honour upon it.

The story claims that he announced to Sir Richard De Hoghton and his guests: "Loin, we dub thee knight henceforward be Sir Loin! Arise Sir Loin."

A copy of the menu printed by the Hoghtons in 1790 was found last year (2019), and is now being sold by a private collector.

Despite many disputing the story, claiming “sirloin” is derived from the French word 'surloynge', the 400-year-old menu is it expected to sell at auction for £800.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Chris Albury, specialist at Dominic Winter, said: "It's incredibly rare, and the earliest printing of this menu that we have traced.

The lavish menu features a staggering 129 dishes including hot pheasant, one, and one for the King, and pear tart. (Credit: Dominic Winter Auctioneers)The lavish menu features a staggering 129 dishes including hot pheasant, one, and one for the King, and pear tart. (Credit: Dominic Winter Auctioneers)
The lavish menu features a staggering 129 dishes including hot pheasant, one, and one for the King, and pear tart. (Credit: Dominic Winter Auctioneers)

"I suspect that it was printed to mark some now forgotten anniversary or special occasion at Hoghton Tower in the late 18th century.

"Apart from the sheer scale of the feast I particularly like the naming of the cooks and labourers, even going so far as to give the names of the four men or boys keeping the kitchen fires raging.

"Early printed broadsides are essentially posters and like this one saw their brief lives stuck up on walls.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"Survivals are rare and as a piece of gastronomical social history it is interesting to see what was eaten by the royals and gentry which in turn would have had a big influence on what the general populace aspired to eat themselves."

King James I made his extravagant entrance on half a mile of red velvet at the tower entrance.King James I made his extravagant entrance on half a mile of red velvet at the tower entrance.
King James I made his extravagant entrance on half a mile of red velvet at the tower entrance.

The lavish menu, which features a staggering 129 dishes, offered mutton, chicken, veal, turkey, rabbit, pig, pheasant, duck, deer, wild boar, quail and heron, as well as the famed beef.

Dishes included “swan roast, one, and one for to-morrow”, “heron’s roast cold”, “hot pheasant, one, and one for the King”, and “pear tart”.

The menu also lists the 14 members of staff that prepared and served the extravagant meals to King James, Sir Henry and their guests.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The food, drink and entertainment put on to entertain James I and his guests was so pricy that it almost bankrupted the Hoghton family.

Although Richard Hoghton gained mining rights from the King’s royal visit, it was not enough to pay off his debt and as a result he was sent to Fleet Prison.

Despite his jail sentence, the greatness of the day goes down in history.

The auction will take place at Dominic Winter auction house in Gloucestershire from 9am tomorrow (March 4).

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.