Ancestordocs

AncestordocsAncestordocsAncestordocs
  • Home
  • ENGLAND
    • ENGLAND, COUNTY UNKNOWN
    • Bedfordshire
    • BERKSHIRE
    • BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
    • CAMBRIDGESHIRE
    • CHESHIRE
    • CORNWALL
    • CUMBERLAND
    • DERBYSHIRE
    • DEVON
    • DORSET
    • DURHAM
    • ESSEX
    • GLOUCESTERSHIRE
    • HAMPSHIRE
    • HEREFORDSHIRE
    • HERTFORDSHIRE
    • HUNTINGDONSHIRE
    • KENT
    • LANCASHIRE
    • LEICESTERSHIRE
    • LINCOLNSHIRE
    • LONDON
    • MIDDLESEX
    • NORFOLK
    • NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
    • Northumberland
    • NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
    • OXFORDSHIRE
    • RUTLAND
    • SHROPSHIRE
    • SOMERSET
    • STAFFORDSHIRE
    • SUFFOLK
    • SURREY
    • SUSSEX
    • WARWICKSHIRE
    • WESTMORLAND
    • WILTSHIRE
    • WORCESTERSHIRE
    • YORKSHIRE
  • UK OTHER & IRELAND
  • OUTSIDE UK
  • MISC.
  • SAMPLERS
  • CONTACT
  • More
    • Home
    • ENGLAND
      • ENGLAND, COUNTY UNKNOWN
      • Bedfordshire
      • BERKSHIRE
      • BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
      • CAMBRIDGESHIRE
      • CHESHIRE
      • CORNWALL
      • CUMBERLAND
      • DERBYSHIRE
      • DEVON
      • DORSET
      • DURHAM
      • ESSEX
      • GLOUCESTERSHIRE
      • HAMPSHIRE
      • HEREFORDSHIRE
      • HERTFORDSHIRE
      • HUNTINGDONSHIRE
      • KENT
      • LANCASHIRE
      • LEICESTERSHIRE
      • LINCOLNSHIRE
      • LONDON
      • MIDDLESEX
      • NORFOLK
      • NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
      • Northumberland
      • NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
      • OXFORDSHIRE
      • RUTLAND
      • SHROPSHIRE
      • SOMERSET
      • STAFFORDSHIRE
      • SUFFOLK
      • SURREY
      • SUSSEX
      • WARWICKSHIRE
      • WESTMORLAND
      • WILTSHIRE
      • WORCESTERSHIRE
      • YORKSHIRE
    • UK OTHER & IRELAND
    • OUTSIDE UK
    • MISC.
    • SAMPLERS
    • CONTACT

Ancestordocs

AncestordocsAncestordocsAncestordocs
  • Home
  • ENGLAND
    • ENGLAND, COUNTY UNKNOWN
    • Bedfordshire
    • BERKSHIRE
    • BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
    • CAMBRIDGESHIRE
    • CHESHIRE
    • CORNWALL
    • CUMBERLAND
    • DERBYSHIRE
    • DEVON
    • DORSET
    • DURHAM
    • ESSEX
    • GLOUCESTERSHIRE
    • HAMPSHIRE
    • HEREFORDSHIRE
    • HERTFORDSHIRE
    • HUNTINGDONSHIRE
    • KENT
    • LANCASHIRE
    • LEICESTERSHIRE
    • LINCOLNSHIRE
    • LONDON
    • MIDDLESEX
    • NORFOLK
    • NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
    • Northumberland
    • NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
    • OXFORDSHIRE
    • RUTLAND
    • SHROPSHIRE
    • SOMERSET
    • STAFFORDSHIRE
    • SUFFOLK
    • SURREY
    • SUSSEX
    • WARWICKSHIRE
    • WESTMORLAND
    • WILTSHIRE
    • WORCESTERSHIRE
    • YORKSHIRE
  • UK OTHER & IRELAND
  • OUTSIDE UK
  • MISC.
  • SAMPLERS
  • CONTACT

EMBROIDERED SAMPLERS

Julia Bird 1890 - £395

24 – Julia Bird stitched her Sampler in 1890 “To my Mother“. She used the popular sentiment “Home Sweet Home” as her theme, and included motifs of – Mother standing at the door of the home, kettles, and pet dogs as well as a number of birds – a reminder of her surname, perhaps. This Sampler has been conserved by being hand sewn onto natural unbleached Irish linen, before being framed and glazed.  £395

Mary Ann Curtis 1841 - £295

Francis Faulknor 1811 - £525

Francis Faulknor 1811 - £525

114a – Curtis – This unusual Sampler, within its period birds eye maple frame, was sewn by Mary Ann Curtis in 1841. She used a single weave canvas as the ground for her wool-work embroidery in a variation of Oblique Gobelin stitch to create attractive floral borders in the ‘Berlin’ style, with the inclusion at the top, of an exotic bird (its beak defined in Petit Point), and at the centre bottom, a Chapel on a hillside, surrounded by trees, and a girl in a red skirt walking towards the Cross in the foreground. The rhyme, sewn in extremely fine Cross stitch is entitled ‘The Sampler’. £295

Francis Faulknor 1811 - £525

Francis Faulknor 1811 - £525

Francis Faulknor 1811 - £525

138 – Faulknor / Faulkner – An attractive and finely embroidered Sampler inscribed “Francis Faulknor born December 16 1811″, worked in coloured silks on a pale ground. A number of motifs including animals, birds, flowering plants & a small ornate building surround a verse, all sewn in minute cross stitch and enclosed within a birds eye maple frame.  £525

Hannah Fielden 1837 - £595

Mary Frances Hatton 1823 - £645

Mary Frances Hatton 1823 - £645

163 Hannah Fielden sewed her Sampler when she was 12 years old in 1837 using some unusual features – such as her ‘wider than normal’ border which consists of a continuous trailing branch of realistic rosebuds. A morality rhyme is positioned between floral motifs, also worked to a more realistic design than the usual ‘geometric’ flowers found on Samplers. A house, with its brickwork cleverly delineated, is embroidered at the bottom – perhaps representing Hannah’s home or school. A very attractive piece, worked in cross stitch, with a little tent stitch – in excellent condition, in a frame which compliments the colours of the embroidery to perfection. £595

Mary Frances Hatton 1823 - £645

Mary Frances Hatton 1823 - £645

Mary Frances Hatton 1823 - £645

119b – Mary Frances Hatton was only 10 years old when she completed her Sampler in 1823. Mainly embroidered in exquisitely tiny cross-stitch, she enhanced some areas with satin stitch. Mary must have enjoyed sewing, because she filled her fabric with as many motifs as she could (to include 21 birds – of various breeds such as owls, peacock, pigeon and 3 buildings – possibly garden features on a Family Estate). She chose a verse seen on a number of other samplers. This Sampler has been conserved by being hand sewn onto natural unbleached Irish linen, before being framed and glazed. £645

"E L" A "Band" Sampler 1600's - £1995

243 “E L” – A “Band” Sampler made during the 1600’s, probably between 1650 and 1700 as an example of the complicated patterns of embroidery to be used on domestic items and clothes. This Sampler would not have been sewn to be displayed on the wall, as the later ones were – it would have been kept rolled up in a coffer, or work box, to be consulted when a new piece of household linen, to be embellished with embroidery, was commenced. Many Samplers sewn during the 17th century do not bear a name or date. This Sampler is finished with the initials “E L” and may well have been marked by the owner as a way of distinguishing it from her sisters’ work. There are, however, some dated examples in the Victoria & Albert Museum and some of the wider bands on this Sampler can be compared with those, showing that the basic patterns had been copied from printed books. (The narrow bands seem to be more individual.) For example, in the upper section of the Sampler which is sewn with silks using Double Running, Satin, a variation of Montenegrin Cross & Long Armed Cross stitches – the 3rd down ‘wide’ band is very similar to that by Mildred Mayow in 1633 (V&A) the difference being that Mildred put a square rather than a cross in the centre of each 4 petal flower, – the 4th down ‘wide’ band (bunches of grapes & vine leaves) is identical to that by Mary Burrowes in 1656 (V&A) – which also has a band very similar to the top ‘wide’ band of this Sampler,

"E L" A "Band" Sampler 1600's (cont.)


– the widest & lowest band in the silk section is the same as one on an un-named Sampler dated 1657 in the Swamethan Collection, and very similar to that of Elizabeth Mackett dated 1696 (V&A).
The lower section in white linen thread sewn in blocks of satin stitch & double running stitch mimics Damask cloth which was so expensive to import during the 17th century. The top white work band has the same design as one on Margreet May’s 1654 (V&A) and is followed by a band to the same design as one on a German Sampler of 1618 (V&A).
This Sampler has been conserved by being hand sewn onto natural linen which has been backed by museum quality mount board before being framed. £1995

Sarah Milner 1794 - £445

Elizabeth Part 1803 - £395

Elizabeth Part 1803 - £395

112a – Millner – The skill that 10 year old Sarah Millner demonstrated with her needle has to be seen to be believed. This Sampler, sewn on a fine pale woollen cloth was finished in 1794, and time has not looked after it too well. There are a number of moth holes, and other damage to the edges, and the once bright silks have faded – but for all that, it has a beauty of its own. The border is different from any I’ve previously seen – being  a straight row of perfect satin stitches in green, forming a ‘stem’, with attached small pink buds, and leaves. Her finely embroidered alphabets and numerals are in both Algerian Eye and cross stitch, underlined with a band of closely worked Algerian Eyes (another unusual feature). The Lords Prayer is underlined by another satin stitch row and followed by motifs sewn in minute cross stitch. Below are three separate homilies, edged with painstakingly worked flowering plants and birds. This sampler has been hand-sewn onto raw silk and mounted on Museum quality board, before being framed and glazed. £445

Elizabeth Part 1803 - £395

Elizabeth Part 1803 - £395

Elizabeth Part 1803 - £395

88 – Part – This sampler by Elizabeth Part was once amongst Anne Sebba’s collection. (Anne was the author of ‘Samplers, Five Centuries of a Gentle Art’). Elizabeth sewed it when she was just 9 years old, in 1803, using cross stitch on a fairly closely tabby woven cloth, which would have made the counting of the threads quite a challenge – but she took extreme care, especially as it is composed almost entirely of writing, with a small selection from the standard sampler motifs embroidered down each side. Framed & glazed. £395

Sarah Summers 1832 - £355

Sarah Summers 1832 - £355

Sarah Summers 1832 - £355

82 – Summers – An attractive William IV Sampler worked in Algerian eye and cross stitch in fine silks by Sarah  Summers, with the date 1832 in both Roman and Arabic Numerals. In addition to the alphabet, she embroidered the first three verses of Psalm I above a pretty floral band probably representing honeysuckle. Framed & glazed.  £355

Mary Tyson 1809 - £145

Sarah Summers 1832 - £355

Sarah Summers 1832 - £355

83 – Tyson – A George III Sampler by Mary Tyson, finished 29th August 1809. Worked in colourful fine wools on a medium linen ground, with alphabets and numerals and trailing floral bands above the motto “Learn to live as you would wish to die” all embroidered in tiny cross stitch. Framed & glazed.  £145

Naomi Wilkin 1837 - £375

Sarah Summers 1832 - £355

Naomi Wilkin 1837 - £375

102 – Naomi Wilkin sewed her very fine Sampler in 1837, at the age of 14, filling almost every available space with motifs – so many that you seem to see another each time you look at it – and so it is likely that she enjoyed her embroidery rather than doing at as a chore. It is symmetrically planned and beautifully sewn in miniscule cross stitch using brightly coloured threads. Her short verse is probably a reference to the ever present threat of the death of young children in England at that time. Framed & glazed. £375

Ruth Wrigley 1838 - £665

Needlework Picture - £225

Ruth Wrigley 1838 - £665

87 – Ruth Wrigley embroidered her sampler on a single open-weave canvas in 1838. She planned it very carefully, making it almost, but not quite, symmetrical, and leaving no spaces. Using muted coloured silks and just cross stitch, she nevertheless created different textures by the alteration in the spacing of the stitches, and the mingling of shades. The quality of her embroidery was superior to that of her spelling. This sampler, which has remained in excellent condition, has been edged with lace before being framed and glazed.     £665

Unknown - £535

Needlework Picture - £225

Ruth Wrigley 1838 - £665

79 – Unknown – A beautiful example of one of the much sought after “Adam and Eve” Samplers worked with silk in delicate cross stitch on fine cloth. One is forced to wonder what stopped the girl who embroidered this Sampler so exquisitely, from finishing it. It was obviously treasured, and has remained in good condition, retaining the original bright colours in which it was sewn. Unfortunately, we will never know her name. From the fabric, and style of fine sewing, it would appear to date from the late Georgian period. The figures of Adam and Eve, the Serpent around the Tree, the flower urns and the surrounding strawberry border being worked to an almost identical design as another Sampler bearing the date ‘1819’. Remaining in its original frame. £535

Needlework Picture - £225

Needlework Picture - £225

Needlework Picture - £225

70 – Early C19th oval Needlework Picture of a classical maiden kneeling beneath a tree & holding a sheaf of corn, set in an open landscape. Hand embroidered in wool on a silk ground, with painted facial & sky details. Framed & glazed.  £225

Copyright © 2025 Ancestordocs - All Rights Reserved.

Powered by

  • ENGLAND, COUNTY UNKNOWN
  • Bedfordshire
  • BERKSHIRE
  • BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
  • CAMBRIDGESHIRE
  • CHESHIRE
  • CORNWALL
  • CUMBERLAND
  • DERBYSHIRE
  • DEVON
  • DORSET
  • DURHAM
  • ESSEX
  • GLOUCESTERSHIRE
  • HAMPSHIRE
  • HEREFORDSHIRE
  • HERTFORDSHIRE
  • HUNTINGDONSHIRE
  • KENT
  • LANCASHIRE
  • LEICESTERSHIRE
  • LINCOLNSHIRE
  • LONDON
  • MIDDLESEX
  • NORFOLK
  • NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
  • Northumberland
  • NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
  • OXFORDSHIRE
  • RUTLAND
  • SHROPSHIRE
  • SOMERSET
  • STAFFORDSHIRE
  • SUFFOLK
  • SURREY
  • SUSSEX
  • WARWICKSHIRE
  • WESTMORLAND
  • WILTSHIRE
  • WORCESTERSHIRE
  • YORKSHIRE
  • Privacy Policy

This website uses cookies.

We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.

DeclineAccept