Simple School Girl Samplers from Ackworth & Milverton Schools & More at Tennants * 12 August 2011

I do love simple school samplers and there are some simply wonderful samplers coming up for auction at Tennants of Leyburn. You have a few weeks to get yourself organized and register for bidding, so hopefully you won't be disappointed. First up is Lot 1101, an unframed sampler worked by Sarah Hodgson 1832 worked in cross stitch in blue thread. The guide price is £70-£100 - which is rather nice since there is a Sarah Hodgson from Appleton who appears in the Ackworth School register for 1830-1833 and is very similar to alphanumeric samplers worked by the Mills sisters in the early 1840s when the inclusion of ligatures appears to have been dropped, these special characters having lost favour with printers. Also included in the lot is a white cotton christening gown, girls' smocked dresses, kid leather gloves, a collection of assorted buttons, two bodkins, patterns etc,. A treasure trove?

Lot 1170 is another unframed alphanumeric sampler worked by Elizabeth Rawes at the Quaker Milverton School in 1790, and here you can see the preponderance of  ligatures. This sampler is worked in cross stitch primarily in brown thread and measures 32 cms by 20 cms. The guide price: £200-300.

Lot 1168 comprises two samplers above and below from Chapel Allerton Girls School. (In the 19th Century Chapel Allerton was the home for the rich industrialists and manufacturers who wanted to escape the dirt and grime of the centre of Leeds.) The sampler above is again unframed and was worked by Marianne Hildyard in 1839, using cross stitch in black thread. It measures 19.5 cms by 15 cms. The sampler below is another by Marianne dated 1837.It measures 19 cms by 11 cms. Included in this lot are four lace collars. Together they all have a guide price of £100-150.

Another pair of samplers, this time by sisters, features as lot 1169. Above is a framed text sampler worked by Eliza Ann Bowes and dated 1834. It is worked in cross-stitched blue thread and measures 30 cms by 36 cms. Mary Bowes sampler below worked when she was 9 years old in 1837 is unframed. It measures 26 cms by 36 cms. Also included in this lot is a small circular card box and inscribed to the base in pencil 'For Miss Bowe'. The guide price for this lot is £100-150. For more information on any of these samplers and to register a distance bid contact Tennant's Auctioneers, Leyburn as soon as possible. Let me know how you get on!