Description:Linen background. Coloured woollen threads in cross stitch. Verse and illustration of the Blue Coat School, Warrington within floral border. Inscribed 'The Blue Coat School Warrington 1841 made by Elizabeth gent Ditchfield aged 10 years.' From the Staffordshire County Collection. 480mm x 430mm.
Verse: 'If thou my Jesus still art nigh
Cheerful I live and Joyful die
Secure when mortal comforts flee
To find ten thousand worlds in thee.'
Towards the end of the 18th century, samplers taught not only sewing but also literacy in the forms of alphabets, numerals and religious texts. These grew in importance and became an almost essential part of sampler making throughout the 19th century.