Cross Stitch Antiques | Ann Hunt Nailsea 1805 - A Quaker Medallion Sampler

Provenance: Ann Hunt inscribed the town she stitched her sampler in as Nailsea in 1805. Nailsea is a town in Somerset, England. Research does not reveal the existence of a Quaker school there, although at least one other very similar polychrome Quaker medallion sampler has been discovered stitched a year before, Sophia Doggett Nailsea 1804, reproduced by Hands Across the Sea Samplers. Both contain the unusual alternating inside and outside half medallion borders and share some interior motifs, Sophia’s being polychrome and Ann’s monochrome. Although a Quaker school may not have existed near Nailsea, the Quaker influence did as the town itself was the home of a famous Quaker, John Whiting (1656-1722). His parents were converted to Quakerism in 1654 and at their house were held the first meetings in Somerset. John was brought up a Quaker, was imprisoned for his beliefs and writings, and later in life became a friend of William Penn who often visited him when in England.