Legacy Tree Logo
Contact Us
  • English
    • Auto
    • Spanish
    • Portuguese (Brazil)
    • Swedish
    • Danish
    • Norwegian Bokmål
    • Russian
Contact Us
  • Services
  • Highlights
  • About
  • Press
  • Blog
  • .
    • English
      • Auto
      • Spanish
      • Portuguese (Brazil)
      • Swedish
      • Danish
      • Norwegian Bokmål
      • Russian

A Family in Stitches: Genealogical Information From a Scottish Embroidery Sampler

July 17, 2020 by Maggie - Legacy Tree Genealogists Research Team Manager 2 Comments

Genealogical information is often found in unlikely places. Check out the familial details included in this Scottish embroidery sampler!

an example of a Scottish embroidery sampler, stitched by Isabella Fairbairn.
Isabella Fairbairn’s sampler

In 1885 my great-grandmother, Isabella Fairbairn, was 10 years old. She lived in a rural area of the Scottish borders, and like most Scottish children between the ages of 5 and 13, schooling was compulsory for her. Isabella attended school at Crailing, about 5 miles outside the market town of Jedburgh.

We might never have known this, had she not created an embroidery sampler while she was a pupil there. Victorian education concentrated on “the three Rs” – reading, writing and arithmetic. There was little variation in lessons, but needlework may have come as a light relief from the rigid drills of multiplication tables or copying from the blackboard. Needlework was an essential skill for girls; boys likely received instruction in woodwork.  

Isabella’s embroidery sampler is an example of a “band” sampler. The characters and designs are in fixed rows rather than randomly place on the fabric. Her sampler shows a confident grasp of forming letters, both uppercase and lowercase. 

A detail from Isabella’s sampler, showing a row of numbers followed by a row of lowercase letters.

An Unlikely Source for Genealogical Information

Scottish embroidery samplers are considered unique in one respect. The creator often included information about her family somewhere in the stitching. Isabella was the oldest of five children. She included their initials, as well as the initials of her parents. 

Sampler detail, with first three sets of family initials in the top box. The initials continue along the second line. The second box highlights the family’s full surname, Fairbairn.

Some of the threads are very faded now – the lightest color may originally have been a pale pink but has faded so much over time that the stitching almost blends with the background fabric. However, the whole family is there. They were:

 “WF” – her father, Walter Fairbairn. 

“MF” – her mother, Mary

“IF” – Isabella, (10 in 1885)

“MF” – Margaret (8)

“AF” – Alexander, (6)

“WF” – William (3)

“CF” – Catherine (1)

The “F” in baby Catherine’s initials also forms the first letter of “Fairbairn”. At the very bottom of the sampler Isabella embroidered the name of the school and the year. 

Scottish embroidery sampler, stitched at the Crailing School in 1885
Detail from the sampler – Crailing School 1885.

These embroidery samplers may have been displayed in the home of young girls with great pride. This one was kept by Isabella (who did work as a dressmaker before she was married) and was passed to her daughter (my granny), then to my mom and finally to me. 

Scottish Embroidery Samplers and Scottish Culture

Scottish embroidery samplers were the subject of a major exhibition at the National Museums of Scotland in Edinburgh a few years ago. The collection was cleverly titled “Embroidered Stories” and focused on exploring the stories of these young needle workers within a social and historical context. Isabella’s sampler is quite a humble example. Some of the pieces displayed by the National Museum of Scotland were far more ornate, and included buildings, landmarks and religious verses as well as family information. You can read more about that exhibition and view some of the samplers here.

The building that was once Crailing School is still standing but is now a private home. The high windows seen at the gable end were typical of Victorian schoolhouses – deliberately set high up in the walls so that children could not look outside. The stout chimneys would have been regularly in use during cold Scottish winters, and hopefully gave some warmth to wee Isabella's fingers as she tugged her colored yarns through the fabric to create her work.

Crailing Old School, as it looks today. Photo courtesy of Google maps.

If you have Scottish ancestry, our professionals and onsite agents are ready to help you learn more about your Scottish family history. Contact us today for a free quote and get in touch to discuss your research goals and determine which of our project options is best for you!

Genealogical information can often be found in unlikely places. Such as the case with this Scottish embroidery sampler. Check out the familial details we were able to uncover!

Filed Under: British Isles, Genealogy Records and Resources Tagged With: Crailing school, embroidery sampler, family history, genealogy, Historical Context, Scotland, Scottish, social context

About the Author

blank
Maggie - Legacy Tree Genealogists Research Team Manager
Maggie Stevenson loves projects combining traditional genealogy and DNA results. She has a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University, as well as a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of St Andrews (Scotland) in English Language and Literature. New York and California are her favorite states to research, as well as projects involving Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, Canada, Italy and Germany.

Comments

  1. Devon Delaney says

    May 12, 2021 at 2:30 pm

    I have a sampler from the Maclachlan School in Glasgow from 1862 I’d love to get some info on.

    Reply
    • Eric Caudle says

      June 1, 2021 at 8:25 am

      Devon, we have on-site researchers in Scottland that may help with this. Please contact us by filling out the form on our home page http://www.legacytree.com. We can point you in the right direction and give you a free estimate if research is needed.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

REQUEST A FREE QUOTE

    Popular Posts

    Icelandic village

    4 Key Steps to Trace Your Icelandic-Canadian Ancestry

    December 31, 2024 By Rachel Whiting Leave a Comment

    How To Use Orthodox Baptismal Records for Genealogy Research

    November 13, 2024 By Linda - Researcher with Legacy Tree Genealogists 2 Comments

    Babies Left Behind: researching unknown G.I. fathers in the United Kingdom during WW2

    November 5, 2024 By Maggie - Legacy Tree Genealogists Research Team Manager 3 Comments

    How To Understand German Handwriting and Gothic Scripts

    July 2, 2024 By Keri - Legacy Tree Genealogists Researcher Leave a Comment

    Intro to German Genealogy: Practical Tips for Family History Research

    April 23, 2024 By Legacy Tree Genealogists 6 Comments

    Italian Heritage Travel: The My Bella Vita Experience

    April 9, 2024 By Legacy Tree Genealogists Leave a Comment

    German parish records

    3 Essential Websites for Exploring German Parish Records

    August 16, 2023 By Legacy Tree Genealogists 7 Comments

    CATEGORIES

    SEARCH

    NEWSLETTER

    • Home
    • Services
    • Highlights
    • About
    • Blog
    • Contact
    • FAQ
    • Careers
    How to Hire a Professional Genealogist
    Terms of Use Privacy Policy

    © 2004 - 2025 Legacy Tree Genealogists. All rights reserved.

    Cookie Consent

    This site uses cookies to enhance your experience. Consent allows us to track browsing data. Opting out may affect functionality.

    Functional Always active
    Storage or access necessary for enabling the use of services requested by the user, or for the sole purpose of communication over an electronic network.
    Preferences
    Storage or access necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the user.
    Statistics
    Storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    Storage or access required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
    Preferences
    {title} {title} {title}
    Cookie Consent

    This site uses cookies to enhance your experience. Consent allows us to track browsing data. Opting out may affect functionality.

    Functional Always active
    Storage or access necessary for enabling the use of services requested by the user, or for the sole purpose of communication over an electronic network.
    Preferences
    Storage or access necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the user.
    Statistics
    Storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    Storage or access required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
    Preferences
    {title} {title} {title}