Francesca Infantino volunteered on the York Makers project, helping gather information about dress and textile collections objects which came from York. Here, Francesca tells us how she discovered the story behind a very special object.  

 

Over the summer months, I spent my spare time amongst archives, digging around in libraries and ceaselessly searching online in my research for the York Makers project at York Castle Museum, and had the most wonderful time.  

I have always had a personal interest in dress history and was instantly drawn to this project. I used the museum’s catalogue to trawl through their Victorian textile collection and came across a charming little sampler that reads ‘Maud Webster 10 Railway Terrace York. July 1st 1891’. I knew as soon as I found the entry that I wanted to learn about Maud, to find out who she was, how old she was when she took such care in making it, and whether she stayed in York. 

Collaboration was central to this project, and I worked with a team of other volunteers and staff members to try and unearth Maud’s history. What may seem to some an insignificant object led us down a rather deep rabbit hole. Using online records, visiting archives, and working with volunteers at The Friends of York Cemetery, we managed to track Maud’s history. She grew up in York, likely attended St Paul’s school, lived at various addresses with her parents and siblings, never married, and we suspect she actually donated the sampler to the museum herself.  

I think that this is one of the most important things we turned up. This sampler was special to Maud, she made it as a schoolgirl and carried it with her through her whole life, donating it from the almshouse she spent her final years at. This seemingly mundane object has been preserved for 133 years because it was loved and held onto by Maud. Perhaps it sparked fond memories of her school years, of growing up with her brothers and being taught embroidery with her peers. Perhaps she was proud of how it turned out, perhaps it had inspired in her a love of sewing, perhaps she never picked up a needle again. All we know is that this was important to Maud, and so it is important to me. I think it is truly magical that my research has let this object be seen, and let Maud be remembered. 

In our research, we found that Maud is buried at York Cemetery (near Fulford Road), and another volunteer and I took a trip to go and visit her grave. With the help of a cemetery volunteer, we literally had to uncover her grave, which had been grown over by roots and weeds. We were able to have a moment of silence to remember Maud and her family, in a way they have perhaps not been remembered for many years. Each time I visit the cemetery, I always walk past Maud’s burial site and think of her. 

What started as a quick search through the online collection led to all of this. A revival, a memorial. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to reveal Maud’s story, and to unveil a world of wonder in this small, ordinary object. 

You can learn more about the sampler in our dedicated blog post about the object.