Friday, April 17, 2026

Mary, Lady Guildford... Was Her Surname Wooten or Wotton?

According to the Saint Louis Art Museum, Mary, Lady Guildford's surname was Wooten. It also lists her year of death as 1535. However, she died in September 1558.

 


However, also according to the Saint Louis Art Museum, her surname was Wotton.

 


And according to The Met, her surname was Wotton. 

 


So far in my research, I have only found the spelling of Wotton, except for the one example of Wooten from the Saint Louis Art Museum. I will be reaching out to the museum to inquire about the spelling of her surname, as well as correcting her year of death. I know that there was no standardized spelling in the 16th century. For example, Boleyn (as in Anne Boleyn, the 2nd wife of King Henry VIII) had her family's surname was documented as Boleyn, Buleyn, Bolen, Bulleyne, Boleyne, Bolleyne, Boyleyn, Bowleyne, Bulloigne, and Bullen. 

 

According to FamilySearch.org, "Mary Wotton was born in 1499, in Boughton Malherbe, Kent, England, her father, Sir. Robert Wotton, was 44 and her mother, Anne Belknap, was 39." After 26 December, 1523, Mary became the second wife of Sir Henry Guildford, who died on 28 May, 1532 in Kent, England. He was buried in Blackfriars, London, England. 

By July 1540, Mary had married for a second time, this time to Sir Gawain Carew. She died childless in September 1558, at the age of 59.

Mary's sister was Margaret Wotton, Marchioness of Dorset, who was the second wife of Thomas Grey, Marquess of Dorset, and the mother of his children, including Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk (the father of Lady Jane Grey, the 9 Days Queen of England). Two of her brothers held important positions in the government: Edward Wotton (knighted and later appointed sheriff of Kent) was Treasurer of Calais and Nicholas Wotton was a diplomat who arranged the marriage of Henry VIII to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, in 1539.

 

According to her burial plaque at St. Mary Churchyard in Devon, England, her surname was indeed Wotton.  

 

 


My interpretation of the inscription above is:

Here beth buried the Lady Mary Guildford daughter … Robert Wotton of Kent knight… wife to … Guildford knight of the garter controller of household to the most nobull (noble) &… of England France & Ireland defender of the faith… the wife of Sir Gawyn Carew knight who ended… the XIIII day of September…

 

An interesting thing, though, is the monument erected in 1589 for Sir Gawen Carew and his wife, Mary, at Exeter Cathedral in Devon, England. Sir Gawen made his will on 11 October 1582, where he asked to buried in Exeter Cathedral, where the monument was later erected, and appointed Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford, as the overseer. He later died on 25 March 1584, according to Exeter Cathedral. The interesting thing is that Mary died in 1558 and is buried at St. Mary Churchyard in Devon, England. After Mary's death, he later remarried by 1560, this time to Elizabeth Norwich, a lady in Queen Elizabeth's household. In 1587, Lady Carew was listed as one of the ladies of the bedchamber. 

So, I find it interesting that this monument in Exeter Cathedral is devoted to Sir Gawen and his first wife, whom is not buried with him (they're not even buried in the same church). This means he was married to his first wife for about 18 years and then approximately 24 years to his second wife. However, his second wife is not mentioned at all on the monument. 

 

 

         

 

 

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Received a Notice from Barnes & Noble Regarding My Latest Embroidery Book

My latest embroidery book, 16th to 18th Century Double-Running Stitch Embroidery Patterns is currently available with Amazon and Barnes & Noble. However, I received a notification from Barnes & Noble stating, "Barnes & Noble Press print books must have a retail price of $14.99 or more. Due to increased shipping and printing fees associated with Print Projects, this change helps ensure that authors can cover the costs and earn royalties on the sales of their books. Starting April 22nd, 2026, our platform will not allow the creation of new listings for less than $14.99. If you have any titles retailing for less than $14.99 on May 14th, 2026, we will begin removing those listings from sale."

As I have always kept my books cost effective for people to purchase, I am unwilling to raise the price of my book from $6.99 to $14.99. Hopefully, the book will continue to be available as an ebook with Barnes & Noble.

My book will continue to be available with Amazon, along with my other 2 embroidery books: Pre-18th Century Embroidery Patterns (1st Edition) and Patterns from 16th Century Pattern Books





Monday, April 13, 2026

Embroidering an Italian Pattern from a Sampler Circa 1600 | Blackwork Embroidery

This particular embroidery pattern is from an Italian sampler, circa 1600, located at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The sampler features silk embroidery done in a double-running stitch, as well as white cutwork.

 


Blackwork embroidery is also known as double-running stitch or Holbein stitch. Historically, it was typically found as silk thread embroidered on white linen in a reversible stitch. 

For more information on the Italian sampler and other embroidery patterns from this sampler, please visit: https://tudorblackwork.blogspot.com/2020/09/blackwork-patterns-from-italian-sampler.html

 

        Suggested Items for Purchase: 
 
- Patterns from 16th Century Pattern Books: https://amzn.to/3VxcuS3 
- 16th to 18th Century Double-Running Stitch Embroidery Patterns (2nd edition on Amazon): https://amzn.to/42NlF4P 
- Slate Frame (T.F. Woodcraft): https://www.tfwoodcraft.com/shop/slate-frames/ 
- Linen Fabric: https://amzn.to/3MnnccA 
- Craft Stand: https://amzn.to/3pYGlR0 
 
 
 
         Photo credit: 

 

 

 

Friday, April 3, 2026

Same Pattern in 2 Different 17th Century Embroidery Samplers

When looking at Margaret Barber's English embroidery sampler circa 1661-1663 at The Met, a pattern stuck out to me that I had seen it before elsewhere! 

 

 This pattern is found at the very top of Barber's sampler.

  

That's because it's the same pattern found on Mildred Mayow's English embroidery sampler circa 1633 at the V&A Museum. This pattern is also found on page 100 of my latest book: 16th to 18th Century Double-Running Stitch Embroidery Patterns

 

 

On Mayow's sampler, the pattern is near the bottom.

 

 

 

 

 

Monday, March 30, 2026

Blackwork Embroidery of a Flemish Diamond Pattern from a 1544 Portrait

This embroidery pattern is based on a pattern found on the collar of a woman in a Flemish portrait from 1544. This painting is at the Art Institute of Chicago. 


Blackwork embroidery is also known as double-running stitch or Holbein stitch. Historically, it was typically found as silk thread embroidered on white linen in a reversible stitch.

 

      Suggested Items for Purchase: 
 
- Patterns from 16th Century Pattern Books: https://amzn.to/3VxcuS3 
- 16th to 18th Century Double-Running Stitch Embroidery Patterns (2nd edition on Amazon): https://amzn.to/42NlF4P 
- Slate Frame (T.F. Woodcraft): https://www.tfwoodcraft.com/shop/slate-frames/ 
- Linen Fabric: https://amzn.to/3MnnccA 
- Craft Stand: https://amzn.to/3pYGlR0 
 
 
 
          Picture Credit:
 
Portrait of a Woman (at Art Institute of Chicago): https://www.artic.edu/artworks/110869/portrait-of-a-woman 
 
 
My interpretation of the embroidered pattern on the Woman's collar: https://tudorblackwork.blogspot.com/2020/05/16th-century-blackwork-embroidery.html





Tuesday, March 17, 2026

Flower Pattern Being Embroidered from Jane Bostocke's 1598 English Embroidery Sampler

This 16th century Elizabethan pattern is from an English embroidery sampler by Jane Bostocke (at the V&A Museum) from 1598. Blackwork embroidery is also known as double-running stitch or Holbein stitch. Usually, it was typically found as black silk thread embroidered on white linen in a reversible stitch on clothing.

 


          Suggested Items for Purchase: 

- 16th to 18th Century Double-Running Stitch Embroidery Patterns (2nd edition on Amazon): https://amzn.to/42NlF4P 
- Slate Frame (T.F. Woodcraft): https://www.tfwoodcraft.com/shop/slate-frames/ 
- Linen Fabric: https://amzn.to/3MnnccA
 - Craft Stand: https://amzn.to/3pYGlR0 
 
 
          Picture credit:

 

 

Monday, March 16, 2026

What is Blackwork Embroidery?

What inspired the creation of blackwork embroidery in the 16th century and what forms of embroidery fall under the category of blackwork, such as Holbein stitch?

 


  Check out my embroidery book! 

16th to 18th Century Double-Running Stitch Embroidery Patterns