ave employment to many people.
Included among her dependents were many needleworkers who plied their
trade under rigorous administration. Elizabeth of Shrewsbury was a
hard mistress, but not above doing an occasional bit of needlework
herself, for some pieces bearing her initials and done with remarkable
skill are preserved in the collection. She, as much as any
Englishwoman, fostered and developed applied patchwork along the
ambitious line of pictorial needlework.

In Hardwick Hall are several hangings of pictorial needlework that are
very interesting. One of black velvet has a picture of a lady strongly
resembling Queen Elizabeth. She carries a book in her hand and at her
feet reclines a turbaned Turk. In the background is an ecclesiastical
hanging which is embroidered to represent a cathedral window. The
realistic effect of the whole picture is gained by the use of coloured
silks cut in correct proportions and applied to the velvet foundation;
very little embroidery entering into the main composition. Another
hanging, also of black velvet, has an even more ambitious design. It
is described by M. Jourdain in "The History of English Secular
Embroidery" as follows: "The ornamentation on the black velvet is with
applique in coloured silks consisting of figures under arches. In the
centre is 'Lucrecia,' on the left 'Chastite,' and on the right
'Liberalitas.' The oval panel on the right contains a shield bearing
the arms of Hardwick." At each end of the hanging are fluted Ionic
columns, and a decorated frieze is carried across the top. The figures
have grace and beauty; the drapery of their robes falls in natural
folds; and altogether it is a remarkable picture to have been made
with patches.

That this fine collection of medieval needlework is preserved for the
admiration of people to-day is due to the faithful execution of the
Countess of Shrewsbury's will, in which she left all her household
furnishings, entailed as heirlooms, to always remain in her House of
Hardwick.

In the interesting Hardwick collection are pieces of beautiful
needlework known to have been used by Mary, Queen of Scots, during the
years she spent as a prisoner at Tutbury. Her rooms there, furnished
in regal splendour, are still kept just as she arranged them. The Earl
of Shrewsbury was her custodian, and his wife, the countess, often sat
and sewed with the unfortunate queen, both making pastime of their
needlework.

During the Middle Ages appl