Honour Scotney

An outstanding sampler exhibiting extraordinary needlework throughout, this is signed, “Honour Scotney AEtat 10 Years.” There is also the added appeal of its provenance, as it was in a highly regarded collection and published accordingly. Micheal & Elizabeth Feller The Needlework Collection: 2, by Elizabeth Feller (Needleprint, 2012) includes Honour’s sampler as figure F420 (page 118) in the chapter entitled “Bright & Beautiful.” Writing about this sampler, Mrs. Feller states, “the fabulously exuberant and bright border of posies is twined around and tied into a blue ribbon; the largest bow is reserved for the foot of the sampler that holds the most imposing bouquet.”

Butterflies, birds, deer, baskets of fruit and sprigs of flowers embellish space around the very carefully worked verse, which is entitled, “On Youth.” The moralistic verse, exhorting the improvement of the present hours as we move towards wisdom’s summit, may have been written by Alexander Pope. 

Honor was only 10 years old, and we find notable the 18th century use of the Latin word, AEtat, for the word aged.

Mrs. Feller attributed the sampler to the Honour Scotney of Islington, London. We conducted further research and learned that Honour was the daughter of John Scotney (1751-1815) and Honour (Guzzee) Scotney (1750-1817). They were married in 1773 and their daughter, Honour, was born the same year. In 1791, she married James Chapman in Islington, and they seem to have had six children. Honour died in 1845 and Church of England records listed her home as Grove Place, Brompton Road, London. 

The sampler was worked in silk on wool and is in excellent condition, with a few missing stitches and tiny holes to the wool. It has been conservation mounted and is in a molded and beaded frame.