Hair Embroidery Details

• Title: No 1and No 2 Hair Embroideries

• Subject: Landscape

• Artist: Miss Anne Ward Shadforth (1777–1823)

• Materials:

  • Hair from Anne Ward Shadforth and her sister, Esther Shadforth (1769–1850)

  • Black silk

Historical Context

• Creation Date: Before October 1800

• Signed By: S. F. Morton, Ann Ward Shadforth's daughter, in 1870.

• Provenance:

  • 11 Albion Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland

  • Mention in the 1851 Census (S. F. Morton was born in the same house)

  • Household included servants, cooks, and housemaids, as recorded in census documents.

  • Later connection to London: Sarah Frances Morton moved to London, recorded in census documents for Camden Road and Wellesley Street.

• Family Status:

  • The Shadforth family were of a landed class, with Anne and Esther’s father, Henry Shadforth (1740- 1798), identified as a landed proprietor in the Newcastle Courant newspaper on 14th May 1791

Family Connections

• Marriage:

  • Anne Ward Shadforth married Mr. Joseph Morton in October 1800.

• Children:

  • Likely 8 to 12 children, not all accounted for yet.

• Related Figures:

  • Esther Shadforth (1769–1850), the only surviving Sister of Anne, past 1 year old.

  • Joseph Morton, Husband (1768-1838)

  • Sarah Frances Morton, Daughter (1806-1895)

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Conclusions and insights

These two Georgian hair embroideries in the Bury Museum archive were created by Miss Anne Ward Shadforth before her marriage to Mr. Joseph Morton on October 11, 1800, in Newcastle, Northumberland. A note attached to the back of one embroidery, signed by their daughter Sarah Frances Morton in 1870, states: 

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“This landscape was worked by Miss Anne Ward Shadforth previous to her marriage to Mr. Joseph Morton in Oct 1800. It was embroidered with her own and her sister's hair and black silk. Signed S.F. Morton, 1870.” 

 

Genealogical research confirms that the sister referenced in the note was Esther Shadforth, the only other surviving daughter past infancy in the Shadforth family. Their father, Henry Shadforth, was described as a landed proprietor in an issue of the Newcastle Courant dated May 14, 1791, situating the family firmly within Georgian society's middle class. 

 

The embroideries were crafted using Anne’s and Esther’s hair alongside black silk, showcasing the sentimental and commemorative nature of hairwork popular during the Georgian and Victorian eras. 

 

By 1871, census records place Sarah Frances Morton, the daughter of Anne and Joseph, at 289 Camden Road in London. Records indicate that Sarah employed cooks and housemaids, reflecting her middle-class lifestyle. It is believed that she brought the embroideries to Camden Road, where she likely added a note documenting their provenance. The embroideries later in 1881 accompanied Sarah to 9 Wellesley Road, Croydon, South London. Their whereabouts after this period remain unknown until they were presented to Bury Art Museum & Sculpture Centre by Joan Hurst through the Art Fund in 2013, alongside the other embroideries listed below.

 

These pieces are significant examples of hairwork, combining intricate embroidery with personal materials to emphasize familial bonds and memory. The Shadforth family's middle-class status, supported by historical records and the preservation of these heirlooms, highlights their importance as cherished symbols of heritage and identity within the Morton family.