Victorian embroidery samplers were often educational tools for young girls learning needlework, showcasing skills with alphabets, numbers, verses and motifs such as flowers, animals and biblical scenes.

The sampler in Bodmin Town Museum's collection by Madeline Higgs, dated 1886, was stitched when she was eight years old and is an important example of late Victorian domestic craft in Cornwall, providing a tangible link to the Higgs family of Bodmin.

Madeline (1878-1955) was the daughter of William Higgs, a china and fancy dealer, and Ann. The 1881 Census records the family consisting of William and Ann and their six children living at Fore Street. After William’s death in 1883, Ann continued the family business in Fore Street and the household employed a governess and servant, reflecting their social and educational aspirations.

Madeline married George Buscombe (1881-1918), a builder and contractor of Bodmin, in 1903. The families lived close and were well acquainted. The couple lived at Penville, Bodmin and it seems they had one son and a daughter. Sadly George died aged 37 in 1918.

In the 1921 Census, Madeline is recorded as a visitor at Marine Terrace, Penzance, and listed as a lady’s outfitter. In the 1939 Register, she appears again at Penville as a widow living with her daughter, Annie. More sadness was evident in Madeline’s life as her only son, Edwin, educated at Cambridge and who later served as a navigator in the Royal Air Force, was killed in action over Poland in 1943, aged 32, echoing the early death of his father. Edwin was buried in Poland.

Madeline died in 1955 in Bodmin, aged 77.

This sampler leads on to discover the history of a Bodmin family whose fortunes straddled commerce, education and professional advancement. It also serves as a window into domestic life, loss and resilience, stretching from the Victorian period through the tragedies of the First and Second World Wars.

This information is based on research carried out by Vicki Aimers and Sue Harlow, researchers at Falmouth University who have kindly given me permission to use their work to produce this article.