Mariner's Compass Coverlet
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- Maker:
- Dennis Cann Family
- Date:
- 1820 - 1829
Mosaic diamond design coverlet made from a large range of printed cottons with a central 'Mariner's Compass' design and an outer border of triangles. This coverlet is exquisitely constructed, and was made by Mary Dennis as part of her dowry. Mary, a farmer's daughter from Devonshire, married Richard Cann in 1828 and they had six daughters; Annie, Jane, Elizabeth, Fanny, Mary and Margaret, and one son, John.
Unfortunately, Richard died of Typhoid Fever in 1842, leaving Mary and her children no choice but to leave their farm and move to Hartland village where they ran a drapers and grocery shop. Mary stayed running the shop for the next 50 years before her death at the age of 92 in 1891.
This quilt is one of five in the Collection from the Dennis/Cann family, and it is presumed that the other four quilts were made by Mary and/or her daughters, four of whom remained at home and helped Mary run the shop. Two of the quilts are cot quilts, presumably made for Charles Tottenham, the son of the only daughter that married.
For the other Dennis/Cann family quilts, please see: Silk Triangles Coverlet, Double sided Cot Quilt, Squares Re-covered Cot Quilt, and Diamond Mosaic Coverlet.
252cm x 273cm
