Penhallow/Kneeland family coat of arms
Textiles (Needlework)
Prudence Kneeland Penhallow (Maker)
New Hampshire or Massachusetts, New England, United States, North America
1740-1760
Wool; Canvas; Silk
Embroidered, Woven (plain), Canvaswork
1953.0171.001 A
Object Number1953.0171.001 A |
Needlework coat of arms (Embroidered hatchment)
Penhallow/Kneeland family coat of arms
Textiles (Needlework)
Museum purchase
Prudence Kneeland Penhallow (Maker)
January 2, 1731-1810
Samuel Penhallow (born c. 1720, died 1813), married Prudence Kneeland the maker of this coat of arms, who was born January 2, 1731 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts to parents John Kneeland of Boston and his second wife, Prudence Clark. Prudence was John's only daughter. Samuel and Prudence Kneeland married on November 9, 1749. They lived in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and had no children. Samuel was a highly respected local magistrate and Deacon of the North Church, and lived there for more than sixty years. As a judge, he was known for his swift and impartial dispensation of the law. See the Penhallow House where Samuel and Prudence lived: (http://www.strawberybanke.org/index.php?option=com_content&id=127&Itemid=163, accessed April 21, 2015) Prudence (Kneeland) Penhallow died in 1810. This hatchment may have been worked for Prudence by an older or younger half-sister, Dorcas (1727-1755) or Mary (b. 1740). (Ring, Girlhood Embroidery, Vol. I, p. 272.) (See Notes and Multimedia Tabs.)
New Hampshire or Massachusetts, New England, United States, North America
1740-1760
1. Inscription; Note back of the frame; "The Penhallow Arms---Rabbets--- / (A goat all proper-) as the Crest. / Done in tent-stitch by the wife of Deacon / Samuel Penhalllow (Prudence Kneeland of / Boston, Mass\tts & quartered with the Arms of Kneeland and Count Pantvannon [?] who mar / ried a Penhallow. The national Fleur / de-lis was probably used simply to de / note a French alliance." (handwritten)
Armorial device
Wool; Canvas; Silk
Embroidered, Woven (plain), Canvaswork
Hand-embroidered
27.5 (L) , 27.5 (W)
69.85 (L) , 69.85 (W)
Dimensions refer to area of needlework visible within frame.
Text available soon.
[Book] Sweeney, John A. H. 1963 The Treasure House of Early American Rooms.
• Illustrated: p. 29
[Book] Ring, Betty. 1993 Girlhood Embroidery: American Samplers & Pictorial Needlework 1650-1850. I.
• Listed: p. 272