Name/Title
Dennis Mills 2024 donation coverlet #36Entry/Object ID
2024.1.36Description
Dennis Mills 2024 donation coverlet #36
Transcription notes:
Overshot Coverlet c. 1840
Ref. Keep Me Warm One Night, Burnhams #258
Unidentified weaver
Found in Ballinafad, Halton Co.
“Monmouth” pattern
This coverlet has special meaning for me since it was the second coverlet I collected in
1973. I was visiting my parents in Georgetown Ont and attended a local clearance auction
in nearby Ballinafad, a village close by. The colour and pattern caught my attention. I
have owned it for over fifty years!
It is woven in the popular Monmouth pattern which is seen throughout Ontario, Quebec
and the Maritime provinces. The pattern was probably used and named after the Duke
of Monmouth, esteemed by the Scottish after his execution in 1685.
The warp is a natural white cotton with dramatic use of orange, green (olive) and black
wool for the weft. It is expertly woven without a centre seam. A local weaver had a
double width loom with a flying shuttle or assistant. A special feature is the gathered
warp fringe on the two sides and the bottom. The top edge is bound in a block stitched
red wool.
The coverlet was found in Halton County very close to the similar example in the ROM
#258 [illegible] just across the county line up the road in Hillsburgh. Could this have
been one of the nine coverlets woven for the Mckinnon family? ROM info p. 200
Condition: Very good – some minor loss to bottom fringe.
Source: Brownridge Auctions on site in Ballinafad, Halton County c. 1973
Dimensions: 80” (203 cm) l. x 63” (150 cm) w.
The coverlet has the density and weight of an early piece. The decorative fringes began
to appear from 1840 on.Collection
Dennis Mills CollectionCataloged By
Rob ChildsMade/Created
Artist
unidentified weaverTime Period
C. 1840Place
* Untyped Place
Found in Ballinafad, Halton County, OntarioLocation
CanadaNotes
The coverlet has the density and weight of an early piece. The decorative fringes began
to appear from 1840 on.Lexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Secondary Object Term
CoverletNomenclature Primary Object Term
BedcoverNomenclature Class
BeddingNomenclature Category
Category 02: FurnishingsColor
White, olive green, Orange, black, RedLocation
Location
Shelf
Rolled StorageRoom
Rolled Storage RoomBuilding
M.V.T.M.Moved By
Piper PattersonDate
February 19, 2026Location
Room
N.R.H. GalleryBuilding
M.V.T.M.Category
ExhibitMoved By
Sadie BadourDate
October 19, 2025Location
* Untyped Location
Temporary Artifact Storage RoomDate
December 4, 2024Create Date
December 4, 2024Update Date
May 13, 2026
