Pouch

The presence of the royal coat of arms does not necessarily denote that an object had a royal owner. Usually, it was a profession of loyalty to, or a symbol of patronage from, a particular monarch. The initials which surround the armorial are probably those of the family who owned the pouch.

This pouch probably contained sweet-smelling herbs, which were thought to help induce sleep. Pleasant scents were also believed to help to ward off sickness, with a prime example of the use of this theory being the ‘beak’ masks worn by plague doctors from at least the seventeenth-century.

The richness of the materials used in the object’s production suggest a wealthy source, and the somewhat naïve execution of the design points to an amateur craftsperson, possibly a child, as its maker. This would not have been unusual, as even aristocratic girls were expected to learn needlework as a means of education, instilling discipline, and as a means of expression.