Bacton altar cloth, 16th century

A richly embroidered 16th-century textile known as the Bacton altar cloth, which once, possibly, formed part of an Elizabethan court dress Preserved for centuries in St Faith's Church, a small rural church in Bacton, Herefordshire, this textile is said to have been given to St Faith's by Blanche Parry (d 1590), Chief Gentlewoman of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth I (1603-25). Records show that the Tudor Queen regularly gave many gifts of clothing to Parry, and the people of Bacton have speculated for centuries that this altar cloth might have been a gift to Parry from her mistress. The altar cloth is made from cloth of silver; a very high status fabric, indicating that it may once have been worn by the aristocracy, or even royalty and possibly even the Queen herself