| Description: | This quilt, created by textile artist, Deborah J. Stockdale, was commissioned for “The Plantation of Ulster” exhibition at the Guildhall, Derry, in 2013. It took over one year to create; from inception to completion. Deborah worked extensively from historic and contemporary sources to identify key topics, such as land use and methods of agriculture and farming, evolution in building styles and methods, the militarisation and commercial development of the area, as well as extensive changes in economics and society in general.
Commenting on the key historical events and themes portrayed in the quilt, which spans a 400 year period, Deborah states: “[It] commemorates the beginning of the building of the Walls of Derry/ Londonderry, and the processes and people involved in the Plantation of Ulster from 1613 onward. It reflects on the culture, ways of living, and key historical figures of both the Gaelic and Planter (Scots/English) during this pivotal time in Irish history.”
The small insert panels of individuals, places, processes and groups of people are stitched in black thread on antique, unbleached linen. They are appliquéd onto a multi-coloured tweed background, in two distinct coloured bands. For Deborah, this imagery represents: “the subsequent inter-weaving of the two cultures in the area.”
An image of a map of the City of Derry, taken from contemporary historical sources, commemorates the building of the last walled city in Europe.
The quilt has been on display since 2013 in the Guildhall as part of the exhibition about the Plantation process in Northern Ireland. It was also exhibited in the Stitched Legacies of Conflicts exhibition (2016) and was a focal point for Conflict Textile workshops (2019).
A review of the quilt process, completed by Bernadette Walsh, Archivist, Tower Museum, November 2021 is available here and in the 'textile detail' section below.
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