Create your own stitch in time with Carrickfergus community heirloom

The finished piece will mark the role Carrickfergus Gaol played in lives of people in County Antrim in the 19th Century.

Working with textile artist Lucy Craig, participants will learn about gaol, and then choose pieces that represent this theme and embellish these pieces and work them into the overall quilt.

The finished piece will form part of the new exhibition “A most proper verdict”: Exploring attitudes to crime in 19thcentury Mid and East Antrim opening at Carrickfergus Museum on January 20, 2022.

This project follows on from the ‘Women in the Archives’ project delivered by Carrickfergus Historical Society in partnership with Carrickfergus Museum in 2019.

‘Women in the Archives’ was a Peace IV joint initiative between the Public Records Office NI (PRONI), the Linenhall Library, the Nerve Centre and National Museum NI designed to bring people together and provide unique access to archived documents, objects and records and develop research skills in community groups.

Carrickfergus and District Historical Society (C&DHS) participated in the programme through a project researching women and children who were incarcerated in Carrickfergus gaol from c1779 to the closure of the gaol in 1850 or who were sentenced to death or transported to Tasmania during the period in question.

The resulting exhibition was on display at the museum in January 2020. The research also forms part of the content of a new publication, ‘Behind & Beyond the Prison Gates: The History of Carrickfergus Gaol and its inmates’.

The publication is funded by the Carrickfergus Townscape Heritage Initiative and the National Lottery Heritage Fund NI, and will be available to the public when the exhibition opens in January.

The sessions are being held on Saturdays 13 & 20 November from 11am – 1pm.

Suitable for ages 12+. No previous experience of needlework required.

Booking essential.