Bennett Street Sunday school sampler

Needlework sampler depicting Bennett Street Sunday School, dated 1842.

This needlework sampler was likely created by a pupil of Bennett Street Sunday School in New Cross, Manchester. The school opened in Manchester in 1801. Before free education, it taught some of the city’s poorest children. Many worked six days a week in Manchester’s factories, spending their Sundays off learning skills like reading, writing and sewing. When Bennett Street celebrated its 50th anniversary, the school had over 2,500 pupils.