The object was received in a quilted baby's basket along with a number of other pin cushions and items of clothing. According to the donor, the collection of objects had been kept in this manner and handed down in the family since the eighteenth century. A small note pinned to one of the garments states; 'The things belonged to my father, Henry Burningham, who was born February 10th 1741/2'. A genealogical trace suggests that the items were made by or for Amy Burningham (1708-77), and used in relation to the birth of her first-born son, Henry, in 1741. They were then passed down to the first-born son of each generation. The line is Henry Burningham (1741-1808), Thomas Burningham (1772-1846), Henry Burningham (1799-1895), Henry George Charles Burningham (1831-1905). Historical significance: In the eighteenth century, the birth of a child was celebrated with delicate cot quilts and other objects that often mirrored adult fashions. These were usually handed down within the family, as were a wide range of quilted items from tiny pincushions to large bed covers. Often passed through the female line, they were also given to the first-born son of every generation - a sign of how prized they were as family heritage. The stories attached to them reflected social and family connections.