Description and Details
A collection of fourteen late-Victorian Irish linen damask dinner napkins, dated 1889, from the Raglan family estate at Cefntilla Court, Monmouthshire. These generously sized napkins have a restrained geometric design, with architectural borders surrounding a dotted central field. The substantial flax linen has softened with laundering while retaining its weight and smooth drape.
The surviving household markings are a particularly interesting part of this collection. Ten napkins bear a hand-worked red cross-stitch initial R for Raglan, followed by the inventory code 36. 89, recording their entry into the household linen inventory in 1889. Two further napkins retain their original woven laundry name tapes lettered RAGLAN in blue, hand-stitched to the hems. Together, these marks preserve the practical details of how the estate's linen was recorded and identified for laundering.
Each napkin measures approximately 61 × 59.5 cm (24 × 23½ inches). The geometric damask is Jacquard woven, with the inventory marks worked by hand in cross-stitch.
Nine napkins are in excellent antique condition, with bright linen, intact hems and sound fabric suitable for use at the table. The remaining five show more wear, including small worn-through areas, fraying and old darns. They are included to keep the estate collection intact and serve beautifully as historic display pieces or secondary backups. All fourteen are sold together.
Cefntilla Court was the home of the Barons Raglan. The connection to this household, together with the surviving embroidered marks and laundry tapes, gives these otherwise practical table linens a particular historical interest.
