Editor Notes: Much historical quilt research has centered in recent years on quilts and quilting in their social contexts, particularly in the folk cultures of America and Europe. Much less attention has been given to their roles in the lives of the privileged. Shiela Betterton, who has studied England's quilting traditions intensively, has assembled here a chronological record of quilts and quilting in the lives of British royalty over eight centuries.

Author Notes: Shiela Betterton, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, has been associated for 30 years with the American Museum in Britain, the last 19 as its Textile and Needlework Specialist, with a particular interest in quilts. She was born in Northumberland, England, and, she notes, "always slept under quilts." She was intrigued, on a trip to America in 1963, to discover its quilting tradition. She began patchwork and quilting research then, andhas continued it around the world ever since. Ms. Betterton lectures in England and abroad on the subject, and has written six books on textiles in the Museum's collection. She has also collaborated on many other publications in the field.