THE facsimile of a Tudor cloth which is thought to have once been worn by Queen Elizabeth I can now be viewed at a county church.

It was last May when historians revealed that an altar cloth belonging to St Faith's Church in Bacton, near Ewyas Harold, was an important piece of British history.

The cloth was taken to Hampton Court in London, where it is now being conserved, and in the meantime a facsimile has been produced for the church.

The photograph is mounted on linen and is the same size as the original.

Churchwarden at Bacton church, Charles Hunter, said: "People visiting the church have asked if it has been embroidered as it is so close to the original."

The church had always been aware of its links with the Elizabethan period and knew the cloth had come to the church after being gifted to Blanche Parry in around 1590.

Miss Parry was born in Bacton but went on to serve 57 years for Queen Elizabeth I and died as her Chief Gentlewoman of the Bedchamber.

The cloth is on loan with the Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) in London for six years.

Mr Hunter said: "From studying the cloth, they have found several narratives along horizontal bands of the cloth - these are the secondary embroidery only.

"One such is a fisherman/sea creature narrative (it appears as though the sea creature eats the fisherman).

"This is typical of late 16th century aristocratic pastimes/motifs. The sea creature loomed large in the popular imagination at the time because of the great voyages of discovery."

He said that some of the animals come from Nicholas de Bruyn of Amsterdam’s Four Legged Animals print book of 1594, particularly the bear, which has been christened The Little Bear of Bacton.

It appears other animals (such as the hart, and the dogs) are also taken directly from that book.

There will be a Songs of Praise, with the Abbey Singers, in St Faith’s Church at 7pm on Friday, June 16 during which Bishop Alistair will dedicate the hanging of the facsimile. All are welcome.

There will be a lecture by Eleri Lynn, who is the curator of dresses at Historic Royal Palaces Hampton Court, at 2.30pm on June 16 in Hereford Museum and Resource Centre, Friar Street, Hereford. Tickets are £10 and can be booked by ringing 01981 259868.

Extensive research was carried out by Abbey Dore historian Ruth Richardson into Miss Parry and the embroidery. She discovered that in the famous Rainbow Portrait in Hatfield House the Queen is dressed in a strikingly similar fabric, which suggests it could have come from the Queen's skirt.