The opportunity has arisen for someone to own a piece of Halstead’s past from almost 200 years ago.

A sampler made in 1822 is being sold on eBay by Battlesbridge-based company Madelena Antiques, which specialises in selling antiques and collectables.

The sampler - made to show off the skill of the makers needlework - shows a church, believed to be St Andrews, and has a verse which reads “When to the house of God we go/To hear his word and sing his Love/We ought to worship him below/As saints and angels do above”.

The top reads 'This Sampler Was Work'd At Mrs Pasks School Halsted Essex In The Year 1822'.

Jane Pask ran a school in Halstead during the 1800s - she is listed in the White's Directory of Essex in 1848 as running a school in the town.

The sampler is priced at £1,040 and a silk or wool thread has been used on a linen backing.