Little Gidding
Preserved but no longer current.
Nicholas Ferrar set up an English Protestant Nunnery at Little Gidding (Huntingdon) in 1625, at which binding was practised by all the inmates. Many bindings, particularly embroidered ones, are ascribed to them, but without any certainty.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Little Gidding” mean?
Nicholas Ferrar set up an English Protestant Nunnery at Little Gidding (Huntingdon) in 1625, at which binding was practised by all the inmates. Many bindings, particularly embroidered ones, are ascribed to them, but without any certainty.
Is “Little Gidding” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.