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| Robert Embroideries
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Originally French Hugenots who fled to England in 1776 to escape religious persecution, the Robért family established a successful London business producing embroidery. This business supplied fine quality embroidery to members of the aristocracy including the British and Russian royal families. Robért’s also assisted in establishing the Royal School and Guild of Needlework. Leaving England in the late 19th century for "greener pastures", Charles William Robért settled in South Africa. Finding Africa not to his liking he moved to Australia, but then a chance meeting with Mr Hartley - an early developer of Palmerston North – encouraged him to shift to New Zealand.
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Rob ért's first shop, Main Street, 1900s
Arriving in Palmerston North in 1872, Charles established Robért Embroideries in 1876. In the early 1920s Crispanus Robért operated the business, employing approximately 100 embroideresses. As the Depression began to impact, Crispanus, rather than lay off staff, sold property to fund their wages. He made "fictional" orders for the staff to fulfil and burnt them at night, giving his staff the illusion they had enough work to carry on through the Depression. Towards the end of the Depression, when he ran out of properties to sell, some employees stayed on working for free.
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Indentured Certificate of Anna Eliza King to James Robért
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In 1927, when the Prince of Wales toured New Zealand, Robért's made all the table and bed linen. For the 1986 visit by Queen Elizabeth, Robért's was requested to replace all the banners – which they had originally made - in the Hall of Memories at the National War Memorial in Wellington. In recognition of its fine embroideries Robért Embroideries was granted Freedom of the City of London and authorised to display the Royal Coat of Arms over their business.
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Robért family c1880-90s
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Interior of Workroom 1914
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Robért's present shop, Main Street 2002
Robért family papers are held in the Ian Matheson City Archives.
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