Mary Fillis
English seamstress
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Mary Fillis (floruit 1599) was a seamstress in Tudor England.[1]
Biography
Mary Fillis, of Moorish descent, was born to Fillis of Morisco, a Moroccan craftsman specializing in basket weaving and shovel making.[2][3] Born into a Muslim family, Fillis expressed a desire for baptism to her employer, Porter, signifying her willingness to assimilate into the culture of Britain.[2] The consequent baptism was held at St Botolph's in Aldgate, London, in 1597.[2]
Fillis migrated to London around 1583–4, and first served as a servant to merchant John Barker before becoming a seamstress under Millicent Porter in East Smithfield by 1597.[2][4]
Following Porter's death in 1599, Fillis's subsequent fate remains unknown.[5] Her residence in London occurred amidst diplomatic negotiations between England and Morocco against their mutual opponent, Spain, influencing the societal context of her life in Tudor England.[5]