The Leek Embroidery Society and the associated Leek School of Embroidery were founded in 1879/1880 by the embroideress Elizabeth Wardle and her husband, Thomas Wardle. The Society, initially called the Leek Sewing Circle, produced both domestic and ecclesiastical embroidery work, that was granted prestigious awards for its fineness and high quality. Most of the work, including the dying, took place in Leek, Staffordshire.