The origin of the crewel stitch is just as mysterious as that of its name; some fragments of crewel embroidery dating back to the 1st Century B.C. have been found in North Mongolia. It became prevalent in Britain from the 5th Century A.D. onward and attained the heights of popularity in the 16th and 17th centuries when the East India Company established trade with India and imported stunning crewelwork from Kashmir.