This canvaswork stitch consists of loops of thread which are either left as even length loops, or, more commonly, cut into a pile.  It is similar to the surface version of this stitch: Turkey rug stitch.

Turkey rug knot is probably the best known of various canvaswork piled stitches (those made from raised loops, cut into a pile to resemble a rug).  They are often referred to as Turkey work (the name originating from their similarity to carpets which were originally imported from Turkey).  It is often difficult to be certain which stitch has been used on an artefact as they are all visually similar from the front: they differ purely in the working method.  This also means dating the origin of each stitch individually is very hard.

There is certainly evidence of some form of piled stitches on canvaswork chairs from the mid 17th century: Norwich Cathedral, Norfolk has 23 Turkey work chairs dating from 1651, and the Victoria and Albert Museum has a chair with 1649 stitched into the design.

By the 19th century Turkey work was being used on smaller, decorative items: it rose in popularity as part of Berlin wool work where it was often used to portray large flowers, shaded in different colours and then trimmed to reflect the shape of the petals.  The V&A has such an example from the 1850s with roses, referred to as plushwork.