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Mask and wig

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Worn by Alexander Peden

Mask and wig
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This shows the back, left hand side of the face-mask and wig used by Alexander Peden, a Covenanting minister from Ayrshire. Peden used the face-mask and wig as a disguise when preaching at 'conventicles' - illegal outdoor services.

The base of the wig is of coarse, knotted linen net edged with linen ribbon. The hair, which is probably human, is attached to the net by being twisted round pairs of linen threads and secured with a running stitch.

After 1667, when Peden was outlawed for illegal preaching, he wore his mask and wig as a disguise. Most of his preaching was done in the south and west of Scotland. He was eventually captured and imprisoned on the Bass Rock.

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