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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, right 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.

The mask was discovered in the 1840s in a cottage near Cumnock in Ayrshire. It belonged to the great granddaughter of Peden's brother. Peden's relics, such as the mask, wig and sword, had been handed down through his family for generations.

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