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Face-mask and wig used by Covenanting minister Alexander Peden

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Face-mask and wig used by Covenanting minister Alexander Peden
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This face-mask and wig was used by Alexander Peden, a Covenanting minister from Ayrshire. Peden used the mask and wig as a disguise when preaching at 'conventicles' - illegal outdoor services.

The cheeks of the mask have been reddened and three long strips of wood stitched inside the chin to resemble lower teeth. The mask is shaped to the face by a T-shaped thong sewn inside.

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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