Record

Face-mask and wig used by Covenanting minister Alexander Peden

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Postcard of Face-mask and wig used by Covenanting minister Alexander Peden.
000-190-001-135-C
© National Museums Scotland

Face-mask and wig used by Covenanting minister Alexander Peden

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.


Record details

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Online ID: 000-190-001-135-C
Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
Project: 0098: National Museums Scotland
Project description | View all records in project
Ref: National Museums Scotland  H.NT 240
Date: 1670s and 1680s
Around 1670
c. 1660 - 1670
Material: Leather; fabric, dark red and brown; hair; feathers, brown; wood
Linen; hair
Dimensions: 235 mm H x 260 mm W
458 mm L x 250 mm Dia
What: Mask / face, false
Wig
Subject:
Who: Reverend Alexander Peden (Owner)
Reverend Alexander Peden (Owner)
Where:
Event:
Description: Face mask made of leather, roughly oval, worn by Alexander Peden, a covenanting minister, c. 1670s - 1680s
Wig with a base of coarse knotted linen net to which the hair, now lacking on the crown, is attached, worn by Alexander Peden, a covenanting minister, c. 1670s - 1680s
References:
  • Calder, J. (ed). The Wealth of a Nation. Edinburgh & Glasgow: NMS & Drew, 1989 
Translations:
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