Hair-embroidered bedsheet in memory of decapitated man to go on display
- Published
The embroidery would have taken months or even years to complete, experts said
An old bedsheet embroidered with human hair possibly taken from a severed head is to be displayed at a London museum.
The 300-year-old linen was embellished by Anna Maria Radclyffe in memory of her husband James, who was beheaded for treason in 1716.
The third Earl of Derwentwater and grandson of Charles II, he was 26 when he was executed for his involvement in the first Jacobite rebellion.
His story was immortalised in Sir Walter Scott's 1817 novel Rob Roy.
The design, of intricate flowers, leaves and a large wreath in the shape of a heart, frames the inscription "The sheet OFF MY dear Lord's Bed in the wretched Tower of London February 1716 x Ann C of Darwent=Waters"
Experts say the hair could have come from her own head or that of the earl, or she could have intertwined a combination of the two. She was allowed to take charge of her husband's body after his death, including his head, providing her with the opportunity to cut locks of his hair as a keepsake.
The inscription can be seen on the bottom right
Beverley Cook, curator of social and working history at the Museum of London, said: "This embroidered bed sheet is an extraordinary item, which would have taken months or years to create.
"The care and devotion speaks to Anna's personal devastation and remarkable character - determined to protect the memory of her husband long after his death."
The sheet was acquired by the Museum of London in 1934 and will form part of the Executions exhibition at the Museum of London Docklands, due to open in October.