200-year-old jumper found in great condition at National Archives
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A 200-year-old jumper has been found in great condition at the National Archives.
It was discovered among a huge stash of parcels which had been seized from a ship by the Royal Navy in the 19th century, and which have now been opened for the first time.
Researchers say the item of clothing was on its way to a woman in Denmark, but its journey was interrupted by the Napoleonic Wars.
It's hoped the jumper can be displayed in the Faroe Islands - a group of islands north of Scotland - which it was originally sent from.
What did researchers find?
Women's knee-length stockings were also discovered among the ship's cargo
Experts say the sweater is knitted in bright colours and in a traditional Faroese style.
It also came with a note that said "My wife sends her regards, thank you for the pudding rice. She sends your fiancé this sweater and hopes that it is not displeasing to her".
The jumper was discovered among a huge pile of parcels during work on a new project to digitise thousands of letters seized by the Royal Navy between the 17th and 19th centuries.
The sweater was part of the cargo on board the Anne-Marie ship, which set sail for Denmark from the Faroe Islands in 1807 - its crew having no idea a war was about to start.
It was targeted by the Royal Navy's HMS Defence battleship off the coast of Norway on 2 September, during the second Battle of Copenhagen, part of the Napoleonic Wars.
The Napoleonic Wars were fought between 1803-1815 and were a series of wars which took place on land and sea between Napoleon Bonaparte's French forces and various European countries.
As was tradition at the time, the seized ship's cargo was then confiscated, along with its mail box.
The Anne-Marie's cargo also included 49,000 pairs of woollen stockings, eight tons of dried fish and ten barrels of feathers.