Behind a frightening-looking mask lies a fascinating story of rebellion and religious conviction.

The masked preacher

Born in Auchencloich near Sorn, Ayrshire, Alexander Peden grew up in a fairly prosperous family. He went to school in nearby Mauchline and attended Glasgow University between 1643 and 1648. Before entering the ministry, he is thought to have served as a schoolmaster or family tutor for several years.  

In 1659 Peden was ordained within the Kirk of Scotland, and became minister at New Luce in Wigtownshire. Peden was a Presbyterian, that is someone who follows Presbyterian doctrines and religious practices. Presbyterianism is a type of Protestantism and it is the form that the Scottish kirk took after the Reformation in 1560. This was done in defiance of the Scottish monarch at the time, Mary, Queen of Scots. Subsequently, the issue of who determined religious policy continued to be a source of conflict between the Scottish crown and the Presbyterian body of the kirk for over a century. 

Pedan served at New Luce until 1662, when he was ejected for refusing to conform to the Episcopalian church practices. He became what today we might refer to as a ‘celebrity’ or charismatic preacher. He wore a mask made from leather and fabric, with a beard and wig that were probably made from real human hair, as a disguise to avoid arrest for preaching illegally. 

The religious and political landscape of 17th century Scotland is important to understanding Peden's beliefs and circumstances, in particular, the National Covenant.

Who were the Covenanters?

In 1638, Charles I tried to introduce the English prayer book into the Scottish kirk. He was attempting to introduce more Anglican religious practices in Scotland. These moves were fiercely resisted by the Scottish Presbyterians.

The resulting National Covenant was created in opposition to the King. It was a pledge between the Scottish people and God to uphold Presbyterian values and to protect the Scottish kirk. It refused to accept the King as the spiritual head of the kirk and rejected his interference in it.

‘Covenanter’ was the name given to the people of Scotland who signed the National Covenant. It was first signed on 28 February 1638 at Greyfriars Kirk, just across the road from the National Museum of Scotland.

Subsequently, each parish had their own copy of this historic document, which their parishioners signed. Several of these covenants are on display in the museum.

Upholding Presbyterian values

The Covenant rejected the hierarchical nature of the Episcopalian system of church government which was ruled by bishops, who Presbyterians felt were controlled by the King. Instead Presbyterians believed that everyone in the kirk was equal. They believed that they should be governed by the national General Assembly and the regional presbyteries; a church court combining ministers with church elders selected from each parish. Most importantly Presbyterians believed that ministers should be chosen by their congregations. The difference between Presbyterianism and Episcopalianism was essentially a heated dispute over two opposing forms of Protestantism.

For Charles I, Presbyterian opposition represented a rejection of his personal authority in the kirk and was treasonous. He declared war on the Covenanters, which would ultimately bring about his downfall.

In need of funds to pursue the war, Charles was forced to recall the English Parliament after almost 10 years of ruling alone. There was a subsequent deadlock between King and Parliament. This resulted in civil war across England, Scotland, and Ireland, and Charles I’s execution in 1649.

The Killing Time

In 1660, Charles II was restored to the throne. In return for assistance from the Covenanters, he had reluctantly signed the Covenant. Yet in 1662 the new King renounced his promise and declared himself the head of the Scottish kirk, re-introducing Episcopalian practices.

A period of persecution followed. Some 350 ministers with Covenanting sympathies were forced from their churches. Rather than suffer the imposition of the hierarchy of the Episcopalian system, they became outlaws, continuing to fight their cause.

Many began preaching illegally at open air services known as ‘coventicles’. This practice became punishable by death under Charles’s new laws. Covenanters were sought out and persecuted by government troops. They were imprisoned, executed, or transported to the colonies. All Scots were forced to take an oath renouncing the Covenant. Anybody who refused to do so risked their lives, and many chose to die rather than renounce their beliefs. This bloody period became known as ‘the Killing Time’.

Time on the Scottish Alcatraz

Alexander Peden was bitterly opposed to the religious changes imposed by Charles II and encouraged his followers to defy them. Most of his preaching was done in the south and west of Scotland. When not preaching he would travel between sites, sleeping in caves and shelters to avoid recognition and capture.

After 11 years on the run as an outlaw, Alexander Peden was captured and imprisoned. He spent four years on the Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth – the Scottish Alcatraz. Plans to exile him to a plantation in Virginia in America backfired when a sympathetic English captain allowed him to jump ship, and he escaped to Ireland. He then returned to Scotland where he continued to preach illegally throughout the Killing Times, risking his own life and those of his followers.

Prematurely aged and debilitated, he found shelter in a cave on the banks of Ayr near Sorn. His final days before his were death were spent at his brother’s house at Auchinleck, where he died on 28 January 1686. He was buried in Auchinleck church.

Honouring Peden

Alexander Peden’s remains were dug up by vengeful government troops six weeks after he was buried. Since they had failed to hang him, he was reburied by the troops at the foot of the gallows in Cumnock. The local community adopted the spot as their burial-ground out of reverence for Peden. South and central Scotland is dotted with sites honouring his memory. Peden’s Pulpit and Peden’s Stone continue into the 21st century to be sites of commemorative services.

The mask was discovered in the 1840s, in a cottage near Cumnock. The mask and wig, along with Peden's sword, had been handed down through his family for generations.

Face mask made of leather worn with a wig by Alexander Peden (museum reference H.NT 239) is on display at the National Museum of Scotland.