Old linen up close

Living in the modern world, it could be easy to imagine there has hardly been a historical discovery humanity hasn’t made so far. And yet, when a group of scientists found a strange love message made with human hair and embroidered on a centuries-old bedsheet, new history was made.

A Bizarre Discovery

The 300-year-old bedsheet was most likely taken from a severed head and is set to be displayed at a London museum. The old linen was embellished by Anna Maria Radclyffe in loving memory of her husband James, who was beheaded at age 26 in 1716 for his involvement in the first Jacobite rebellion. A moment in history that was later immortalized by Sir Walter Scott’s novel, Rob Roy.

Sir Walter Scott

Intricately decorated with leaves, flowers, and a large heart-shaped wreath, the bedsheet also has an inscription made with human hair. It reads: 'The sheet OFF MY dear Lord's Bed in the wretched Tower of London February 1716.’ It is signed by ‘Ann C of Darwent=Waters+.'

A 300-year-old bedsheet embroidered with a love message in human hair

Experts believe the hair Anna used could be hers or a combination of her hair and her husband’s, which she may have intertwined.

When Tragic History Meets Love

The third Earl of Derwentwater and grandson of Charles II, Anna’s husband James, was beheaded on February 24, 1716, and she was allowed to take charge of his body. It’s then that scientists believe Anna was able to cut locks of his hair as a precious keepsake.

Beverley Cook, a curator at the Museum of London, says that the embroidered bedsheet is an extraordinary item, and it would’ve taken months if not years to create. The care and devotion that went into making the linen speak volumes of Anna’s heartbreak and remarkable character — a woman determined to preserve the memory of her husband throughout time.

Museum of London

The bedsheet will be part of a special exhibition that shows the impact of public executions on the everyday lives of Londoners over the centuries, which is a part of history that’s rarely talked about. Although the museum acquired the bedsheet in 1934, this will be the first time visitors will be able to see it on display.