Cap

This cap was found in the coffin of John Leschallas during the excavation of Spitalfields Church crypt. John Leschallas died on 6 August 1836 aged 69 and was buried in the Leschallas family vault at Christ Church, Spitalfields. The excavation of the crypt of Christ Church has increased our knowledge about the community living in Spitalfields, many of whom were of Huguenot descent. The Leschallas family was of French origin and John was probably the son of Jasper, a wealthy painter and decorator who lived in Red Lion Street.

The 19th century saw a proliferation of elaborate cotton burial garments. after the abolition of the Burial in Wool Act in 1814, which had required everyone except plague victims to be interred in shrouds or clothing of English wool. Items like this nightcap, shirt-like shrouds, pillows, coffin linings and mattresses were decorated with punched patterns imitating lace. They were cheap and easy to produce and gave a respectable appearance to the corpse at a time when the body was often displayed to mourners at home, in the coffin.

Crypt burials use very good seals on the coffins, keeping out air and other environmental conditions that usually lead to the decay of vegetable-fibre textiles such as cotton and linen. In excavations form cemeteries these fabrics have usually disappeared completely leaving only wool and silk items.

For the full report on the Spitalfields excavations, see J. Reeve and M. Adams 'The Spitalfields Report Volume 1 - Across the Styx' Council of British Archaeology Report 85 and T. Molleson and M. Cox 'The Spitalfields Report Volume 2 - The Anthropology - The Middling Sort' Council of British Archaeology Report 86.