The Evil Lappet
Leeds, Yorkshire 1794
“The lady wore the lappet at the Waterloo Victory Ball, and when coming home she was thrown out of her carriage and killed.”
Of all my research for Northern Folklore Archive, this is the first time I’ve come across a story about cursed clothing. Which is a shame, because I think that’s fabulous! If you know of any more cursed items of clothing, please do comment below! We’re travelling back to Leeds, with the first case of cursedness occurring in 1794.
There stood a waxwork of a dashingly bonny lady in Mr. Kenneth Sanderson’s collection of vintage costumes in Leeds Art Gallery back in 1939. Upon her head sat ‘the evil lappet’, a decorative lacey flap, fold or hanging part of a headdress or garment - typically worn by ladies in the 18th Century and more popularised in the West despite having been worn from the 1690s in France. A photo of this waxwork wearing said wicked lappet alongside a re-telling of the story was published in the Yorkshire Post on the 29th July 1939.
A newspaper clipping from The Yorkshire Post, 29th July 1939.
Gifted by Louis XV, this lappet was owned by Madame du Barry the last maîtresse-en-titre of the French King. Executed by guillotine during the French Revolution on accusations of treason, it is said that du Barry placed a curse on every item of clothing she owned, hoping that ill-luck and misery would befall anyone who would go on to wear them. Beyond her control, her possessions were dispersed around during the French Revolution, and the lappet in question found itself in a Parisian saleroom, where it was purchased by a travelling British man in 1794 as a gift for his wife. Feeling like the luckiest woman in the world, I imagine, his wife wore the lappet to the Waterloo Victory Ball. Frivolity was had, until her journey back home when she was accidentally tossed out of her moving carriage and killed.
Passed down to their daughter, she then wore the lappet to several outings… and unfortunately met a similar fate. Thrown from her horse, the daughter sustained serious injuries.
The evil lappet stayed locked away for some time, no one daring to don it after the tragedies that occurred, until one brave youngster decided it would be the perfect addition to her outfit for an upcoming ball. Just like the first lady, frivolity was probably had. Maybe she got many a compliment on her stylish new lappet… until her journey back home where she was found drowned in the sea.
The lappet was once again stored away, and it’s reputation for killing women slowly fading away into history. The last recorded tragedy linked to the lappet happened in 1914, unsure as to the circumstances of this event but once rediscovered in 1939, the lappet was gifted to Mr. Sanderson for his exhibition of vintage clothing in Leeds Art Gallery on one condition… never let another human wear this lappet again!
I can’t find any information on where this lappet ended up, there’s no current exhibitions at Leeds Art Gallery that suggests this piece of clothing is still being displayed. However, Mr. Sanderson’s collection is still listed and suggests you contact the Art Library on 0113 37 87017 if you’d like to chat about it.
Sources
https://secretlibraryleeds.net/local-history/ghost-stories/the-evil-lappet-clothes-and-a-curse/
https://secretlibraryleeds.net/collections-treasures/collections/the-sanderson-collection/
