Towneley Hall's new curator, Mr John Blundell, examines the pall, now a centrepiece of the General Scarlett Exhibition.

The funeral pall of Burnley's Crimean War generalissimo, General Sir James Yorke Scarlett, has been rediscovered in the baptistry of St Peter's Church, just in time for the centenary celebrations. The find was made by the Bishop of Burnley, the Rt Rev. Richard Watson, while he was sorting out some chests. Explained the curator of Towneley Art Gallery and Museum, Mr John Blundell, who helped to identify it: "The Bishop and his assistants were pretty sure that this was the pall, but I was able to confirm this with reference to the 1871 memorial service handbook. What seems likely is that it was put away after the general's funeral and then apparently forgotten about. It may have been taken out of the chest a few times, but probably nobody realised the significance of it until the Bishop unearthed it."

Now the pall, valued at 100 gns in 1871, is on display with other General Scarlett relics in the exhibition, "The Military Career of James Yorke Scarlett," at Towneley Hall. Mr Blundell described it as dark purple velvet trimmed with purple wool. A cross in pale cream silk brocade is appliqued its full length. Also newly added to the exhibition are two volumes of first-hand drawings and water colour paintings of battles and scenes of the Crimean War.

Preliminary plans for the General Scarlett memorial garden at Cliviger were approved at a meeting of the General Scarlett Memorial Sub-Committee. Cliviger Parish Council and the Civic Trust are co-operating in the plan.