The vendor found this gown with a number of other pieces of 1740s silk about to be placed upon a communal bonfire for the destruction of rubbish, in a farmer’s field in Hampshire. She recognised the historical nature of the materials and via the sister of David Judd in Learning & Interpretation, brought them to the V&A. The style of the gown is too late for someone alive in 1722 as detailed in the inscription attached to the bodice lining, but may have belonged to one of the descendants listed.