When do barristers wear wigs

The fad of wearing a smelly, itchy mass of curls came onto the fashion scene due to syphilis and a pair of self-conscious Kings. Long hair was a trendy status symbol and a bald dome could lead to public embarrassment. In the 16th century an increasing number of people were contracting the STD. Without widespread treatment with antibiotics, hair loss was a big giveaway that you had contacted the disease.

This made the wearing of wigs a necessity. So after , the correctly-dressed judge would have worn a black robe faced with miniver a light-coloured fur in winter, and violet or scarlet robes, faced with shot-pink taffeta, in summer.

A black girdle, or cincture, was worn with all robes. By the mid-eighteenth century, the rules of were not being stuck to as strictly as the author might have hoped. A less formal version of the robes — a scarlet robe, black scarf and scarlet casting-hood also known as a tippet or stole — was used for criminal trials, and for civil trials some judges had begun to wear a black silk gown.

When sitting in Westminster Hall — at the time the home of the courts of law — the mantle was not worn; this was now saved for ceremonial wear. And grey taffeta was becoming increasingly popular as an alternative to the pink taffeta used on summer robes. Plain linen bands began to be worn at the neck, in place of the ruffs associated with Queen Elizabeth I.

These were originally wide collars, but by the s had become what we see today: two rectangles of linen, tied at the throat. Bands are still usually worn with a winged collar, rather than the turn-down collar seen on a typical shirt today.

Sometimes changes to the court structure itself have had a major effect on what is worn by judges. This led to a new dress dilemma; trial judges in these courts were used to wearing plain black silk gowns. Even the Supreme Court does not expect learned Counsel or Judges to wear the famous head piece or to give it its proper name a peruke. Today wigs must be worn in Criminal cases by barristers and Judges and not to abide by this rule would be considered an insult to the Court.

Wig wearing by Judges and barristers in family and civil proceedings tends to be reserved for ceremonial purposes only theses days. You only have to walk down Chancery Lane in London and stand outside Ede and Ravensccroft — the famous makers and suppliers of all things lawyer — like- to see the display and variety of perukes.

So when and why did the wearing of wigs enter the court room? Back in the 14th century Lawyers and Judges were to be found wig-less and sporting coloured robes in red, violet and green, depending upon the season. The fashion trends of the 17th century helped judge wigs work their way into courtrooms too and the headpieces were fully adopted as proper legal attire by with just as many strict rules as robes. Courtroom wigs are white, often handcrafted out of horsehair, and can cost thousands of pounds Judges used to wear long, curled, full-bottom wigs until the s, then they switched to smaller bench wigs.

The Wigs And Robes Of Today While a growing number of people feel that the dress code is outdated, traditionalist believes that judge wigs should still be worn to maintain the tradition and to enforce the law.