Wigs in United Kingdom
Meaning of Wigs
The following is an old definition of Wigs [1]: Compare Gown. The custom of wearing wigs seems to date back to the remotest antiquity. They were worn in Egypt; references in the classics attest their use in Greece and Rome. The fashion died out; it was revived in France in the time of Henry III, and became prevalent in that of Louis XIII, and almost universal in that of Louis XIV. From France it spread to other countries, attaining its height in England in the reign of Anne. After the Revolution it disappeared in France, and, gradually, elsewhere. From the time of George III, the fashion began to wane in England, except among professional men. It prevailed, to some extent, in this country during the latter half of the last century. “The wig of the seventeenth century now holds its place only on the judicial bench ” of Great Britain, ” and with the speaker of the House of Commons, barristers, and advocates; but even on the bench its use is being threatened.
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Notes and References
- Concept of Wigs provided by the Anderson Dictionary of Law (1889) (Dictionary of Law consisting of Judicial Definitions and Explanations of Words, Phrases and Maxims and an Exposition of the Principles of Law: Comprising a Dictionary and Compendium of American and English Jurisprudence; William C. Anderson; T. H. Flood and Company, Law Publishers, Chicago, United States)