The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-09-16

English judicial Dress.
SOMETHING or THE ORIGIN OF GOWNS, WIGS,
CAPS, AND OTHER spfkSDoRSoF TIE BENCH
f1,ondon letter n Che Boston Herald
In those times ii, English Judge Of tue
Kings Bench was q man q war no less
than man 81 peace.. He travelled ABOUT
with the sovereign wbithersoever nc VENT
and mounted the Kings tribunal OF lusuce
wheresoever Il might he constituted. ne
wore the soldiers coat oil. mali anu
helmet, and carried the battle-axe ana
long sword. Even down to com
paratively modern times the Englisn
| Judges rode on circuit armed, ana
survival OF the practice might stiiI
be traced by the curious in sucn
matters I'm the crossbelt OF scarlet cioth
called glln-case," part Of the full dress
OF a Judge OF her Maiesty's Supreme Court
In 1883. Chief.Justice DE Hengnam, atl-
thor OF work which Is still quoted with
respect by Iawy ers and antiquarlans, !" The
Sunma OF Lord ChIef-JlIstice Hcnghain,"
was the first English Judge who never put
on armor. He hourished in the latter part
OF the thirteenth century, and was man
| OF some legal attainments, much In favor
OF King Edward I. II was he who first
donned the ermined robe which has found
such favor with long line OF illustrious
successors.
The bench OF English Judges would seem
| TO have rs nice appreciation OF color ana
other little iriv0ities Of dress as their less
gifted fellows. In 1886 solemn decree
was made by all OF the judges OF the courts
OF Westminster, assembled in solemn con-
elaye, appointed what robes they should
benceforth use, and at what times. The
paper they then drew up Is too long for in
sertion here. but it may be remarked that
its main points are still rigidly adhered to
| i'm the present costume OF the English bench.
had the opportunity the other day OF eX-
aiming the splendor OF an English judges
robe, through the courtesy Of Mr.. Wetl-
eral, Of Bell Yard, Chancery Lane, who
makes them. The full dress is scarlet
gown, cape, and hood trimmed with er-
mine; the sleeves very full, with deep cuffs
OF ermine and loose bands and collars. a
broad scarlet band encircles the waist, and
the traditional "gIln ease " Is slipped under
it and carried across the shoulder. The
| lord chief justice wears in addition, on
grand occasions, broad gold cham, called
a collar Of ). g., supposed to have been a
Lancastrian badge adopted by Henry ".
The letters stand, some say, for "Souy-
eraigne;" others, that they are designed in
honor OF It. Simplicius, martyr.
There is also an undress robe OF black
silk, and another OF puce-colored SILK, with
cape and hood trimmed with fawn-colorcd
taifeta, with deep sleeves OF the same ma
terial. A couple Of wigs, ordinary and
extraordinary, short-clpped and full-bot-
toned, with colt, and black cloth square
cap. yulgarly known rs "his sentence
cap" because the Judge never places it on
his head except when he proceeds to pass
sentence OF death on "A criminal, completes
the costume.
This last article Of dress may be traced
back TO the middle OF the seventeenth cen
tury to the time Of Hale at least, who wore
il at the last trial Tor witchcraft in Eng
Land The full-bottomed wig and the ord :
nary English barrlster's wig came into
vogue at the restoration, beng Imports
tions from France. At first the judges
would not suffer the young barristers TO
plead before them so attired, but by and by
| II became the custom. and Lord Campbell
mentions that being once engaged before
the House OF Lords for sixteen hours in
"A great privilege case. he asked leave
|
was solemnly given by the judges, with
the condition that - il was not To he drawn
into a precedent" Many judges have ridi-
cnled the wig-Campbell. Denman, and
BrougIrim among the number. II l. the
silliest and most useless, il not positively
harmful, part OF barristef's or Judge :
costume, and one is amazed Ia think ii
possible that men Of ordinary common
sense should, in the year 1885, array them
selves in such preposterous head-gear.
The stove-pipe hat " has at least the
merit OF being well ventilated through the
top: but the wig is like Il tarpaulin cover
over conservatory in SUMMER bother
up OF heat and ventilation.
The fusion Of law and equity has, so Mr..
Wetheral tells me, suggested that "A change
should be made in the robes OF yice-chan-
cellor, who is no longer a vice-chancellor
but plain justice Of the supreme court.
And saw in Mr.. WetheralPs glass case
for such articles a gaudy gown Of black
silk and gold lace that reminded one very
much Of the robes OF the late Mr.. Pumble-
chook, the beadle. This sample emblem
OF the majesty Of the law had been
submitted rs pattern OF what an
ex-vice-cliancellor's gown should be-. Very
sensibly the eX-yice-chanccllors rejected
the trumpery with one accord, and, ~ the
matter stands, in court they wear a robe
Of plain black silk. After all, The English
Judges are but mortal men, and have their
little yanitieS like the best Of us. Doubt
less many OF them hold il essential to their
dignity as successors OF GascOignc, Hale,
Coke, Mansfield, and the rest, to sit
in court clad in robes OF scarlet and erminc.
or puce and tafleta. and, truth TO say, it is
difficult to imagine IN English judge on
the judgment-seat in any other costume.
| But in years to come, when kings and
queens courts may become things OF the
past and emblems OF theirsovereignty have
perchancc been abolished with them, men
will view with much the same kind Of
establishment that they now gaze on the
mail once worn by Edward, the black
prince, the splendid robes aud golden
chains Of lord chief-iustice OF England