Robes

Till late in the i8th century peers continued to attend the House of Lords in parliamentary robes, with the stars and ribbons of their orders, but robes are now only worn in the House of Lords, e.g., at the opening of parliament, on occasions when the sovereign gives his assent to bills by "royal commission" (when five or six peers on the Government side appear in robes, and the lord chancellor also wears his peer's robe of scarlet ermine), and at the introduction of a newly created peer, when the new peer and his two introducers wear their parliamentary robes (over morning dress) during the ceremony of introduction only. The mover and seconder of the Address no longer wear robes, but uniform. On all the above occasions, and when the peers as a body attend church or some other ceremony, the parliamentary robe of scarlet cloth is worn ; in the present day it takes the form of a mantle opening on the right shoulder, with a collar of ermine, and guarded with rows of ermine and gold lace round the right shoulder, varying in number according to the rank of the wearer. The modern coronation robes consist of a crimson velvet surcoat and a mantle with a tippet of ermine and with rows of ermine as in the parliamentary robes. The surcoat is no longer a gown, but a short sleeveless garment.

As regards peeresses' robes, the order of the earl-marshal for the regulation of these at the coronation of James II. shows that by then all peeresses wore the robes of state of crimson velvet, and minutely regulates all details, such as shape, powderings, length of train and width of the fur edging of the mantle. They have changed very little up to the present day.

House of Commons.

The speaker of the House of Commons wears on state occasions a black damask robe with gold lace and a full-bottomed wig ; in the House itself he wears a black silk robe with train and a full-bottomed wig. The clerks at the table wear barristers' gowns and wigs.

Robes of the Orders of Knighthood.

The robes of the Garter were originally of blue woollen stuff, the surcoat and hood being powdered with garters embroidered in silk and gold. The surcoat varied in colour from year to year; the hood was made of the same material as the surcoat and, when hats began to be worn, was carried hanging over the shoulder. Robes were some times granted to ladies in the early days. The last lady to receive the robes was Margaret, countess of Richmond, in 1488. At the present day the mantle is of dark blue velvet, of the same colour as the ribbon, lined with taffeta, and with the star embroidered on the left shoulder, the hood and surcoat of crimson velvet lined with white taffeta, and with these are worn a doublet and trunk hose of white satin and a plumed hat.

The robes worn by the knights of the Bath created at the coronation of Henry IV. were green with furred hoods, and a white silk cord hanging from the left shoulder. The mantle in the present day is of crimson velvet lined with white over a white satin under-coat and trunk-hose, and a plumed hat and white boots with red tops are worn. The mantle of the Thistle is of dark green velvet over surcoat, etc., of cloth of silver; that of St. Patrick azure, with doublet and trunk-hose of white satin ; that of St. Michael and St. George of Saxon blue satin lined with scarlet ; and that of the Star of India of light blue satin lined with white.

Judicial and Forensic Robes.

It is frequently stated that judicial robes had their origin in the dress of ecclesiastics. But though ecclesiastics in early days frequently acted as judges, and though, as Fortescue says, the serjeant's long robe was "after the fashion of a priest," judicial robes more probably arose from the ordinary civilian dress of the early 14th century. The chief argument for the ecclesiastical origin has been found in the coif, a cap of white linen or silk, tied under the chin, and described by Fortescue as "the principal or chief insignment and habit wherewith serjeants-at-law at their creation are decked," which is said to have been used by ecclesiastics to hide the tonsure when in court. More probably the coif was a head-dress in com mon use in the 13th century, which survived as the distinguishing mark of men of law.

About the time of Queen Elizabeth the square cap, otherwise known as the cornered, black or sentence cap (the last from the fact of its being put on by the judge when pronouncing sentence of death), began to appear. Sometimes it was worn over the coif only, sometimes over the coif and skull-cap. Sometimes it had ear-flaps, sometimes, as in its present form, it had not.

Towards the end of the i 7th century the judges took to wearing wigs, and they have continued to wear them ever since. The wearing of wigs naturally concealed the coif and velvet skull-cap, so a device had to be invented by which they could still be dis played. The expedient was hit upon of putting a round patch of white stuff, with a black spot in the middle of it, on the crown of the wig of certain of the judges, to represent the coif and skull-cap. Serjeant being appointed no longer, this round patch has now disappeared, the only trace of it left being the circular depression on the crown of the wig.

Minute details of court and levee dress, judicial and legal, of the present day, will be found in Dress worn at Court (pp. 60-61), issued with the authority of the Lord Chamberlain—also details of mourning costume.