Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 12.pdf/657

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before that date still wear on the top of the wig a round little black patch which is the sign of the degree of serjeant and has a curious his tory. The body of Serjeants was known as the Order of the Coif from their wearing a close fitting head-covering of white lawn or silk, called a coif. In shape it was not unlike a Knight Templar's cap. The coif dated from the thirteenth century, and a small skull cap of black silk or of velvet was worn over it. But when the fashion of wearing wigs was adopted by the judges in the beginning of the last century, the coif and skull cap were reduced to a small black patch with a nar row border of white silk, placed on the top of the wig. In hot weather the wig is sometimes un comfortable, and the late lord chief justice of England not long ago recognized this by removing his wig one warm day, and giv ing the members of the bar who were pres ent permission to do likewise. The lord

chief justice of Ireland has often been seen to remove his wig temporarily and lay it on his desk in particularly hot weather. Accident has sometimes separated learned judges from their wigs. In 1885, Mr. Jus tice Johnson, an Irish judge, lost his wig when on circuit, and appeared in court at Carlow without it, but he apologized to the grand jury and to the bar for its absence. Lord Ellenborough once permitted his wife to accompany him on circuit, provided that she did not encumber the carriage with band boxes. On the way his lordship struck his foot against something in the bottom of the carriage, and supposing the obstruction to be one of the hated articles, he promptly flung it out of the window. The learned judge reached the next circuit town in due course and proceeded to robe. "Where is my wig? " said his lordship. " Where is my wig? " " My Lord," replied his valet, "your lordship threw it on the road."