Why does the judge have a white hair on his head?

It is one of the most distinctive traditions of English courts that judges and lawyers wear wigs in court. In some former British colonies deeply influenced by the British judicial system, we can also see this cultural imprint with British characteristics, such as the China Special Administrative Region.

Why do British judges and lawyers wear wigs? Many people who study history have put forward various explanations, but it is difficult to convince everyone.

Some people say that in the Middle Ages, overwork and illness made judicial personnel lose all their hair prematurely. In order to hide their "glory" in public, wigs became popular and became a scene of the British court.

Some people say that judges wear wigs to show respect, and lawyers wear wigs to cover up and protect them to some extent, because they are worried that their defense results will not be recognized by the defendants and their families. But this is not so much a reasonable explanation as a joke made up by people who have problems with lawyers to discredit them. Because according to a recent survey, 57% lawyers are not satisfied with wearing wigs and want to take them off. The reason is that these wig made of horse hair are expensive but unsanitary. Generally, a wig will last a lifetime. A lawyer's family has a 94-year-old antique, which has been handed down for four generations and can be called a family heirloom.

According to the research of historians and folklorists, the fashion tradition of wearing wigs in Britain began in 12 century. At that time, it was not just the patent of judges and lawyers. People in the upper class regard wearing wigs as a fashion and a formal dress for formal occasions or salons.

Wigs used by the judiciary are different from ordinary wigs. In England, there are three curls on each side of the judicial wig, but there are only two in the royal family. Whether this represents a subtle metaphorical meaning is unknown. But Scots always quarrel with English people, because in Scotland, the situation is just the opposite, the royal family uses three curly wigs, and the judicial personnel only have two curly wigs.