Why does the judge wear a hood?

It is one of the most distinctive traditions of British courts for judges and lawyers to wear wigs in court. In some former British colonies which were 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 officers lose all their hair prematurely. In order to hide their "cleverness" in public, wigs became popular and became a scene of English courts. Some people say that judges wear wigs to show their respect, while 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 a problem with lawyers to slander them. Because according to a recent survey, 57% lawyers are dissatisfied with wearing wigs and want to take them off. The reason is that these wig covers made of horse hair are very expensive but unsanitary. Generally, a wig will last for a lifetime. A family of lawyers has an antique with a hair age of 94 years, which has been passed down for four generations and can be called a family heirloom. According to the research of historians and folklorists, the British fashion tradition of wearing wigs began in the 12th century. At that time, it was not just the patent of judges and lawyers. People in the upper class regarded wearing wigs as a fashion and a formal dress for attending formal occasions or salons. Experts point out that wigs used by the judiciary are different from ordinary wigs. In England, there are three curls on each side of the judicial wig, but only two in the royal family. Whether this represents a subtle metaphorical meaning is unknown. But Scots are always quarrelling 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. The production cost of wigs lies in labor rather than materials, because it is not difficult to obtain horsehair, and the production of wigs is a delicate job, and it is impossible to mass-produce them by machines or production lines. It takes a skilled craftsman about 44 working hours to produce a wig, including knitting and rolling. The finished products generally have four colors: white, golden yellow, light gray and gray. In some old British colonies, such as West Africa and the Caribbean, white is very popular, while in Britain, golden yellow and gray are the most popular. Generally, a judge's wig costs more than 1,5 pounds (equivalent to about 18, yuan, wow, it's not cheap), and the most common wig is not less than 3 pounds. Most people would rather endure lice than change wigs as often as ladies change their hats. The reason is not that they are reluctant to buy more wigs. It is based on a saying: the longer you wear a wig, the dirtier it gets, and the darker it is, which means that the longer you have to eat legal food. In the judicial field, qualifications and age are a treasure, just like old doctors in hospitals are the most popular. In a sense, the older the wig, the more time-honored it has become for lawyers to attract business, and the judge's antique wig is a signboard with rich trial experience. After a law student qualified as a lawyer, the best gift from his family or friends was a wig made by a famous artist. Many craftsmen who make wigs are inherited from their fathers, or even families, and their history of making wigs is longer than that of some British aristocrats. Customizing wigs is also a process that requires patience, because the appointment period of many famous craftsmen is several years later. Even if you can customize them immediately, your skull needs to be measured by a ruler at least 12 times during the production process. This is not a requirement of craftsmen deliberately tossing you, but a requirement of exquisite craftsmanship. Of course, you can also buy a ready-made one, but after all, it is not as good as kissing your clever head gently as tailor-made, what's more, the wig bought casually is as rude as wearing jeans to attend a solemn banquet in the eyes of many legal persons. British people are known for their conservative spirit, especially in the judicial field. Justice requires accuracy and even rigidity, emphasizes stability and balance, and is less compatible with personalized things. Many families of wig craftsmen keep records of every wig sold, requiring the buyers to sign for the record. After hundreds of years, many famous people's autographs can be found in these records, because many famous politicians mostly worked as lawyers before they became famous. The storage of wigs is also a meticulous job. Generally, each set of wigs is equipped with a ventilated iron box or wooden box, and some boxes are even another independent work of art, which is far more valuable than the wig itself. At the earliest, in the days when lice often grew on British people's heads, wigs were sprinkled with some powder when they were stored to prevent lice. The last question related to China is: for a long time, most of the raw materials used in wigs came from China, which was also an important trade item except tea in the Sino-British trade before the Opium War, because the mane of European horses was not easy to be woven and easily broken, and it needed to be bleached and cleaned constantly in the production process, and only the mane produced by China horses could stand all kinds of tests.