I think it would be normal not to wear a hat in church. Hats were removed
as a mark of respect, in this case to God. The curate was therefore
objecting to some one showing a lack of respect to God. Why he should have
done that in the churchyard is less obvious, unless (perhaps) to a person
who had kept it on in church. I presume the court considered the curate's
action to be an unwarranted assault, and dealt with him accordingly.
The Quakers were notorious for not showing respect to any one, and thus
keeping them on everywhere, but there were no Quakers before the
Commonwealth (or other dissenting denominations for that matter). However
there were puritans, and it is possible the victim was adopting the view
later held by the Quakers.
I suspect customs may have been different in Scotland. I read somewhere a
story about a peasant farmer somewhere west of Edinburgh who helped a
passing stranger in some way. The stranger invited him to go to see the
king, which he did. The stranger met him and conducted him into the
audience chamber, and then explained that no one wore their hat in the
king's presence, pointing out that every one but the two of them were
bare-headed; 'either you or I must be the king'. The peasant rapidly
removed his hat, and the king (as he was rewarded the peasant by giving him
his farm.
I have no idea where I read the story, or whether it is true, apocryphal
(i.e. by tradition), or even from a novel. I have told it as best I recall
it, which is certainly not wholly accurately. However, it seems too good
not to have an element of truth behind it.
Like some other respondents, I am no expert in this field.
Peter King
-----Original Message-----
From: From: Local-History list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Peter B Park
Sent: 27 January 2005 12:17
To: Peter Wickham King
Subject: Wearing of hats in church
In the 1630s Robert Place, curate of Torver in Lancashire, was prosecuted in
the local manor court leet for knocking a man's hat off in the church -
there was another incident where he knocked off another man's hat in the
churchyard. In both cases he was found guilty. This suggests that it was
normal for men to wear their hats in church at this period - was this the
case?
Peter Park,
Walton on Thames, Surrey.
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