tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15178007.post8889474214716470178..comments2024-02-25T16:56:47.627-05:00Comments on Magdalene's Egg: My Head Is Not SquareFather Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18170260624474428623noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15178007.post-30480922076460243002013-05-09T10:35:32.378-04:002013-05-09T10:35:32.378-04:00Pretty much. The main "Elizabethan sumptuary ...Pretty much. The main "Elizabethan sumptuary statutes" I was able to check online don't have much to do with the clergy, but the general idea is the same. She inherited and approved the medieval idea that you should be able to tell somebody's rank at a glance.<br /><br />What interests me most is the difficulty of enforcement, which seems to have been a problem even before the Reformation. Then as now, some people clearly couldn't stand this idea, while others seem to have liked it.Father Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18170260624474428623noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15178007.post-51762610707286407712013-05-09T01:36:30.332-04:002013-05-09T01:36:30.332-04:00I would suspect that the regulation of hats for th...I would suspect that the regulation of hats for the clergy is but one aspect of England's sumptuary laws of the era, designed to maintain distinctions of rank and position. They lasted into the 17th century in one form or another, with the Tudor era seeing numerous calls for them to be more strictly enforced. Apparently not being able to tell the difference between a lord and a butcher was deemed a problem. It would make sense that it would extend to the clergy. The British tradition of the wool flat cap also dates to a 16th century law that required every male over 6, except nobility and those with degree, to ware a wool cap on Sundays and holidays. This was certainly mostly to stimulate the wool industry, but I note the exceptions with interest.Mark C. Christiansonhttp://www.restenergy.netnoreply@blogger.com