HAT-WEARING IN CHURCH.

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume XII, Issue 1171, 2 August 1893, Page 4

HAT- WEARING IN CHURCH.

Oa November 17tb, 1661, Mr Samuel Pepys went to church, and duly noted the fact in his diary, adding, with reference to the sermon, that he heard ( a simple fellow upon the praise of church-musique, and exclaiming agaiust men wearing their hats in the church.' Throughout the 17th century the wearing of head-gear by men in church was a much vexed question. The evidence on the subject is rather conflicting, but it would seem to have been largely the practice for men to remain uncovered through the church service, but to put their hats on during the sermon. Bishop Earle says of one of the characters in his curious ' Microcosmographie,' that ' if he be forced to stay out a sermon, he puts his hat over his eyes, and frowns out the hour.' There is a curious anecdote in an old ' Life ' of James 1., written by Arthur Wilson, whic h shows that monarch and his Court were accustomed to wear their bats during sermon-time. One day in 1620 one of the king's chaplains preached before the Court at Greenwich, and

under a very tbin veil of allegory made a violent attack on the Lord Treasurer Cranfield. ' That man,' said the preaoher, pointing at Cranfield to emphasise the remark, ' that man unkes himself rich and his master p ior, he is a fit treasurer for the Devil.' This Wilson says he heard himself, and saw Cranfield sitting with hid hat pulled down over his eyes ashamed to look *ip while the King who sat above him smiled at the preacher's satire. If the Lord Treasurer thus wore his hat in the royal presence we may be sure that the King and the rest of the Court also sat covered. The Puritans have often been charged with the introduction of this cust >ra, but there is little doubt th.it it was in vogue before the name ' Puritan ; was heard of. Early in the seventeenth ceutury many of the clergy began to attack the practice, and to plead for a more reverent and becoming behaviour in church. Dr Donne, Dean of St Paul's when preaching at St Duns' au's, spoke very strongly on the subject and hinted that if the offenders would not listen to his admonitions other measures might be resorted to. • I persutne,' he said, 'no man will misinterpret this that I say here now ; nor, if this may not prevail, misinterpret the service of our officers, if their continuing in that unreverent manner give our officers occasion to warn them of that personally in the place, whensoever they see them stray into the uncomely negligence. 1 The worthy dean's syntax and pronouns are somewhat mixed, but his meaning is sufficiently obvious. Some clergymen went farther than Dr Donne. One Sunday ia June, 1640, the rector of St Giles'-in-the-Fielda was so annoyed by seeing two earls, who were among the congregation, putting on their hats at the beginning of the sermon, (hat he left the pulpit and walked out of the church in a huff — The Sunday at Home.