Hi Laurence, I've been researching about wigs on a few sites - Wikipedia.com; Ask.com; Answer.com; UPI.com; et al. In a book called Legal Habits: A Brief Sartorial History of Wig, Robe and Gown by Thomas Woodcock, the Introduction says: "This account puts wigs in their historical context and shows how they were originally adopted as an item of fashion but retained by the Bar and Judiciary after they ceased to be fashionable. The wearing of wigs makes the administration of justice impersonal and with gowns contributes to uniformity of dress in court proceedings, which helps to emphasize the formal gravity and dignity of justice." The book is published by Ede and Ravenscroft, suppliers of wigs and robes to the British judges and barristers for centuries. The tradition in England began in medieval times. On the British government's website for their courts at [1]http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/about_judiciary/court_dress/examples/index.ht m , it says: "The horsehair wigs and colourful robes worn by judges can be traced back to medieval times. And although theyre now a tradition, both robe and wig started out as essential fashionable attire for polite society. Judicial attire has changed over the years for example, shoulder-length wigs are now only worn on ceremonial occasions and judges hearing family cases in private tend not to wear robes in order to keep the atmosphere more informal." [...] "Strange as it might seem now, when judges first started wearing robes and wigs they probably wouldnt have stood out on the street. The current costume of a High Court judge, for example a long robe, a full hood with a cowl covering the shoulders and a mantle (or cloak) was more or less established by the time of Edward III (1327-77) and was based on the correct dress for attending the royal court. The material for these robes was originally given to judges as a grant from the Crown, and included ermine and taffeta or silk. The colours were violet for winter and green in summer, with scarlet for best, but the last mention of green robes dates back to 1534. In 1635 the definitive guide to court dress was published in the Judges Rules. But this didnt introduce new costumes; it just set out what existing robes should be worn, and when. So after 1635, the correctly-dressed judge would have worn a black robe faced with miniver (a light-coloured fur) in winter, and violet or scarlet robes, faced with shot-pink taffeta, in summer. A black girdle, or cincture, was worn with all robes." You can read more of this history at [2]http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/about_judiciary/court_dress/history/index.htm . As of last October (2008), the wig and robes have been eliminated in most of Britain's courts according to a story on UPI.com. Now they are only worn in their criminal courts and by their Supreme Appeals Court. Parliament also abandoned their wigs back in the 1990's. Regarding their use in colonial America, I haven't found much but basically, it was British influence. Many colonials in this country came from Britain or British heritage and sometimes traveled back to England for business or family visits. They sometimes had to petition business matters and debts through the courts of the Monarchy, as William Penn did. And there were many British officials residing in the colonies, in His Majesty's Service. They brought the tradition of wigs with them to convey an aura of power and position. Wigs also were worn by balding men for vanity. The Brits' judicial wigs are made of horsehair. I haven't discovered what American wigs were made of in that era, but horsehair is likely. From old paintings of colonial days that I've seen, it seems that wig-wearing in America disappeared around the time of the Revolutionary War, perhaps a manifestation of the rejection of British control over our newly-minted country. The Tories were sent packing back to Britain and took their wigs with them. Tink At 04:09 PM 11/2/09, you wrote: But I do have a question. Why did our early American men wear wigs? Yes, I know it was the fashion in England, but where did the tradition come from and when did it stop? Laurence Lance Still in Seattle References 1. http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/about_judiciary/court_dress/examples/index.htm 2. http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/about_judiciary/court_dress/history/index.htm