WEIRD FACTS ABOUT
HAT
The hat band has no functional purpose. It is a relic of ancient Egyptian head bands worn to keep hair in place while travelling.
According to a law at the time of Elizabeth I, everyone over the age of seven had to wear a flat cap on Sundays and holidays.
The only exceptions were lords, ladies and knights with an income of over 20 marks a year.
When John Hetherington donned a top hat in 1797, he was arrested for wearing 'a tall structure having a shining luster calculated to frighten timid people'.
Hat tax was abolished in Britain in 1851.
Other items to have attracted specific taxes in Britain include bricks, candles, chimneys, wig powder and windows.
The window tax ran from 1696 until 1851.
It was calculated from the number of windows in a house.
All houses were charged at 2 shillings, properties with 10 to 20 windows paid 4 shillings and those with more than 20 windows paid 8 shillings.
Frugal house owners would block up their windows so they would qualify for a smaller fee.
The Trilby is named after the eponymous heroine Trilby O'Ferral of a George du Maurier novel.
The bowler hat was first tested and bought on 17 December 1849 by William Coke for 10 shillings. It was made by Thomas Bowler.
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