Produced by Ted Garvin, Karina Aleksandrova and the Online Distributed Proofreaders Europe at http://dp.rastko.net [Illustration: The House of Commons in the time of Sir Robert Walpole. Wigs in Parliament.] AT THE SIGN OF THE BARBER'S POLE STUDIES IN HIRSUTE HISTORY BY WILLIAM ANDREWS AUTHOR OF "BYGONE ENGLAND" ETC. COTTINGHAM, YORKSHIRE J.R. TUTIN 1904 PREFACE Connected with the barber and his calling are many curiosities of history. In the following pages, an attempt has been made, and I trust not without success, to bring together notices of the more interesting matters that gather round the man and his trade. In the compilation of this little book many works have been consulted, and among those which have yielded me the most information must be mentioned the following:-- "Annals of the Barber-Surgeons of London," by Sidney Young, London, 1890. "An Apology for the Beard," by Artium Magister, London, 1862. "Barbers' Company," by G. Lambert, F.S.A., London, 1881. "Barber-Surgeons and Chandlers," by D. Embleton, M.D., Newcastle-on-Tyne, 1891. "Barber's Shop," by R.W. Proctor, edited by W.E.A. Axon, Manchester, 1883. "Philosophy of Beards," by T.S. Cowing, Ipswich. "Some Account of the Beard and the Moustachio," by John Adey Repton, F.S.A., London, 1839. "Why Shave?" by H.M., London. _Notes and Queries_, and other periodicals, as well as encyclopaedias, books on costume, and old plays, have been drawn upon, and numerous friends have supplied me with information. I must specially mention with gratitude Mr Everard Home Coleman, the well-known contributor to _Notes and Queries_. Some of my chapters have been previously published in the magazines, but all have been carefully revised and additions have been made to them. In conclusion, I hope this work will prove a welcome contribution to the byways of history. WILLIAM ANDREWS. ROYAL INSTITUTION, HULL, _August 11th_, 1904. CONTENTS PAGE THE BARBER'S POLE 1 THE BARBER'S SHOP 8 SUNDAY SHAVING 21 FROM BARBER TO SURGEON 26 BYGONE BEARDS 33 TAXING THE BEARD 56 POWDERING THE HAIR 59 THE AGE OF WIGS 71 STEALING WIGS 93 THE WIG-MAKERS' RIOT 95 THE MOUSTACHE MOVEMENT 96 INDEX 117 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS