Judges and sheriffs in Scotland are spending a hair-raising amount on wigs, sparking fury from poverty campaigners.
The Record can reveal the cost of posh hairpieces for our top law officers mounted up to £48,000 in the past
five years. This was despite recent moves away from the traditional garb, which some say is stuffy and can be bewildering for witnesses and defendants.
Many lawyers have argued in favour of keeping the robes and wigs, to underscore the gravity of courts. But lawyer and campaigner Aamer Anwar said he doesn’t believe the public support “a 16th century symbol of vanity”.
He said: “Wigs today present an archaic image of our courts that belong in the dark ages when there was no concept of justice, with one law for the rich and one for the poor.
“I suspect the usual suspects who wear them will be up in arms defending tradition and gravitas, regarding it as a symbol of power and respect for the law.
“But at a time that the legal aid system is being decimated, they should focus on defending ‘justice’ if they really care.
“Most people would be bemused to learn that such wigs came about when the rich began contracting syphilis in the 17th century and tried to hide their premature balding that resulted from contracting STIs.”
Nine new supreme court judges and 67 sheriffs came under the microscope in a Freedom of Information request, which revealed the £48,000 bill.
A further £35,000 was spent on gowns. The FOI data returned by the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service revealed that wig spend per new judge ranged from zero, for Lord Lake, to £3599 for Lady Haldane and Lord Richardson.
Wig and gown combos for Lady Haldane and Lord Richardson both racked up a bill of £5492 – with a wig for each costing £3595 and gown costing £1897.52.
Lady Poole’s more modest wig cost just £560 and her gown £895.
In 2016, an FOI request revealed that just £11,000 had been spent on wigs, wig boxes and gowns worn by Scottish legal staff in the previous three years.
In 2019, Scotland’s top judge, Lord Carloway, decided his colleagues and lawyers should no longer wear wigs and robes in the Outer House of the Court of Session – the top civil court.
In 2002, the Faculty of Advocates opted to keep wigs after a QC appeared in a civil court bareheaded.
At the time Colin McEachran, QC, described wig wearing as old-fashioned but 80 per cent of respondents in a consultation backed the status quo.
Supreme Court judges wear formal dress, a wig and robe. In the High Court, judges wear a white robe with red crosses. Sheriffs wear a wig and a type of black gown depending on their position before appointment.
A sheriff who is a KC wears a silk gown, which has led to the expression “taking silk”. Ewan McIlvride, of the Scottish Miscarriage of Justice Association, said he was mystified as to why such sums would still be getting ploughed into “archaic” uniforms.
He said: “My personal view is that the judiciary could be spending the cash elsewhere. Scotland’s legal aid system is on its knees and there is a very well documented crisis in attracting lawyers to undertake such work.”
A Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service spokesman said: “Court dress of the judiciary is traditional and is a symbol supporting their authority and position.”
The costs for Lady Haldane and Lord Richardson came due to the “full-bottomed” wigs they got, which are still worn for ceremonial occasions. Lady Poole’s final cost was cheap as she only required a criminal gown.
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