‘When it comes to flat caps, size really does matter’: The hat that's crowned the heads of everyone, from Middle Age peasants to Oscar-winning greats
If there is one piece of clothing inherently and undeniably British, it is the flat cap, says Amie Elizabeth White, who traces the hat's history from the Middle Ages to modern day.
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If there is one piece of clothing inherently and undeniably British, it is the flat cap. Found everywhere from the Orkney Islands to Cornwall, the flat cap has various denominations: a Paddy cap in Ireland, a Dai cap in Wales, and a ‘bunnet’ in Scotland, a continuum of the original ‘bonnet’, which was replaced by ‘cap’ in about 1700.
Traditionally made from tweed or wool, the caps are constructed out of a single piece of fabric and have a stiffened yet malleable peak. They can trace their origins back to the Middle Ages — when a band was used to secure a piece of wool over the head in order to keep the wearer warm and safer from the elements. Back then, they were referred to as bonnets, or Tudor bonnets, to distinguish them from ones worn by women. In the 14th century, variations of the flat cap were common among people living in rural areas and farmers, particularly in Ireland, but it was the 1571 Act of Parliament that required every non-noble male over the age of six to wear a cap on religious days — a bid to boost the domestic wool trade — that secured its place in fashion history. And although the Act was repealed in 1597, the flat cap lived on to become a symbol of the working class.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, boys of all classes wore similarly peaked caps (though a little more rounded) of a prescribed colour and design as part of their school uniform, habitualising hat-wearing from a young age. As industrialisation took off, the headwear spread to towns and cities where they were adopted by newsboys to such an extent that the caps earned a new name: the newsboy cap.
'Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man' (2026) stars Paul Anderson, Finn Cole and Cillian Murphy — whose character Tommy Shelby kickstarted a 'flat cap renaissance' when the TV series of the same name premiered in 2013.
Warm, durable, easy-to-clean and unfussy in appearance, it should come as no surprise that woollen flat caps soon sat atop the heads of wealthy gentlemen, who found them perfect for riding, shooting, stalking and other leisurely pursuits. Soon, members of the upper classes started to commission bespoke variations in luxurious fabrics such as fine wool and cashmere. The transformation from humble hat to practical style statement was complete.
When it comes to flat caps, size really does matter. Just ask Jayesh Vaghela, master hatter at Lock & Co: ‘We use the words “under hatted” as a kinder way of telling someone that perhaps their hat is too small for them.’ Jayesh and his team recommend measuring the head with a soft tape measure, positioned mid-forehead, about 2cm above the ears. The measurement, they say, should be taken in centimetres and an extra 1cm added to the figure. ‘In almost all cases, this technique works for the ideal soft-cap fit,’ says Jayesh. The way you wear it is equally important: centrally on the head and not cocked to the side (even if Al Pacino’s waistcoat and cocked flat cap is one of the greatest men’s fashion moments in cinematic history).
Hat-wearing began to decline after the Second World War, but the flat cap maintained its foothold, especially in rural areas. In recent years, its popularity has soared again courtesy of a certain programme (though the style seen in Peaky Blinders is the newsboy variant, which is looser and baggier than its predecessor and has an eight-panelled top). John Lewis reportedly saw sales of flat caps rise 83% in 2016 and 2017, and 25% each year following.
Crowning glory
