He says for many years anterior to 1860 scarcely a beard, and
certainly not even a downy symptom of a moustache, was to be seen on the
face of a practising barrister. Towards the close of the first half of
the nineteenth century a quiet, gentlemanly, well-informed barrister,
named Brierley, used to attend the Central Criminal Court, wearing a
long flowing beard and a thick moustache. These hirsute adornments gave
offence to the leaders who regularly attended the sessions. No other
exception could be taken to him. A meeting of the senior Bar was held,
and he was summoned to attend. He was called upon to defend his action.
Instead of denying the jurisdiction of the tribunal that was to judge
him, he recognised the enormity of his crime, and excused himself on the
ground of a serious affection of the throat, and stated that it was
under urgent medical advice that he was induced to transgress the
unwritten ordinances of the Bar. Despite the reasonableness of the plea,
a small majority passed upon him a vote of censure for subjecting the
Bar to general ridicule by his extravagant physiognomy.
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