Brewer's: Black Cap

or the Judgment Cap, worn by a judge when he passes sentence of death on a prisoner. This cap is part of the judge's full dress. The judges wear their black caps on November 9th, when the Lord Mayor is presented in the Court of Exchequer. Covering the head was a sign of mourning among the Israelites, Greeks, Romans, and Anglo-Saxons. (2 Sam. xv. 30.)

Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
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