The English Civil War 1644 Trial?

Question

Why did the judge Richard Bradshaw wear a hat reinforced with metal for the trial of King Charles I ...

Reasons e.g Safety - Bradshaw had to rule out the possibility of an attack on him

Answer 1

Safety really he didn't want to get assasinated

Answer 2

Bradshaw was a lawyer who became a judge in London in 1643.
During the 1st civil war, he used his legal expertise to further the parliamentarian cause.

Bradshaw was elected president of the court for the trial of Charles I, in which Charles was sentenced to death. Although the judge should be neutral, there is little doubt that he was told what to do and say by the leading figures of the army - Oliver Cromwell and Henry Ireton.

Apart from the commissioners and the king, the hall was crowded with soldiers to guard against possible attacks. Bradshaw himself apparently wore an iron hat, fearing for an assassination attempt. Ironically, though, the pubilc were not allowed into the hall until after the charge had been read, since it was so sketchy, and the public so supportive of the king, that it was considered too dangerous.

Answer 3

Answered your own question // // safety especially effective against rocks & clubs,,,,,,

Or Cudgels, as such stout sticks were called - - -
Also a padded suit - - - trust me you would not have wanted ti do Richard's laundry at the end of the day - - - the phrase 'sh+tting in one's drawers' comes from Richard Bradshaw's experience (o-k a legend but a good one)...

Here is a link or two

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/CharlesI_execution.htm
http://www.hcourt.gov.au/speeches/kirbyj/kirbyj_charle88.htm

Peace....

Answer 4

Geoffrey Robertson wrote an excellent history of the trial, and the subsequent trials of the lawyers involved, called "The Tyranicide Brief".