Welsh Hat - An Icon of Wales

An Icon of Wales

By the late 1840s the Welsh hat had become an icon of Wales and was used in cartoons to represent Wales as a nation. It may be that the use of this exceptional headgear, worn by the women of rural Wales, as an icon of what was perceived by many as a male dominated industrial society can be explained by the fact that it is such a simple and unique shape. Whatever the reason, it certainly brought forward the image of a happy, hearty, healthy, hard-working and pretty Welsh woman, who, quite probably, kept their families of Wales alive during difficult times. It became part of the National costume and was normally worn with the other elements of Welsh costume, especially the gown or bedgown. It continued in use as an icon of Wales in tourist literature until the late 20th century.

A historical misconception exists that the women's hats were a deciding factor in terminating the attempted Last invasion of Britain by Napoleonic forces in 1797. The French soldiers are said to have mistaken the women, seen at a distance in their red shawls and Welsh hats, for a detachment of British "redcoats", whose uniform included tall black hats or shakoes but the Welsh hat in that form didn't exist at that time.