The bowler once defined British civil servants and bankers, It
was devised in 1849 by the London hat-makers Thomas and William Bowler to fulfil
an order placed by the firm of hatters Lock & Co. of St James's. Lock &
Co. had been commissioned by a customer to design a close-fitting, low-crowned
hat to protect Coke's gamekeepers' heads from low-hanging branches while on
horseback. The keepers had previously worn top hats, which were easily knocked
off and damaged. Lock & Co. then commissioned the Bowler brothers to solve
the problem. Most accounts agreed that the customer (and designer of the hat)
was William Coke.However, later, a nephew of the 1st Earl of Leicester,
provided research that has cast some doubt on this origin story. It is now
believed that it was Edward Coke, the younger brother of the 2nd Earl of
Leicester, who invented the hat design.
When Coke arrived in London on 17 December 1849 to collect
his hat he reportedly placed it on the floor and stamped hard on it twice to
test its strength; the hat withstood this test and Coke paid 12 shillings for
it. In accordance with Lock & Company's usual practice, the hat was called
the "Coke" hat (pronounced "cook") after the customer who
had ordered it. This is most likely why the hat became known as the "Billy
Coke" or "Billycock" hat in Norfolk.
