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English boys wore various styles of flat caps. We are not sure about the chronology. We see them mostly in the early 20th centurry, but our 19th century English archive is still limited. There seem to have been social-class conventions associated with these caps. They seem to have been most common with working-class boys. The social class conventions may have varied chronologically. Boys seem to have worn the traditional school caps more commonly to school. This is probably the primary reason that flat caps were not more common in England. Private schools had uniforms which required the peaked school caps. We have only noted one prep school where flat caps were worn. We also notice at state schools that when boys wore caps, it was usually the peaked school cap style rather than flat caps. I think there must have been school regulations enforced here. We see flat caps more commonly worn outside of school. Also they were more common for boys above primary school age. They were also worn in a more fashionable sence by men for country and golf wear. We notice different styles of these caps. Some were quite flat while others had more rounded crowns.
We call these caps flat caps. We are unsure just what they were called in Britain during the early 20th century when they were most commonly worn.
English boys wore various styles of flat caps. We are not sure about the chronology. They may have appeared in the late-19th century, but we can not yet conform that. We see them mostly in the early 20th century, but our 19th century English archive is still limited. They seem the most common uring the 1900s-20s. We note them through the 1930s, but do not see them in the 1940s after World War II. The only exception was a London prepschools where they were worn durung the 1950s.
There seem to have been social-class conventions associated with these caps. They seem to have been most common with working-class boys. We do not fully ujderstand the social-class conventions. The social class conventions may have varied chronologically.
Boys seem to have worn the traditional school caps more commonly to school. This is probably the primary reason that flat caps were not more common in England. Private schools had uniforms which required the peaked school caps. We have only noted one prep school where flat caps were worn. We also notice at state schools that when boys wore caps, it was usually the peaked school cap style rather than flat caps. I think there must have been school regulations enforced here. We see flat caps more commonly worn outside of school. Also they were more common for boys above primary school age.
We note boys of school age wearing flat caps. They were also worn by men. Here there seems to have been a rather curious class destinction. We see working-class men wearing them. We donnot see middle-class professionals wearing them. We do, however, note them being worn in a more fashionable sence by men for country and golf wear.
We notice English boys wearing many different styles of these flat caps. They may have been different terms for the varous styles, but we are unaware of such terms at this time. The principal detinction in the various styles was the crown. Some of these caps were quite flat while others had much higher more rounded or fuller crowns. We see these caps both with and without crown buttons. Some of these caps with fuller crowns begin to look somewhat like peaked school caps, but the peaks or brims were done differently and the crowns not as molded to the head as wasthe case for a school cap.
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