Legal Definitions - tonsure

Tonsure is a historical practice involving the shaving of a person's head, traditionally associated with clerics. In a legal context, it is notable because serjeants-at-law were believed to wear their distinctive coifs to conceal heads that had been tonsured.

Tonsure

Historically, tonsure refers to the practice of shaving a portion or all of a person's head. This act often carried significant symbolic meaning, particularly within religious orders or certain professional groups, signifying dedication, humility, or a specific status.

• Consider a young man in medieval Europe who chooses to enter a monastery and become a monk. As a crucial part of his initiation ceremony and taking his vows, his head would be partially shaved in a specific pattern. This act of tonsure served as a visible and public declaration of his renunciation of worldly life and his complete dedication to spiritual service within the monastic community.

• In certain historical Christian traditions, prior to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, men preparing for the priesthood would undergo a ceremony where they received a minor order that included a tonsure. This typically involved a small circular shaving on the crown of the head, which formally marked their entry into the clerical state and symbolized their commitment to serve the Church.