"Hallihoo. Children born with a hallihoo, a holy or fortunate hood, or caul around their heads, are deemed lucky, but the caul must be preserved carefully, for should it be lost or thrown away, the child will pine away or die. Seamen used to purchase cauls to save them from drowning. Advocates also bought them so that they might thereby be imbued with eloquence. Twenty quineas were asked for one in 1779, L12 in 1813, six guineas in 1848. In this last case, the caul was of some antiquity, and L15 had orginally been given for it by a seaman who had carried it with him for thirty years"
-William Henderson, Folk-lore of the Northern Counties of England, 1879