Origin of the Society

On 10 July 1999, Brother Michael Powell CJ, of St. George’s College, Weybridge, started an internet discussion group on the subject of academical dress. Originally hosted on eGroups, later taken over by Yahoo, the group was discovered by Fr Philip Goff, Academic Consultant to Ede & Ravenscroft, during a routine search for new sites which mentioned academical dress on the internet. He then contacted other people he knew were interested in the subject, among them Nicholas Groves, and they in turn contacted others who also joined the group.

Fr Goff was keen that the group should be complemented by a formal society, which would hold meetings, undertake and publish research, arrange visits, and generally foster interest in and enjoyment of academical dress. Nicholas Groves suggested that the name ‘the Burgon Society’ might be appropriate, as he had once been involved in trying to set up an academical dress society with that name. [John William Burgon (1813—1888) was an English clergyman and is the only person to have had a hood pattern named after him.]

Following an online discussion, it was decided to hold a face-to-face meeting of members of the group, so on Saturday 13th November 1999, seven members met in London at the Wheatsheaf Inn, Rathbone Place. Members brought various items of academic dress for others to inspect and comment on, and Philip Goff raised again the subject of forming a society. Brother Michael felt there were not enough members of the group to justify such a move, but a programme of possible visits/activities was discussed. It was also decided that the various issues of Hoodata ought to be scanned to preserve them for posterity.

A second meeting of the group members was held on Saturday 17th June 2000, at the University of London Chaplaincy in Gordon Square. By now there were over 60 members of the Group, and six of them attended in person. On this occasion the meeting agreed to the formation of a society both for the enjoyment and formal study of academic dress, subject to the approval of Brother Michael, who was unable to attend.

Brother Michael gave his full agreement to the proposal to form a society, so following further discussion on the egroup it was agreed that the society would come into existence on the 1st of August, with eleven foundation Fellows: Giles Brightwell, Bruce Christianson, Matthew Duckett, Peter Durant, Philip Goff, Nicholas Groves, John Horton, Stephen James, Philip Lowe, Michael Powell, Robin Rees.

A draft constitution was drawn up by Nicholas Groves, based on that of the Royal Historical Society, and this was discussed at a third meeting, attended by seven Fellows, held on 2nd September 2000, again at the University of London Chaplaincy in Gordon Square.

On Saturday 21st October 2000, at a meeting attended by nine of the foundation Fellows, in Room 103 of Senate House, University of London, the Burgon Society met to transact official business for the first time. The constitution was ratified, officers were confirmed, two Fellows were admitted by examination, and plans were put in place to launch the society to the wider world.

This meeting is regarded as ‘Foundation Day’, and the annual Congregation is held on the Saturday closest to 21 October. 

Br Michael Powell, in his e-mail to the group endorsing the Society said:

I would stress that the Burgon Society aims to become a recognised and respected learned society with a strong basis in formal research and study. With that in mind I am aware that many e-group members might wish simply to continue belonging to the rather more informal structure of an e-group, and I would hope that our group will continue to provide a lively forum for the exchange of information about academic dress and related subjects.

The first officers and members of Council were:

• Chairman: The Revd Philip Goff
• Registrar: Stephen James
• Director of Research: Nicholas Groves
• Treasurer: Matthew Duckett
• Editor of Annual: Michael Powell
• Communications Officer: vacant
• Archivist: Giles Brightwell*
• Webmaster: Peter Durant*
• Ordinary members: Bruce Christianson; John Horton; Philip Lowe; Robin Rees

(*The Archivist and Webmaster were appointed by Council and not elected by the Fellowship. They were full members of Council, with voting rights. The post of Membership Secretary was initially amalgamated with that of Treasurer, and later with that of Registrar.)

Once the Society was firmly established, it was possible to approach people well-known in academic dress circles to become Fellows honoris causa. These included the late Dr George Shaw, author of a standard reference work on academic dress; Sqn Ldr Alan Birt, editor of Hoodata; and Prof. Graham Zellick, Vice-Chancellor of the University of London.

Through his contacts with the Church and the Lambeth Degree Holders’ Association, Philip Goff knew its Musical Director Dr John Birch, Organist emeritus of Chichester Cathedral and its Secretary, Dr James Thomson, Master of Charterhouse, London. He also wrote to the Bishop of London, Dr Richard Chartres, about the Society and, happily, all three eminent gentlemen agreed to be involved with the Society.

Dr Birch agreed to serve as President – a post he held for two five-year terms; The Bishop of London became the Patron and Dr Thomson became Vice-Patron, later succeeding Dr Birch as President.

Dr Thomson agreed the use of the Great Chamber at Charterhouse for the Society’s Congregation, in 2001 and several subsequent years. [Through his kind help the Society is returning to Charterhouse in October 2025 to celebrate its 25th anniversary.]

The Society was set up with the normative grade of membership being that of Fellow, for which a degree of competence in the subject had to be demonstrated; but there is also a simple subscribing membership, without voting rights, for those who have not undertaken the work required to gain the Fellowship. [In this respect the Burgon Society resembles the Royal Historical Society, as opposed to, for example, the Royal Society of Arts, in which all members are Fellows.]

The original requirements for the Fellowship were set out as follows:

• EITHER to read a paper of approximately one hour’s length (or an equivalent number of shorter ones – about 3 maximum) at a special meeting of the Society;
• OR to publish in the Annual or other ‘approved’ publication a paper of approximately 5000 words (or equivalent in shorter papers) on some aspect of the history, practice or design of robes (NB: the simple submission of a scheme of robes designed would not normally be acceptable).
• The submission is discussed and voted on by the assembled Fellows.
• Work already published can be submitted; an ‘approved’ publication would normally be a refereed journal.
• The level of work required is Level 3 – i.e. final year BA standard.

The first two Fellows by submission, examined and admitted by Council on Foundation day, were Philip Lowe (‘Origins and Development of Academic Dress at the Victoria University of Manchester’), and Noel Cox (‘Academical Dress in New Zealand’).

The usual method of acquiring the Fellowship now involves submission of a dissertation of about 5000 words, with publication in the Transactions and ‘reading in’ at a meeting following after election. [The “Transactions of the Burgon Society” is the upgraded version of the original Annual.]

It will be noticed that one of the first candidates to submit work for the Fellowship examination lived in New Zealand, and an international membership has been a feature of the Society since it began, doubtless facilitated by the existence of the e-Group from which the Society sprang. The internet is still a fruitful source of new memberships. It has also been a notable feature of the Society that its Council meets physically only two or three times a year, almost all of its everyday business being transacted by e-mail. This enabled the election in 2010 of a Councillor in the USA, Stephen Wolgast, who is able to take a full part in proceedings.

In 2005, George Shaw said he intended to pass onto the Society the copyright of his various works: alas, this happened rather sooner than expected, with his death in 2006. A third edition of his standard reference work (Academical Dress of British Universities, 1966; Academical Dress of British and Irish Universities, 1995) was published by the society under the editorship of Nicholas Groves in 2011. It was entitled “Shaw’s Academical Dress of Great Britain and Ireland”, [‘Shaw III’ as it is colloquially known.] thus linking his name with the work in perpetuity, as happened with Crockford, Bradshaw, Wisden, and Fred Jane.

The Society quickly fulfilled its initial aim ‘to become a recognised and respected learned society with a strong basis in formal research and study’, and the Society’s Decennium saw it gain Registered Charity status as an educational charity. The frequently-exasperating process of applying for this status was successfully negotiated by the then Treasurer, Ian Johnson, who for many years kept the business side of the society in order.

The quality and amount of research carried out under the auspices of the society is astonishingly high; large amounts of forgotten information bearing on historical development have been brought to light, and many ‘urban myths’ laid to rest!

The society continues to complement its scholarly work with a range of meetings: an annual Spring Conference at which papers are presented; visits to museums, archives, and universities – including visits to Ede & Ravenscroft’s storage facility! Congregation, in October, remains the ceremonial highlight of the year, with admission of new Fellows, and a purely social Garden Party is held in the summer, at which members are encouraged to wear their finest robes.

From modest beginnings, as the Burgon Wardrobe, the Society houses a large collection of items of academical dress, including several vintage robes of historical importance. It also possesses an impressive documentary archive.

The Society naturally awards its own academic dress. This is based on the college colours of Worcester College, where Burgon was an undergraduate (black and pink), and Oriel, where he was a fellow (blue and silver), together with crimson, taken from the MA hood lining. The FBS hood worn at congregation, which is of course in the Burgon shape, is black, lined and bound with shot pink silk (crimson shot ivory, a combination known as ‘ruby’). [Initial design for the FBS hood was dark blue, lined with Oxford MA shot crimson, but this was felt to be too easily mistakable for the Oxford MA itself,] The principal officers’ robes preserve the original colour ideas and are made in dark blue, faced with shot crimson, and trimmed with silver lace. A ‘festal’ hood, of Durham BSc full shape, in black, lined ruby, and bound on all edges with fur of the wearer’s choice, was approved in 2009, for those who wish to wear it.