Registered Charity No 1137522

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University of GibraltarInaugurated 21 September

2015

BURGON NOTES - ISSUE No. 34 - Winter, 2015

FROM THE CHAIRMAN

It was good to see so many members andfriends of the Society at the Annual GeneralMeeting and Congregation held in London on 10October 2015. The reports to the members fromthe Executive and other Trustees are included asa supplement to this issue of Burgon Notes, and Iencourage those of you who were unable toattend the meeting to review them. The reportsdemonstrate that the Society continues to findnew ways to pursue its charitable objectives andto keep the fun of our endeavours present too. Iam pleased that the Fellows elected a fullcomplement of Trustees to the ExecutiveCommittee/ Council. I look forward to workingwith all of my colleagues in the year ahead. TheSociety’s Executive Officers for 2015/16 remainAlex Kerr (Secretary), Ian Johnson (Treasurer)and Colin Fleming (Chairman).

Once again, we were in the historic andcongenial surroundings of the Queen’s Chapel ofthe Savoy, with better weather than 2014, whichallowed us to make use of the garden on SavoyHill.

At Congregation we admitted KennethSuit and Sandra Wearden as Fellows. TheirFellowship dissertations were on US degreecolours 1895-1935 and a sociological perspectiveof the use of academical dress, respectively.After Congregation, Dr Nicholas Grovesreviewed (with varying levels of enthusiasm)recent developments in the academical dress ofBrunel University; Queen Mary, University ofLondon; SOAS; University of South Wales;Newman University; and Bishop GrossetesteUniversity – in particular, the use of ‘branded’silk. Afterwards, Stephen Disley, Sub-Organistat Southwark Cathedral and one-time student ofthe late Dr John Birch, performed a recital on theChapel organ. Lunch and tea were accompaniedby happy conversations among members andguests.

The Trustees met in early November.This meeting is always a busy one as it is wherewe confirm much of the planning for thesubsequent 12 months. One of the moreconsequential decisions taken was to separate theAGM and Congregation. For 2016, we willexperiment by holding the Society’s AnnualGeneral Meeting in connection with the SpringConference in May. Congregation will thus have

time for one or two recently-admitted Fellows to‘read-in’. This allows for AGM andCongregation to highlight the ‘scholarly’ aspectof the Society. The Trustees would be mostinterested in members’ reactions to thisexperiment.

In addition, the Trustees are makingenquiries about whether the Congregation can beheld somewhere easily accessible outsideLondon. These plans are in the early stages, andwe will keep you informed.

Dates for the diary include the SpringConference and AGM on 14 May 2016 inLondon, the Garden Party on 23 July 2016 inBury St Edmunds and Congregation on 8 October2016.

I look forward to seeing many of youduring the upcoming year.

Burgon Society discount with Ede &RavenscroftMembers of the Burgon Society are entitled to a20% discount at Ede & Ravenscroft. Membersshould place their order through Marilyn Mouleor David Bailey on +44 (0)1223 205601. Thecompany has stated that ‘a faxed or emailed copyof the appropriate degree certificate’ must besubmitted before any order can be accepted.

- Colin Fleming

FROM THE ARCHIVE

(On this occasion the Archivist gladly yields tothe Custodian of the Collection)

We have recently acquired a number ofnew items: three gifts, and two purchases.

First, a LincolnTheological College (recte,Scholæ Cancellarii) hood, thegift of the Revd AnthonyReader-Moore. The collegewas in operation 1874-1975.This hood is in one of twospecifications used: a Durhamshape, bound on all edges withpeacock blue silk, and wasmade by Vanheems. (Theother is Cambridge shape [f1],black, bordered inside the cowl 2.5” peacock bluesilk.) This version of the hood is very similar to

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the old ALCD hood, which was bound withscarlet silk.

Dr Michael Walshenabled us to have the lateJohn Ewington’sHonRSCM hood; Johnwas General Secretary ofthe Guild of ChurchMusicians for many years.All three RSCM diplomas,Fellow (FRSCM),Associate (ARSCM) andHonorary Life Member

(HonRSCM) are awarded on the basis ofachievement, and not by examination. Despite theofficial specification saying they are ‘royal blue’,they have been made for some time in very brightmid-blue. The HonRSCM is lined with silver-grey. This hood was made by Wippell.

An eBay purchase gained us a BD hood ofMcGill University,Montreal. McGill usesBritish-style robes,dating from the 1840s.Bachelors wear blacksilk hoods, lined withfaculty colour, and‘edged’ with fur. Thishood is lined with apurple shade, whichwould seem to make itthe BCom hood, but amaker’s tag inside thehood states it is a BDhood. Divinity hoodsare lined with violet, soeither this has faded, as we know blue shades do,or ‘violet’ is not what we think! (The colour iscurrently described a ‘blue-purple’.) The fur isapplied as an outside border on cape and cowl. Itis plain from the folds in the hood that it has neverbeen worn flourished, hence the base of the cape(which is very narrow) is obscured. The date isproblematical: the tag that states it is a BD has thedate left blank! Probably 1950s or 1960s.Wikipedia has a good article on Academic dressof McGill University for anyone wishing to knowmore.

eBay was also the provider of the gown fora Fellow of the Royal College of General

Practioners (FRCGP).It is a basic masters’pattern [m10] in black,with the facings coveredwith white watered silk,which continues roundthe neck. The inverted-Tarmholes are bound withthis, also, to a depth of 1”.(In Shaw 3.2 I said thiswas silver silk, as that’swhat I had been told, but it is clearly white.)Members (MRCGP) use the same gown, butwithout the armorial achievement embroidered onthe right hand side.

The final gift is an Oxford MA hood madein the Warham shape [f11]. This was given to usby the Revd Edmund Eggleston.

- Nicholas GrovesCustod

OFFICERS ROTATE AT LANCASTERIn January 2015, the Right Honourable

Alan Milburn was appointed Chancellor atLancaster University, replacing Sir ChristianBonington, CVO, CBE, DL, who had served as theUniversity’s second Chancellor since 2005. J.Wippell & Company Limited were commissioned

to make a new gown forthe Rt Hon. Alan Milburn.

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Sir Christian Bonington, CVO,CBE, DL, Chancellor of theUniversity of Lancaster 2005-14

The new gown, commissionedfor the Rt Hon. Alan Milburn,Chancellor of Lancaster Univer-sity, 2015

The pictures on p3 show how the design isidentical to the gown made for Sir ChristianBonington, although there are two differences oncloser examination. The most noticeabledifference is that the new gown does not have themorse across the chest, which was incorporatedinto Sir Christian’s gown to stop it slipping off theshoulders.

The new gown has been made using thesame red cotton viscose damask of the StMargaret design as that used for Sir Christian’sgown. The oak leaf lace, frogs and olivets, and theshoulder wings follow the same design as thoseused on SirChristianBonington’s gown.

In my view,there has been oneslight change whichI think improves onthe former Chancel-lor’s gown. Thenew gown has whatlooks like a silk lin-ing hand sewn intothe sleeves, whereasthe former Chancel-lor’s gown seemedto be lined with thecotton viscose dam-ask.

Other thanthese two changes Icould detect noother significantdifferences betweenthe two gowns,although after tenyears of wear andtear the former Chancellor’s gown looked a littletired next to the new one. For example, theembroidery on the shoulder wings was fraying,the gold trimmings and damask appearedsomewhat dull in comparison to the new robe.This led me to wondering how well robes such asthis wear in terms of the materials used. Perhapsit’s a question of care.

- Sandra Wearden

SPRING CONFERENCE AND AGMSaturday, 14 May 2016Deloitte LLP, Athene Place, 66 Shoe Lane,London EC4A 3BQ

Call for papersA programme of short presentations is

planned, with the Society’s AGM held at the endof the morning session. If you would like to offera paper (30 minutes max.) or suggest a topic, thenplease contact Bruce Christianson - E-mail:comqbc@herts.ac.uk - Postal address: ComputerScience Dept, University of Hertfordshire,College Lane, Hatfield, Herts AL10 9AB, UK.

A programme and booking arrangementswill be circulated nearer the time.

GARDEN PARTYThe 2016 Burgon Society Garden Party will beheld on Saturday 23rd July 2016 in the CathedralGarth at St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Suffolkwww.stedscathedral.co.uk . Details will bepublished in the Spring of 2016 but book the datein your diary, now.

CONGREGATIONSaturday, 8 October 2016Venue to be confirmed

EARLY INTERCOLLEGIATE CODE ONSHOW AT COLUMBIA!

The following picture appeared earlier thisyear on the Columbia University, New York,Facebook page. Whilst somewhat decrepit, thepicture shows clearly the use of the early ICChoods when they were modelled on English lines.

The picture suggests that, rather than being

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Silk sleeve lining

Damask lining

a photograph of a Commencement, it might wellbe of the unveiling of Alma Mater, situated on thefront steps of the Seth Low Library. The statuewas sculpted in 1903 and unveiled in 1904. Thiswould place the picture at a time followingGardner Cotrell Leonard’s The Cap and Gown inAmerica, which he published in 1896, in which hedescribed in detail the various styles of gown andhood. At the time, the ICC gown/hood style forall degrees was modelled on that of OxfordUniversity. As the ICC was devised at a meetingat Columbia University, and as the University’scoat of arms has, like that of Oxford, three goldcrowns on a blue field (the only difference in thearms being a chevron at Columbia rather than anopen book with motto), one might surmise that thedress of Oxford would have great influence. Itwasn’t until 1952 that the alternative master’sgown style was introduced.

The following picture, from Leonard’sbook, shows clearly the two types of doctoralhood authorised at the time. Type O is the full-shape of Oxford doctors, but with square cape,possibly for difference (at Cambridge, theflourished cowl would be almost level with thebottom of the cape). Type Y will be recognisableto many as the quasi-Edinburgh shape where, asLeonard describes it, “the cape is added to the

master’s hood” (op.cit. p11). A comparison withthe 1900-era picture will show that Type Oappears to be the preferred style. Neither of these hoods is used today: the

present ICC doctoral shape is modelled on that ofToronto, including rounded corners to the cape.

- Kenneth Crawford

ANTIPODEAN CONFERRING

Graduation Day at Nungalinya College -a combined churches’ training college - inDarwin, Australia. The degree stoles all bear theGreek letter Omega on the right side (as worn),with various Aboriginal motifs on the left. Thegowns are virtually sleeveless. One might hazard a guess as to the use ofthe Greek letter Omega: does it represent thekingship of Christ to the very end of time, or justthe end of formal study? … Whatever the answer, it’s a result!

COPY FOR THE NEXT EDITION OFBURGON NOTES to be to the Editor no laterthan 28th FEBRUARY, please. Email copy andpictures to magnificat@live.co.uk or post to TheEditor, Burgon Notes, 30 Smithfield Rd,Darlington, Co. Durham, DL1 4DD.

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CONGREGATION 2015 - THE QUEEN’S CHAPEL OF THE SAVOY

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Caption CompetitionIf you would like towrite a caption, sendit to the Editor, alongwith the picturenumber. Results in thenext edition of BNotes