Registered Charity No 1137522

BURGON NOTES - ISSUE No. 33 - Autumn, 2015

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Summer Garden PartyOxford Brookes University

FROM THE CHAIRMANThe Society’s Garden Party in mid-

July was blessed with good weather thatallowed the Harcourt Hill campus of OxfordBrookes University to show itself in its bestlight, scaffolding notwithstanding.Professor William Gibson acted as host to agood number of members from across thecountry. I wish to record special thanks toProfessor Gibson and Dr Alex Kerr fortaking care of the logistics and for ensuringthat all ran smoothly. It was all that I hadhoped for – an informal opportunity to meetwith other members, share anecdotes, aswell as enjoy a few informal presentationson various aspects of academical dress –from Oxford to Harvard and Columbia.

The next edition of the Society’sTransactions is on schedule for release inOctober and will be distributed to thoseattending the AGM/Congregation, andposted to those not able to attend. TheSociety’s Annual General Meeting andCongregation will be held in the Queen’sChapel of the Savoy on Saturday 10October 2014. The formal notices areincluded in this mailing. The AGM is aformal business meeting open to all,convened in accordance with our charitableobligations, to receive the Society’sfinancial statements, reports from theexecutive and other officers, and to appointthe Executive (Chairman, Secretary andTreasurer) and other Trustees. Followinglunch, Congregation will include the formaladmission of Fellows, with presentationsfollowing.

I hope to see as many of you aspossible at both parts of the day.

- Colin Fleming

FROM THE ARCHIVISTAt the Garden Party, I was delighted

to be able to share some interesting items

from the Shaw, Birt and Franklyn Londonpapers that have recently been hand-listedfor the Society. Perhaps the most amusing isthe correspondence between Dr GeorgeShaw and the University of Havana, Cuba.

In a letter dated 31 July 1967, JoseRosete Tudela, Secretary-Manager of theUniversity, responded to an enquiry aboutthe academical dress of the institution. Heincluded hand-tinted drawings of the pre-Revolution academic dress (which is similarto that at, say, Salamanca) and that now[1967] in use. He explained, “As you cansee by the drawings we had theconventional academical dress before theRevolution and graduations were celebrated

at the Aula Magna or at the Plaza Cadenaswithin the University campus. After theRevolution graduations became moredynamic according to our new way ofliving, so they are celebrated in themountains. The climbing up to the topmeans another achievement and is a symbolof the will and spirit pervading in ouryouth.” Rather than the formal garments ofthe past, the post-1959 ‘robes’ were to be“pants of green olive sailcloth and shirt ofdenim with farmer’s straw hat and blackleather boots.”

One wonders what Dr Franklynwould have said of these developments:suffice to say, Havana was not included inHaycraft (5th Edition, 1972).

- Colin Fleming

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GARDEN PARTY 2015

About twenty members and guestsgathered in the Glasgow Room at theHarcourt Hill campus of Oxford BrookesUniversity on 11 July and had a splendidday. There was plenty of time to relax andchat between refreshments and informalpresentations. This was a welcome returnvisit for some of us, who had been at thegarden party there in 2006.

Andrew North showed us the latestOxford hoods, on loan from Shepherd &Woodward, illustrating the arbitrary andsometimes (we thought) unfortunatecombination of colours adopted by theUniversity for its newer degrees.

Alex Kerrdisplayed anddiscussed vintagerobes fromColumbia andHarvardUniversities: aPhD gown andhood ofColumbia (1941);an MA gown (1940s) and a PhD gown andhood of Harvard (post-1955). He hadrecently collected these sets from theoriginal owners’ daughters, who lived inOxford. One of them had offered her latemother’s robes to Columbia but wasredirected to the Burgon Society by the

Archivist there, who had helped SteveWolgast in setting up our New Yorkconference in 2013. This donor then alertedher friend, whose father had been adistinguished graduate of Harvard, and bothwere pleased to find the Society a willingrecipient for these items, which had lain intheir attics for years.

John Barnesshowed us his scarletgown of theInternational Societyfor PhilosophicalEnquiry, based inAmerica, made withsleeve bars formembers with adoctorate. We alsoenjoyed examiningLondon DLit andOxford DMus robesbrought along for us

to admire.Colin Fleming introduced gems from

the George Shaw andAlan Birt archives,which had beencatalogued for usrecently as a handlistby Daniel Reed, aresearch student atBrookes University.We were treated tochoice quotationsfrom CharlesFranklyn’s lettersand instructions tobuyers of his booksand shown remarkable drawings that theUniversity of Havana had sent to GeorgeShaw when he enquired about details of itsacademic robes (see illustration in FROMTHE ARCHIVIST): they illustrate Spanish-style, pre-Revolution graduate dress and

We faithful few; we band of brothers …

John Barnes

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Hoods galore!

Martin Lewis, wearingthe DMus (Oxon.) Gownand hood

post-Revolution outfits that are, to say theleast, unconventional!

Thanks are due to Bill Gibson formaking all the practical arrangements for theday and welcoming us so warmly toHarcourt Hill.

- Alex Kerr

CONFERENCE OF THE ASSOCIATIONOF DRESS HISTORIANSStephen Wolgast, FBS, isgiving a paper at theforthcoming annualinternational conferenceof the Association ofDress Historians. Thetheme for theConference is Survivaland Revival: ClothingDesign that Survives and Fashion Trendsthat are Revived. Steve’s paper is entitled‘Hoods among hoodies: Why Americanstudents still don academic dress’. Theconference is being held on Saturday 31October 2015 at The Art Workers’ Guild, 6Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AT.See details atwww.dresshistorians.co.uk/calendar . Steve is director of the CollegianMedia Group and Assistant professor ofJournalism and Digital Media at KansasState University - and, of course, editor ofTransactions of the Burgon Society.

- Alex Kerr

AGM & CONGREGATION10 October 2015

Congregation willbe held at the Queen’sChapel of the Savoy.UK-resident memberswill find notices aboutthe Society’s AGM andCongregation, includingelections to theExecutive Committee(Council), enclosed withthis issue of BurgonNotes. Non-UK-residentmembers will receive thenotices as a separatepackage by post.The organist Stephen Disley to play atCongregation

This year Congregation will befollowed by an organ recital given byStephen Disley.

Stephen studied with John Birch at theRoyal College of Music and the TempleChurch, London. He hasperformed at all the UK’smajor venues, makesfrequent broadcasts andhas recorded withorchestras, ensemblesand choirs, and as asoloist. He is Sub-Organist and Founding Director of the Girls’Choir at Southwark Cathedral, and organistto the City of London School. He hasrecently joined the professorial staff atTrinity Laban Conservatoire of Music andDance. For more details visit his website atwww.stephendisley.org .

His 30-minute recital on 10 Octoberwill include pieces by Charpentier, Fiocco,Praetorius, Rawsthorne, Susato, Nevin, andBach.

- Alex Kerr

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The Diamond Jubilee Window inthe Savoy Chapel

Stephen Disley

ELECTRONIC BURGON NOTESThe Executive Committee (Council)

has decided to circulate Burgon Notes infuture as a PDF file by e-mail. Membersresident outside the UK already receive theirBurgon Notes in this way, but UK-residentmembers will have theirs in electronic form.It means that Burgon Notes will reach youup to two weeks sooner, as time for printingand dispatch by post can be eliminated.Naturally, the change will represent afinancial saving for the Society.

UK-resident members may still opt,however, to receive a hard copy by post ifthey inform the Secretary that they wish todo so: e-mail alexkerr@jovecentre.co.uk .Members who do not have e-mail willcontinue to receive a paper copy.

- Alex KerrDICKSONIAN ERRATA

In the last issue of Burgon Notes therewere extracts from an email of mineregarding Professor D M G Lloyd whoseBristol DSc gown has been gifted to theBurgon Society. That email demonstratedthe fallibility of human memory. ProfessorLloyd’s Bristol DSc was not an honorarydegree awarded as a consequence of his StAndrews DSc. Research reveals that his StAndrews DSc was awarded in 1971following his submission of a specially-composed thesis giving an account of hisresearch at St Andrews over the period1947-71, and his Bristol DSc was awardedin 1972 following his submission of aportfolio of published papers. However, inview of the brevity of the documentationaccompanying the papers in the Bristolsubmission and the fact that the publishedpapers are of research discussed in the StAndrews thesis, it appears to me to be verylikely that the Bristol submission was madeas a result of a specific invitation fromBristol.

- Neil Dickson

GUIDED BY ILLUMINATIONAt the risk of self-promotion, I offer

the following out of interest. It’s my recentdesigning process and making of theChancellor’s and Vice-Chancellor’s gownsand bonnets for the new University ofGibraltar. The University, to be inauguratedon 21 September this year, occupies thebuildings at Europa Point.

Part of the request for designs for thenew officers’ robes was that I include arepresentation of the Gibraltar lighthouse, asit features prominently in the University’slocation. No doubt this will be the one andonly time I’ll be asked to include alighthouse in academical dress design!

The University’scolours are red and white,from the coat of arms. Thegowns are red “Lichfield”damask with white“Lichfield” facings, flap-collars, and “lighthouses”.The facings and collars areedged with silver oakleaf lace, itself edgedon both sides with red and gold dice braid.The lace and braid also edges the ends of thesleeve boots and the rear slit in the gowncoats.

The wings at the shoulders again arefrom the coat of arms: the Gibraltar castle

and the pendant key. I drew a semee ofinverted keys in a sweep either side of the

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castle, the myriad of keys alluding to thewide variety of disciplines available inuniversity study, the study being the “key”to knowledge. The wings are embroidered ingold and silver bullion on burgundy velvet,all bordered in silver metallic passing thread.

The “lighthouse” forms the lowersleeve with a sweepup from the bottom,with the red bandaround the light-house tower done inred silk. The light-house is done in

white “Lichfield” with the pattern matchingthe red of the sleeve. The three single frogornaments at the top of the lighthouse alludeto the illumination it shows to seafarers.

The frogs and olivets are in silverbullion. To make the frogs unique to theUniversity of Gibraltar, in place of the usualfloral centres there are inverted keys (as inthe wings) either side of the central lozenge.

The embroideries will be with me in the finalweek of August. Everything is ready … .

- Kenneth Crawford

COPY FOR THE NEXT EDITION OFBURGON NOTES to be to the Editor no laterthan 15th NOVEMBER, please. Email copy andpictures to magnificat@live.co.uk or post to TheEditor, Burgon Notes, 30 Smithfield Rd,Darlington, Co. Durham, DL1 4DD.

Chancellor’s Bonnet

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Line drawings: Chancellor (left) and Vice-Chancellor

The “Lighthouse”, showingthe importance of proper

pattern matching

Frog & Olivet drawings © Kenneth Crawford