Registered Charity No 1137522 BURGON NOTES - ISSUE No. 30 - Winter, 2014 The Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy Burgon Society Congregation, 2014 1 FROM THE CHAIRMAN - what the phrase ‘Choir Dress’ means and The Society’s Annual General implies they should wear. Meeting and Congregation seems a distant The new Committee met in early memory as I write this, but it was only six November. This meeting is always a busy weeks ago. The Chaplain and Steward of the one as it is where we confirm much of the Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy made us most planning for the subsequent 12 months. welcome, and members and friends enjoyed One of the more interesting developments is exploring the new surroundings. The new that, through one of our members, we have venue made for a refreshing change secured a presence at the Association of although the inclement weather meant that University Administrators’ Spring we could not utilise the garden on Savoy Conference at Nottingham Trent University Hill. We had a healthy turn-out, just shy of in April 2015. This will enable us to bring 50, including some new or, in one case, the work and experience of the Society renewed members. The reports presented to directly to the attention of those most often the AGM are included with this mailing. involved in arranging degree ceremonies. I am pleased that the Fellows elected Other dates for your diary are the a full complement of Trustees to the Spring Conference on 9 May 2015 in Executive Committee/Council. We London and the AGM and Congregation on welcomed back Drs Susan North and 10 October 2015. Arrangements are well in Richard Baker and, for the first time, Dr Les hand for a visit to Durham University in late Robarts. I look forward to working with all March 2015. We also hope to host a garden of my colleagues in the year ahead. The party, but need a venue (see elsewhere in Society’s Executive Officers for 2014/15 this issue). remain Alex Kerr (Registrar), Ian Johnson Colin Fleming (Treasurer) and Colin Fleming (Chairman). At Congregation we admitted FROM THE ARCHIVIST Seamus Hargrave as a Fellow – the second After a rather quiet middle of the undergraduate to achieve this distinction – year, we have had three large deposits to the for his dissertation ‘The Development of the Society’s Collection: one a bequest and the Cap’. other two from Fellows of the Society After Congregation, Bishop Graeme directly. Knowles, one of our Patrons, led us through Fr Philip Goff, the Society’s first the history of the Church of England’s Chairman, continues to be a source of Canons on the use of hoods in Choir Dress: material: in this case a large collection of from the Canon XXV (1604) in which physical records of the Society’s foundation certain clergy are admonished to “wear with and early years as well as work books from their Surplices such Hoods as are agreeable his time as a consultant to Ede & to their Degrees” at Divine Service, through Ravenscroft. This collection is significant to the current, somewhat muddled, Canon and we are looking to have it indexed and B8 (4) “At Morning and Evening Prayer on catalogued in the not-too-distant future. Sundays the minister shall normally wear a Through Timothy Milner, we surplice or alb with scarf or stole.” With obtained a number of robes and hoods from evident good humour, Bishop Knowles the Estate of Lord (Jack) Lewis of explained why it is that today many Newnham, a distinguished chemist and first Anglican clergy simply do not recognise Warden of Robinson College, Cambridge, 2 who died in July 2014. Mary’s College, St Andrews, where he is The collection includes studying. This resulted in a handsome items from Canada, addition of items from the University to our France, Hong Kong and collection, including MA and BD hoods and the UK. I am three more significant items. First, the particularly fond of the student’s gown of a member of St Mary’s DSc (Hong Kong) in its College (left) means that the Society now striking and simple has both styles of St Andrews’ scarlet robe [d2] with student gowns. Also included white facings worn with were the robes of a Doctor of a scarlet hood [f1] lined Divinity (named to the Revd white. Rarely seen is the DSc of Cranfield, a D. S. Stiven, DD) and the ‘neyron rose’ cloth robe [d1] with royal blue undress robe of a DD, notable facings and sleeve linings (above left), for the black ‘cassock front’ which is worn with a neyron rose cloth hood sewn on to the facings of the gown (right). [f1] lined royal blue. In this case, the buttons (and the Also included in the collection are the buttonholes) are covered robes of a Fellow of Lancashire Polytechnic, in ‘wood violet’ ribbed now the University of Central Lancashire silk, similar buttons (right). The robe is grey secure the black silk cloth [d1], the sleeves are sleeve cuffs. Stiven was lined with figured silk (the awarded his DD in 1954, pattern is of Lancastrian so the undress robe roses). The bottom of the could be his (given its sleeves also feature condition). Lancastrian roses (on the Also, a chance grey). The hood is grey eBay purchase produced cloth [a1] fully lined with an historical gem: an Aberdeen DD [a7] in red damasked silk. A grey the original scheme: purple cloth, lined square cap is worn. Now white. There is no maker’s label. Apart from that the institution is a a bit of fraying at the neck University and able to award higher and some foxing of the silk, it doctorates, the Fellowship is obsolete. is in remarkable condition. Also in the Lewis bequest are the Finally, Alex Kerr had hoods of a DSc of Edinburgh, Kingston, and the curious fortune to receive Waterloo (Ontario). But a donation from Oxfam in for me the jewel of the Oxford of a BA hood, Trinity bequest is the epitoge of College Dublin (name-tag for ‘T. G. a Doctor Honoris Causa Pockley’). The store isn’t permitted to sell of Rennes: a deep red hoods with real fur and thus the Society’s with three bands of real Collection benefits. ermine (left). Colin Fleming Seamus Hargrave was invited to rummage AGM & CONGREGATION through some cupboards and closets in St Through the generosity of the Revd Professor Peter Galloway, OBE, the Society 3 held its fourteenth annual general meeting conferring of a Fellowship of the Burgon and congregation at the Savoy Chapel, Society on Seamus Hargrave for a London, a royal chapel and home of the dissertation on the origins of the square cap. Royal Victorian Order. The event was well- Seamus had spoken on this topic at the 2014 attended with around 50 fellows, members Spring Conference of the Society in April. and guests in attendance. Then one of our patrons, the Rt Revd The AGM heard reports from the Graeme Knowles, gave a pithy talk on the Chairman on the healthy state of the Society ways in which the changing canons of the and its public engagement. The Church of England have treated the wearing Secretary/Registrar reported on membership of academical dress by clergy. It was an numbers which are stable (c. 170) and on the entertaining talk but one which did not growing queries from members of the inspire confidence in the Church’s grasp of public, which affirms the Society’s status as the nature of academical (or indeed any sort the internationally-recognised body for the of formal) dress. study of academic dress. The Treasurer After the Congregation there was tea reported on the healthy finances of the and biscuits in the Lancaster Hall and an Society. With five candidates reading for the opportunity to enjoy the range of academic FBS, the Society is clearly continuing to hoods sported by members and guests. sponsor research along new avenues. Among these was a Surrey BMus, a The election for the Society’s trustees Leicester MA and more than an occasional for 2014-15 was not contested but three new instance of St Andrews fur. Among the fellows joined the council: Dr Richard Society’s members present were Mary Shaw Baker, Dr Les Robards and Dr Susan North. and her daughter. Finally, following the successful The consensus was that the Savoy was launch of volume two of the third edition of an ideal venue and it is hoped that we can George Shaw’s Academical Dress of Great hold the event there in future. The 2015 Britain and Ireland, there was a report on the AGM and Congregation will be held on latest Society publication, which will be a Saturday 10 October 2015 and we hope that collection of historical articles on as many members as possible will come academical dress complied by Dr Nicholas along and enjoy both the event and the Jackson. Copies of volume 13 of the surroundings. Transactions of the William Gibson Society, superbly Pictures of the day are on the back page of the Notes edited by Dr Stephen Wolgast, were SPRING CONFERENCE distributed to Saturday, 9 May 2015, Deloitte LLP, Athene members in Place, 66 Shoe Lane, London, EC4A 3BQ attendance. After a lunch in Call for papers the Lancaster Hall of A programme of short presentations is the Savoy Chapel, the planned, following the successful format of Congregation, this year’s event. If you would like to offer a presided over by Dr paper (30 minutes max.) or suggest a topic, James Thompson, then please speak to Bruce Christianson - witnessed the E-mail: [email protected] 4 Postal address: Computer Science Dept, 11.