Catherine Beatrice Phillips

“ On the brass of John Lowthe, D.C.L., should be noticed the two curious long streamers or liripipes hanging from the back of his tabard or hood. It is hard to say what they can be; but the closest parallel is in the two streamers on the back of the old Oxford commoners’ gown, which were probably survivals of sleeves. They are said to have given rise to the term “plucking,” i.e. failing in examination, the story being that a man’s creditors might assemble at the conferring of degrees, and by “plucking” at his gown prevent him from going up for his degree. ”

“ Doctors of both universities have three sets of robes: firstly, the full-dress gown of scarlet cloth; secondly, the congregation habit and hood of scarlet (now at Cambridge a cope, at Oxford the so-called “cope”) ; thirdly, the black gown. The first is worn by all doctors except the doctor of music, and is accompanied by the round cap of velvet. The Oxford D.D. also wears a cassock, sash and scarf. The scarlet gown is of a different and older shape than the M.A. and B.A. gowns. As now worn, it is faced with silk of the same colour as the hood of the faculty. ”

“ The traditional rivalry of the lion and the unicorn, which is generally considered to date at earliest from the Union of England and Scotland, when the lion and the unicorn appeared as the supporters of the royal arms, is referred to, curiously enough, in Spenser’s Faery Queene, ii. 5.
In heraldry the unicorn was sometimes used as a device (see Heraldry, where two English families are enumerated who used the unicorn on their arms) , but more frequently as a supporter, and subsists to the present day as the left-hand supporter of the royal arms. ”

“ The tufted silk gown, of the gentleman-commoner and the nobleman's gold laced gown as not yet abolished by statute, but have fallen into disuse. Vice-Chancellors have no official costume, but wear the habit of their degree. The Chancellors of the older universities wear a black damask robe with gold lace, and a black velvet square cap with gold tassel or a doctor’s velvet bonnet with gold cord; those of the newer universities have robes “created” by the robe-makers, who are nowadays to a large extent the arbiters of academic dress. ”

“ On all the above occasions, and when the peers as a body attend church or some other ceremony, the parliamentary robe of scarlet cloth is worn; in the present day it takes the form of a mantle opening on the right shoulder, with a collar of “ermine,” and guarded with rows of ermine and gold lace round the right shoulder, varying in number according to the rank of the wearer. The modern coronation robes consist of a crimson velvet surcoat and a mantle with a tippet of ermine and with rows, of ermine as in the parliamentary robes. The surcoat is no longer a gown, but a short sleeveless garment. ”

“ There is a well known jest of Chief Baron Pollock to the effect that “the Bar went into mourning at the death of Queen Anne, and never came out again,” which bears out this theory as to the origin of the costume. At the present time barristers wear black stuff gowns, with small wigs having three rows of curls round the head. King’s Counsel wear black silk gowns over a cloth court suit (cp. the expression “ to take silk, ” i.e. to become a K.C.) ; on full-dress occasions they wear a full-bottomed wig, and at court a black damask tufted gown over a velvet court suit. ”

“ Academic dress underwent much inquiry and some revision at the time of the Reformation, chiefly in the direction of sobriety and uniformity, “excess of apparel” being repressed as severely as ever, but not with much more effect. [28] Burleigh’s letter to the Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University (1585) , and the statutes of Queen Elizabeth, strictly enforce the wearing of cap and gown by all, and hoods and habits by those entitled to wear them, and similar regulations were made for Oxford by Laud’s statutes of 1633, further details being dealt with by a decree of 1770. ”

“ The
dress worn when trying criminal cases, attending church officially, and on “red letter days” in the courts, consists of a scarlet gown, with a broad black belt, a tippet trimmed with white fur, known by courtesy as “ermine” (this is worn only on state occasions) , and a scarlet casting-hood, always worn with the scarlet gown, the end of which is passed under the belt. For summer the robes are of thinner stuff, faced with slate-coloured silk instead of ermine. The full-bottomed wig is worn on state occasions ”

“ Fortescue continues: “But being once made a justice, instead of his hood, he shall wear a cloak closed upon his right shoulder, all the other ornaments of a serjeant still remaining; saving that a justice shall wear no party-coloured vesture, as a serjeant may, and his cape is furred with miniver, whereas the serjeant’s cape is furred with white lamb (budge) .” ”

“ For the early 15th century there are more data. Firstly, there is the illumination of the serjeant-at-law in the Ellesmere MS. of The Canterbury Tales (reproduced in Furnivall’s 6-text edition for the Chaucer Society) , in which he is shown wearing a short, party-coloured rayed gown of red and blue, lined with white fur, a hood and tippet edged with white fur, and a white coif with two little bands showing below the hood. Secondly, there are a certain number of effigies or brasses of judges and sergeants belonging to the first half of the 15th century. ”

“ Later again the regents wore their hoods in such a way as to show the white lining, while the non-regents wore theirs “squared,” so that the white did not show. Hence the name “White Hoods” and “Black Hoods” given to the upper and lower houses of the old Senate respectively. It is not settled when the modern colourings of hoods arose; they probably followed those of the gowns of the faculties, but about these we are equally uncertain. The Oxford Proctor still wears a miniver hood. ”

“ Certain early statutes show that “excess in apparel” had already to be rebuked in scholars (cf. the Constitution of Archbishop Stratford, 1342) , while the statutes of certain colleges require of the scholars the tonsure and a “decent habit” suitable to a clerk (cf. Statutes of Peterhouse, 1344, and of Merton Coll., Oxford) , i.e. a long gown (toga or tunica talaris) , which it is stipulated in some cases must be closed in front. Some colleges had liveries, prescribed perhaps by the founder of the college' and laid down by the statutes. ”

“ The square cap was adopted at the universities, according to Robinson, after 1520, in imitation of the university of Paris. For the development of the modern “college cap,” see Biretta. In this connexion should be mentioned the term “tuft-hunting,” i.e. attempting to thrust oneself into the society of one’s social superiors, derived from the gold tufts or tassel worn by noblemen and fellow-commoners on their college caps. ”

“ Academic dress during the 17th century may be further studied in Bedel Buck’s book (1665, see Appendix B. to Peacock, Observations on the Statutes of the University of Cambridge) , and Loggan’s plates of academic costume in Oxonia Illustrata (1675) and Cantabrigia Illustrata (1690, ed. J. W. Clark, 1905) .
There have been few far-reaching changes since Loggan’s day. Cambridge has of late years inquired into and revised her regulations as to dress, and in the Ordinances (latest ed. 1908, Statute A, cap. VII. p. 303) clear rules are laid down ”

“ The idea was widely spread in the middle ages, and Lauchert (Geschichte des Physiologus, 1889) gives instances of its allegorical use, as typical not only of Christ and the Virgin, but also of the softening influence of love upon the fiercest of men, and a symbol of purity. ”

“ As to the dresses of the different degrees, the drawings from the Chandler MS. give a good idea of the early costume. It is also well illustrated by brasses. [26] Doctors of theology seem to have worn a tippet but no hood. Masters of Arts seem to have worn a gown, over which was a garment with bell-shaped sleeves reaching to the elbow, a tip t and a hood (see Druitt, plate facing p. 136, and p. 135) . ”

“ G. Unwin (The Gilds of London, 1908) quotes a chronicler who records that by the year 1319 “ many of the people of the trades of London were arrayed in livery,” and an ordinance of 1347 of the, fraternity of the Mercers commanding that “all those of the said mistery shall be clothed of one suit once a year at the feast of Easter,” and Riley (op. cit. p. 516) quotes an order of 1389 allowing the sheriffs, on grounds of expense, to proceed to Westminster by boat instead of on horseback, “without there being any arraying of men of the trades in like suit for that purpose ”

“ The meaning of this is not clear; Anstey (marginal note ad loc.) takes it to mean that the tail of the hood should be sewn to the hood; others that the tail of the hood should be sewn down to the gown ”

“ About this period begin to occur notices of the wearing of official robes by the wives of mayors and aldermen; e.g. for Lincoln there is an entry in the corporation records in 15442 “ Every alderman that hath not been mayor to prepare for himself and his wife gowns of crimson, and every one that hath been mayor to prepare for himself and his wife gowns of scarlet and tippets of velvetvto be worn at all principal feasts" (see 14th report, Hist. MSS, Cormniss. App. VlII) . ”