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burgonsociety.bsky.social
The Burgon Society
@burgonsociety.bsky.social
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Membership society, academic research publishers, and charity for the study of academic dress: history, design, and use. Universities. Robes. Regalia. Graduation. Cap & gown. Join us 🎓 https://www.burgon.org.uk
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If you haven’t joined yet, you’re welcome to back issues at newprairiepress.org/burgonsociety/
Can’t wait to read the newest academic dress research? Become a member of the Society at burgon.org.uk/join-us
Out now for members: Volume 24 of Transactions of the Burgon Society. This year’s articles cover academic dress in the Royal College of Music, Israel, King’s College London, Aotearoa New Zealand, and Australia. Members can access it at burgon.org.uk/research/tra....
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A warm welcome to all our new students who matriculated this weekend!
Absolutely! The Burgon Society is part of the open access movement. Dive in at newprairiepress.org/burgonsociety/
At the Society’s twenty-fifth anniversary Congregation last week, Dr Jonathan Cooper, right, Dean of Studies, introduces Edward Teather, standing left, for Fellowship, for his paper on the history of undergraduate academical dress in Britain’s modern universities since 1880.
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Happy matriculation to all our new students 🌟

Matriculation is when students are formally admitted as members of the University.

Here are our new matriculants at @jesuscollegecam.bsky.social, wearing their formal gowns for the first time.

📸 Lloyd Mann
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A fine autumn morning in Cambridge.
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What a great idea!
Every exhibition needs a touchable wall of fabrics like this one!
Quite the liripipe on his hood (left image); does that hood have ear holes too?
Today's marginal #musician is playing the #bagpipes.
From a #15thCentury history of #Troy.
Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana Pal.Lat.1962

#marginaliamonday #manuscriptmonday #illuminatedmanuscript #earlymusic
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Call for applications! 📣

The German Historical Institute London is seeking a Research Associate with a particular research interest in medieval history (with a focus on late medieval English history) for a part-time project position to start on 1 February 2026. 🤝
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Warmest congratulations to the inspiring @wto.org Director General Dr @noiweala.bsky.social on her election as Honorary Fellow @lucycavcoll.bsky.social @cam.ac.uk. @demedglobal.bsky.social @cisdl.bsky.social
but true intelligence is to recognize an opportunity and have the courage to seize it.
You can watch the ceremony online here:
👉 youtube.com/live/uMnhYcj...
Warmest congratulations to Bruce on this fitting honour. 🎓✨
Tuesday 2nd September 2025, 14:45
YouTube video by Herts Graduation
youtube.com
The citation was a moving reminder of Bruce’s long and distinguished career as a computer scientist, academic, and teacher. His speech to graduating students struck just the right chord, reflecting on opportunity and forks in the road, that one never knows what’s around the corner …
It was awarded in recognition of Bruce’s service to the university, which includes his role, over three decades ago, in helping design the University’s academic dress. In a delightful full-circle moment, he is now entitled to wear the Fellows’ robe he helped create: grey [d4] faced purple and white.
Burgon founding Fellow and former Dean of Studies Prof. Bruce Christianson was invested as a Fellow of the University of Hertfordshire at St Albans Cathedral on 2 September 2025.
Heres a photo of Bruce receiving the Fellowship from the Pro Vice Chancellor, with a view of the University mace too.
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Cambridge's @caiuscollege.bsky.social, where I've been a Fellow for the last 5 years, have done a profile on my new book, with the photo I think of as my 'peak don' moment. (If you wonder what is my 'nadir don', it's watching Real Housewives on my exercise bike). www.cai.cam.ac.uk/news/touchin...
Touching the Tudor past
Dr Christina Faraday’s latest book, The Story of Tudor Art, tackles a well-known period of history from a fresh and eye-opening perspective. “The Tudors benefit and suffer from a sense of familiarity ...
www.cai.cam.ac.uk
There’s still time to book in for our annual Congregation on Saturday 11 October, in Charterhouse in London. Another reason to join us: Seats remain for the dinner on Saturday evening at the Café du Marché.
Need an even better reason? Wear your festal dress in the afternoon!
burgon.org.uk/events
We have a full line-up of ceremony and research presentations set for our 25th anniversary Congregation. Interested in learning about academic dress and how the Burgon Society promotes its discoveries? Join us at Charterhouse in London on 11 October. burgon.org.uk/latest-news/...
Burgon Society Founding Fellow Bruce Christianson will become a Fellow of the Univ. of Hertfordshire on Sept. 2. The award, for ‘service to the university’, also honors his help designing its academic dress, entitling him to wear a robe of his own design. Watch live: www.herts.ac.uk/graduation/o...
At the Yale Center for British Art during our Colloquium this month, the Society’s Chairman, Dr Andrew Hogg, poses with the ‘Reverend Dr. Charles Symmons’, 1794. Oddly, he wears a hood with his Oxford DD robes. Why? Find out in a future Burgon Notes.
collections.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/tms:...
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Exploring archives is like going into grandma’s attic: You never know what kind of treasures you’ll find. Even the ephemera can yield clues to the the question you’ve been pondering. Or maybe it poses a question that you’ll want to answer.
From our North American colloquium, a little treasure in the Yale archives at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library: A pamphlet from the robemaker C. E. Ward of New London, Ohio. It’s a four-colour, die-cut item that unfolds to reveal its gowns, hoods and caps on offer. @yaleisp.bsky.social
From our North American colloquium, a little treasure in the Yale archives at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library: A pamphlet from the robemaker C. E. Ward of New London, Ohio. It’s a four-colour, die-cut item that unfolds to reveal its gowns, hoods and caps on offer. @yaleisp.bsky.social
At the North American Colloquium earlier this month, Jayne Ball, Michael P. Kolcun, Ashley Cale, and Jonathan Cooper view historic volumes at Yale’s Beinecke Rare Books Library. The archivists pulled some wonderful photos and ephemera from the university’s collection for us. @yaleisp.bsky.social
My source tells me that Cambridge introduced the degree in 1878. Either way, the portrait was painted in ’89.