:''Not be confused with the Dean Burgon Society, concerned with the advocacy of the

King James Bible The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, by sponsorship of ...

'' The Burgon Society is a learned society and educational charity for the study and research of

academic dress Academic dress is a traditional form of clothing for academic settings, mainly tertiary (and sometimes secondary) education, worn mainly by those who have obtained a university degree (or similar), or hold a status that entitles them to assu ...

. The society was founded in 2000 and is named after John William Burgon (1813–1888) from whom the ''Burgon shape'' academic hood takes its name. Its current president is Graham Zellick, CBE, QC, former

Vice-Chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...

of the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...

. His predecessors were James P. S. Thomson, former Master of

London Charterhouse The London Charterhouse is a historic complex of buildings in Farringdon, London, dating back to the 14th century. It occupies land to the north of Charterhouse Square, and lies within the London Borough of Islington. It was originally buil ...

(2011–16) and the organist John Birch. In 2010, the society received charity status from the

Charity Commission , type = Non-ministerial government department , seal = , seal_caption = , logo = Charity Commission for England and Wales logo.svg , logo_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , ...

Activities

The society publishes ''Transactions of the Burgon Society'', an annual journal of peer-reviewed research into academic dress. It holds a spring conference each year and organises visits to robemakers, universities and other institutions. One of the society's founding fellows, Nicholas Groves, created the

Groves classification system The Groves Classification is a numbering system to enable the shape of any academic gown or hood to be easily described and identified. It was devised by Nicholas Groves to establish a common terminology for hoods and gowns to remedy the situation ...

for academic dress, in which the most common shapes of British gowns, hoods and caps are coded for easy reference. He also designed the gowns of the

University of Malta The University of Malta (, UM, formerly UOM) is a higher education institution in Malta. It offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, postgraduate master's degrees and postgraduate doctorates. It is a member of the European University Association ...

. His design, selected from entries submitted in an international competition, debuted in November 2011 at a degree ceremony in Valletta, Malta.

Membership

Membership is open to all who support the aims of the society.

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

ship (FBS) is awarded to members on the successful submission of a piece of original work on a topic approved by the executive committee. Fellowship may also be awarded to any member who has demonstrated in some other way a significant contribution to the study of academic dress. Occasionally, the fellowship may be awarded ''

honoris causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

''.

Patrons

The patrons of the society are: *The Rt Revd and Rt Hon. The Lord Chartres, GCVO, former

Bishop of London A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

*The Rt Revd

Graeme Knowles Graeme Paul Knowles (born 25 September 1951) is a retired Anglican bishop. He served latterly as the Acting Dean of St Edmundsbury, having previously served as Bishop of Sodor and Man and as Dean of St Paul's. Biography Knowles was educated ...

, CVO, former

Dean of St Paul's The dean of St Paul's is a member of, and chair of the Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral in London in the Church of England. The dean of St Paul's is also ''ex officio'' dean of the Order of the British Empire. The current dean is Andrew Tremlet ...

Footnotes

References

* * * * * Article describing the Society's tenth anniversary activities. * * * * *

External links

Official website
*
Transactions of the Burgon Society
' {{authority control Clubs and societies in the United Kingdom Academic dress Learned societies of the United Kingdom History organisations based in the United Kingdom 2000 establishments in the United Kingdom