Academical Dress of the University of Durham
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2 Gowns 3 Hoods 4 External Links |
The academic dress of the University of Durham is based fairly strongly on that of Oxford. Most Durham colleges insist on undergraduate gowns being worn on formal occasions - primarily matriculation and formal halls (dinners) - exceptions are van Mildert, St Aidans, and Trevelyan. Gown and hoods are worn for graduations, but mortarboards, while officially part of the academic dress of hte University, are not. When in full dress, Doctors wear soft square hats (known as John Knox caps) rather than mortarboards or tudor bonnets. At formal halls, only gowns are worn and doctors normally wear their undress gowns. Members of the University may also wear gowns when attending services at the Cathedral - but this is left to individual choice apart from at certain services (such as the Founders and Benefactors service). Gown are also worn to meetings of the university Senate by members of that body.
Note that as some colleges do not wear undergraduate gowns, it is entirely possible to pass through an undergraduate degree at Durham, graduate in absentia, and never have to wear a gown. Alternatively, by attending a college with frequent formals (twice a week at Castle) and attending evensong at the cathedral regularly, it is possible to spend a fair proportion of one's life in a gown.
There are four main gowns in the Durham scheme, corresponding to the four levels within the University: Undergraduates, Bachelors, Masters, and Doctors. In addition to these, variants of the Oxford Lay (or Gimp) gown, are used for the MMus and for the undress DMus gown. With the exception of the full-dress doctors' gowns, all Durham gowns are black.
This gown is basically the same as the Oxford Scholars' gown - a knee-length gown gathered at the yoke with elbow-length bell sleves - but with the forearm seam opened up to the shoulder. These are worn in most colleges (but not all) to formal halls (dinners) and to matriculation. Some colleges also insist on their being worn to Junior Common Room meetings. Regulations on the wearing of undergraduate gowns are technically set by the colleges, but are in fact generally decided by the JCRs.
The Durham Scholars' gown (rarely seen) has the forearm seam sown up, e.g. identical to the Oxford Scholars'.
St Chad's college gown (also rarely seen) adds a two black buttons at the lower end of the forearm, joined across the (open) seam by 5 inches of twisted green cord.
Postgraduates at Durham, unlike at Oxford or Cambridge, wear the gown of their first degree on occasions when gowns are worn.
Essentially a larger version of the undergraduate gown. It is longer, coming to somewhere between mid-calf and the ankle, with sleeves hanging down almost as far. The major difference between this and the Oxford BA gown is that the forearm seem is opened for around 15-20 cm above the wrist, where it is held closed with a button and loop. The arm is normally passed through the opening thus created so the arm is exposed from around the elbow rather than being covered to the wrist as is the case with the Oxford gown.
The bachelors' gown is used by all bachelors except for the BD, who use the masters' gown. It is also used for the four-year undergraduate masters' courses, such as the MEng and the MSci.
The masters' gown is identical to the Oxford MA gown. It is similar to the bachelors' gown, except that the long sleeves are rectangular and closed at the ends, with a crescent cut out of each sleeve-end, and a horizontal arm-slit just above the elbow.
The masters gown is used for post-graduate masters courses, except for the MMus which has its own gown, and as the undress gown for doctors. Doctors of Divinity wear the gown with a black silk scarf - making this identical to the Oxford BD gown, while the junior doctors (PhDs and EdDs) are distinguished by a palatinate cord and button on the yoke.
The doctors' full-dress gown is, again, identical to that used at Oxford. It is a scarlet cassimere gown (brocaded white satin for DMus) gathered at the yoke and with bell sleves. The sleves and facings are in a coloured silk (see below).
The colour of the silk on the gown's sleeves and facings indicates which doctorate the wearer holds. The colours of the silk are:
The MMus and undress DMus gowns are based on the Oxford lay (or gimp) gown. This is similar in shape to the masters' gown but with a flap collar covering the yoke and with inverted T-shaped armholes rather than straight horizontal cuts. Additionally there are panels of lace (known as gimp) near the foot of the gown and (on the DMus undress gown) on the sleeves. Insted of this panel, the MMus gown has a row of lace running from the armholes to the base of the sleeves.
The major parts of a hood are the cowl (the bit that, historically, would cover the head) and hte cape, which lies flat against the back. Two sorts of hood are in use in Durham - Simple hoods, consisting of just a cowl, similar to those used at Oxford, and Full hoods, consisting of a cowl and cape, similar to those in use at Cambridge but with rounded corners. Hoods may be made of silk or stuff (material other than silk - normally cotton) and are normally lined with a coloured silk inside the cowl. The shape in which the hood is made is governed only by tradition, but the materials and colours used are laid down in the University regulations. Many of the hoods feature palatinate - a particular shade of purple that is associated with the University.
Some undergraduates choose to wear the Literates' Hood - a black stuff hood with no lining, normally made in the simple shape - but this is unofficial and not prescribed by the University.
Bachelors hood are full-shape made with black stuff except for the BSc and LLB (made with palatinate silk) and the BD (made with black coorded silk). BA, BSc, and BPhil use a slighly different full-shape, with a wider cape than the other Durham degrees.
All masters except the MA and the MEd use full-shape hoods. MA and MEd use the simple shape. All masters' hoods are made in black silk except for the MJur, which is made in palatinate silk. They are lined as follows:
Doctors wear full-shape hoods with semi-circular bases, made of scarlet cassimere (except DMus and DSc which are made of brocaded white satin and palatinate silk respectively). The linings are generally the same colours as the sleeves and facings and the gowns:
Introduction
Gowns
Undergraduates
Postgraduates
Bachelors
Masters
Doctors
Doctors' Silks
Music Gowns
Hoods
Undergraduates
Bachelors
Masters
Doctors
External Links
