Abstract

The Oxford simple shape could, with some justification, be described as one of the ugliest and least dignified hood patterns in the world. This short paper takes as premise the belief that all Oxford hoods were at one time of the full shape, and essays a reconstruction of the process by which the pattern of hood for the lower degrees evolved, or more accurately devolved, into the modern Oxford simple shape. It will be argued that the Oxford Burgon shape "introduced" by the eponymous Dean Burgon in the 19th century was in fact (exactly as he himself is alleged to have claimed) a re-introduction of an earlier form through which the simple shape had by then already passed. [Excerpt].

Keywords: Academical dress, Origins of university costume, History of academic dress, Academic cap and gown

How to Cite:

Christianson, B., (2002) “The Evolution of the Oxford Simple Shape”, Transactions of the Burgon Society 2(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.4148/2475-7799.1010