Abstract

This article examines the emergence of a new phenomenon in academic dress that has developed over the past twenty years—the awarding of special gowns by some colleges of the University of Cambridge to recognize individual donors and reward their munificence. This appears to be predominantly—albeit not exclusively—a Cambridge phenomenon, and for reasons advanced below not replicated at Oxford University. This article considers in turn whether benefactors’ gowns qualify as academic dress, the reasons for their institution and the criteria for their design. It then looks at the two types of design that have been used, paying particular attention to the revival of the fellow commoner gown for this purpose as its historic connotations are quite different from those associated with its present use. The article concludes by reviewing the individual colleges’ reasoning for and against the use of benefactors’ gowns, and the consequences of their use.

Keywords: University of Cambridge, benefactor’s gown

How to Cite:

Morris, S., (2022) “The Invention of Tradition: The Cambridge Benefactors’ Gowns”, Transactions of the Burgon Society 21(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.4148/2475-7799.1197