The Burgon Society
| Introduction | History | Constitution | Officers |
| Fellows | Meetings | Photographs | Robes |
History of the Burgon Society
On 10th July 1999, Brother Michael Powell of St. George's College, Weybridge started a discussion group with eGroups (now Yahoo!Groups) on the subject of Academical Dress. He then went on holiday to California for two or three weeks.
The discussion group was discovered by the Revd Philip Goff, Academic Consultant to Ede & Ravenscroft whilst engaged in a routine search for new sites on Academical Dress on the internet. He then contacted other people he knew that were interested in the subject, including Nicholas Groves, Lecturer in Mediaeval History at the University of East Anglia, who in turn contacted people he knew. They all then joined the group. When Brother Michael returned from holiday, he was pleasantly surprised to find that he was not the only person in the world with an interest in Academical Dress (Message 12 and Message 820).
Philip Goff was very keen that the group should form itself into a society, which would hold meetings, arrange visits and generally foster interest in Academical Dress (Message 6). Nick Groves had, sometime previously, tried to set up an Academical Dress Society which he was going to call The Burgon Society, after Dean Burgon, the only person to have had a hood shape named after him (Message 13).
On Saturday 13th November 1999, seven members of the eGroup met in London at the Wheatsheaf, Rathbone Place. Philip Goff again raised the subject of forming a society, but no decision was taken as Brother Michael felt there were not enough members of the eGroup to justify such a move (Message 146).
Six members attended the second meeting of the eGroup which was held on Saturday 17th June 2000 at the University of London Chaplaincy Rooms in Gordon Square (Message 719). By now there were over 60 members of the eGroup and it was decided, subject to the approval of Brother Michael, who was unable to attend, that a society should be formed with an emphasis on the academic study of Academical Dress. Brother Michael agreed.
A draft constitution was written and discussed at a third meeting of the eGroup attended by seven members, held on Saturday 2nd September 2000, again at the University of London Chaplaincy Rooms in Gordon Square (Message 1149).
On Saturday 21st October 2000, the constitution was ratified, officers were confirmed and final plans were put in place to launch the society at a meeting attended by nine members in Room 103 of Senate House, University of London (Message 1471).
