Robes

Municipal and Civic Robes.

The word "livery," the use of which is now practically confined to the costume of the "livery companies," the dress of men-servants, etc., originally meant an allowance of food or clothing granted to certain persons. It is still used of the allowances of food made to the fellows of certain colleges. As early as the 13th century, the citizens of London used to assume a uniform dress to do honour to some great occasion, as when 600 citizens rode out to meet Queen Margaret, wife of Edward I., "in one livery of red and white, with the cognizances of their misteries embroidered upon their sleeves." By the 14th century there is evidence of the adoption of liveries by the trades and fraternities ; and when the livery companies were incorporated, they took care to have their liveries authorized by their charters.

As to the costume of the mayor, aldermen, sheriffs, etc., the scarlet, violet and black robes, still worn by them, were early in use. The provincial mayors and aldermen at quite an early date followed the fashion of London. An account of the robes of modern provincial mayors will be found in St. John Hope's Corporation Plate and Insignia.

At the present day the lord mayor has several sets of robes; a special coronation robe, a crimson velvet robe of State like that of an earl, worn with the chain and jewel, e.g., in the presence of the sovereign when in the city; a black robe of State trimmed with gold, which is worn with the chain and jewel, e.g., at the Guildhall on lord mayor's day ; the scarlet robes, which are worn, with or without the chain, on most public occasions, such as the service at St. Paul's on the first day of the Easter law term, audiences of the sovereign, the election of the lord mayor, the opening of the cen tral criminal court, etc. ; a violet gown, which is worn, e.g., when the lord mayor elect is presented to the king, when he is sworn in, at the election of sheriffs, etc., and a black gown worn in church on Good Friday, etc. The aldermen wear scarlet on most occasions of ceremony, ex-mayors "having the Cap of Dignity attached to their gown, and being entitled to introduce a sword and mace into their badges." Violet robes are also worn on certain occasions marked in the almanac of the Alderman's Pocket-Book; and black gowns when the lord mayor wears his. The sheriffs and recorders have scarlet, violet and black gowns, and the members of the common council have deep mazarine blue gowns, which seem to have been first prescribed in 1761.

Academic Costume,

like judicial robes, has been considered to be of ecclesiastical origin, but though the mediaeval scholar was of course a clerk, and had to wear the clerkly gown and the ton sure, his robes probably developed out of the ordinary civilian costume. The statutes of certain colleges required of the scholars

as early as the 14th century the tonsure and a "decent habit" suitable to a clerk, i.e., a long gown, which it is stipulated in some cases must be closed in front. Some colleges had liveries, pre scribed perhaps by the founder of the college and laid down by the statutes. The differences of colour and shape in the undergraduate gowns of most of the Cambridge colleges are supposed to be a survival of this.

The gown was worn by all degrees, as befitting clerks. It is hard to determine whether there was at first any difference be tween the gown of the higher degrees and that of the lower de grees, but it seems improbable. It was frequently fur-lined, but the use of the more costly furs was forbidden to all below the degree of master, except sons of noblemen, or those possessing a certain income, bachelors using budge. Students, and even doctors in theology were also restricted to budge, and to sad-coloured habits. The robes of masters had to be flowing and reach to the ankles.

The cope probably originated in the ordinary everyday mantle of the clergy. This kind of cope, closed in front, sometimes, for convenience's sake, had a slit in front to allow of the passage of the hands. By the i6th century all copes were scarlet. It has sur vived to the present day at Cambridge as the dress worn by the vice-chancellor and by regius professors of divinity, law and medi cine when presenting for degrees.

The hood was originally worn by all scholars, as by every body, and had evidently no academic significance. Sometimes a cap was also worn, the hood being thrown back. There were evi dently hoods of two kinds for masters. At a later date, at Cam bridge, a distinction was made between the hoods of non-regent masters, which were lined with silk, and those of regents, which were lined with miniver. Later again the regents wore their hoods in such a way as to show the white lining, while the non-regents wore theirs "squared," so that the white did not show. Hence the name "White Hoods" and "Black Hoods" given to the upper and lower houses of the old Senate respectively. It is not settled when the modern colourings of hoods arose ; they probably followed those of the gowns of the faculties, but about these we are equally uncertain. The Oxford proctor still wears a miniver hood. The modern Cambridge hood has preserved the original shape more closely than the Oxford one, being a hood and tippet combined, the hood having square corners.