The Burgon Society, concerned with academic dress, should not be confused with the Dean Burgon Society

Dean Burgon Society

The Dean Burgon Society is an organization that promotes and defends the King James Bible and the underlying Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. It should not be confused with the academic Burgon Society. They are separate organizations....

, concerned with the advocacy of the King-James-Only Movement

King-James-Only Movement

The "King James Only movement" advocates the superiority of the Authorized King James Version of the Protestant Bible. The topic increased in newsworthiness in 2011, the 400th anniversary of the translation's 1611 initial publication....

. They are separate organizations.

The Burgon Society was founded in 2000 for the study and promotion of academical dress, to preserve its history, and to advise film and television companies and interested others in its correct usage. The President of the society is James P.S. Thomson, MS

Master of Surgery

The Master of Surgery is an advanced qualification in surgery. It is most commonly abbreviated Ch.M. or M.S., as well as M.Ch. and M.Chir. from its Latin name, Magister Chirurgiae or the English form of Master of Surgery....

 (London), DM

Doctor of Medicine

Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...

 (Lambeth

Lambeth degree

A Lambeth degree is an academic degree conferred by the Archbishop of Canterbury under the authority of the Ecclesiastical Licences Act 1533 as successor of the papal legate in England...

), FRCS, FBS, Master of London Charterhouse

London Charterhouse

The London Charterhouse is a historic complex of buildings in Smithfield, London dating back to the 14th century. It occupies land to the north of Charterhouse Square. The Charterhouse began as a Carthusian priory, founded in 1371 and dissolved in 1537...

. His predecessor was the organist John Birch

John Birch (musician)

John Birch is an internationally renowned Recitalist, Concert Organist and Organ Scholar. He was educated at Trent College, Derbyshire and left in July 1947 to study at the Royal College of Music, London....

, MA (Sus), DMus (Lambeth), FRCM, FRCO(CHM), LRAM, FRSA, FBS, who served two terms ending in 2011.

The society publishes an annual journal of peer-reviewed research into academic dress.

One of the society's founding fellows, Dr Nicholas Groves, created the Groves classification system

Groves classification system

The Groves classification system is a system intended to enable the shape of any academic gown or hood of the United Kingdom to be easily classified and identified. It was devised by Dr Nicholas Groves and adopted as standard by the community of scholars that study academic dress...

 for academic dress, in which the most common shapes of British gowns, hoods and caps are coded for easy reference. He also designed the gowns of the University of Malta

University of Malta

The University of Malta is the highest educational institution in Malta Europe and is one of the most respected universities in Europe. The University offers undergraduate Bachelor's Degrees, postgraduate Master's Degrees and postgraduate Doctorates .-History:The University of Malta was founded in...

. His design, selected from entries submitted in an international competition, debuted in November 2011 at a degree ceremony in Valletta, Malta.

The society is named after John William Burgon

John William Burgon

John William Burgon was an English Anglican divine who became the Dean of Chichester Cathedral in 1876. He is remembered for his passionate defence of the historicity and Mosaic authorship of Genesis and of Biblical inerrancy in general.-Biography:Burgon was born at Smyrna, the son of an English...

 (1813–1888) from whom the Burgon shaped academic hood takes its name. The Burgon Hood is depicted in profile in the society's emblem, surrounded by Bishop Andrewes

Lancelot Andrewes

Lancelot Andrewes was an English bishop and scholar, who held high positions in the Church of England during the reigns of Queen Elizabeth I and King James I. During the latter's reign, Andrewes served successively as Bishop of Chichester, Ely and Winchester and oversaw the translation of the...

 caps.

In 2010, the Society received charity

Charitable organization

A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...

 status from the Charity Commission

Charity Commission

The Charity Commission for England and Wales is the non-ministerial government department that regulates registered charities in England and Wales....

.

Patrons

The patrons of the society are:

• The Rt. Revd. and Rt. Hon. Dr. Richard J. C. Chartres
  Richard Chartres
  Richard John Carew Chartres KCVO FSA is the current Bishop of London, a position he has held since 1995. Before this appointment, he was Bishop of Stepney and Gresham Professor of Divinity .-Early life:...
  
   PC
  Privy council
  A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
  
   ChStJ DD
  Doctor of Divinity
  Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
  
   (London
  University of London
  -20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
  
  , City, Brunel
  Brunel University
  Brunel University is a public research university located in Uxbridge, London, United Kingdom. The university is named after the Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel....
  
  ) DLitt
  Doctor of Letters
  Doctor of Letters is a university academic degree, often a higher doctorate which is frequently awarded as an honorary degree in recognition of outstanding scholarship or other merits.-Commonwealth:...
  
   (Guildhall
  London Guildhall University
  London Guildhall University was a university in the United Kingdom from 1992 to 2002. On 1 August 2002, it merged with the University of North London to form London Metropolitan University...
  
  ) FSA
  Society of Antiquaries of London
  The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
  
   FBS - Bishop of London
• Rt. Revd. Graeme Knowles, former Dean of St Paul's
  St Paul's Cathedral
  St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
  
  
• Prof. Graham Zellick CBE
  CBE
  CBE and C.B.E. are abbreviations for "Commander of the Order of the British Empire", a grade in the Order of the British Empire.Other uses include:* Chemical and Biochemical Engineering...
  
  , former Vice-Chancellor of the University of London
  University of London
  -20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
  
  

Membership

The society includes the president, eleven council members, and numerous patrons, fellows, subscribing members and corporate members. Membership is open to all who support the aims of the society. Fellow

Fellow

A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...

ship (FBS) may be awarded to members upon supplication

Supplication

Supplication is the most common form of prayer, wherein a person asks God to provide something, either for the person or who is doing the praying or for someone else on whose behalf a prayer. This because of a supplication is being made, also known as intercession.The concept of supplication is...

 (i.e., after submission of substantial work on the study of academical dress), honoris causa (well-recognized experts in the field), or de jure (usually existing dignitaries).