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. Dr Groves is a fellow of the Burgon Society, which is a scholarly organization committed to the serious study of academic dress. The system was first presented in the Burgon Society's annual in 2001.[1] His intention was to remedy the situation whereby individual universities each used different words to describe the same things. It was quickly adopted by most serious scholars of academic dress. The system of classfication is most often used to describe academic dress of British universities and those whose academic dress derives from them.
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The original Groves system for classifying academic dress included a standardization for shapes and patterns of hoods and gowns worn by graduates and undergraduates. Further information was given regarding the use of different fabrics and standardization of colors, but the focus was placed on gowns and hoods which are explained further below.[1]
Gowns in the Groves system are divided into three classes. These generally follow the shapes associated with each different academic degree in the British educational system.
The following table reflects the Groves classification system as of 9 September 2010.
| Code | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelors gowns | ||
| [b1] | Basic bachelor | plain open sleeves, point reaching knee |
| [b2] | Cambridge BA | sleeve has slit in foream seam |
| [b3] | Cambridge MB | front of sleeve has foldback and cord and button |
| [b4] | London BA | front of sleeve is pleated and held by cord and button |
| [b5] | Durham BA | lower 8" of forearm seam left open, and held by button and loop |
| [b6] | Wales BA | lower 6" of forearm seam left open and folded back, held by 2 buttons, with third button on seam in middle |
| [b7] | Bath BA | as [b5], but with button at top of slit |
| [b8] | Oxford BA | as [b1], but sleeves reach hem of gown |
| [b9] | Belfast BA | bell sleeve, pleated as [b4] |
| [b10] | Dublin BA | as [b1], but sleeves much smaller |
| [b11] | Reading BA | as [b2], but sleeve point is rounded off |
| [b12] | Sussex BA | bag sleeve with small armhole |
| Masters' gowns | ||
| [m1] | Oxford MA | crescent cut-out at base |
| [m2] | Cambridge MA | upper point of crescent rounded |
| [m3] | Dublin MA | crescent set up sleeve giving blunt point |
| [m4] | Wales MA | lower point of crescent removed |
| [m5] | London MA | both points of crescent rounded |
| [m6] | Victoria MA | both points removed |
| [m7] | Lampeter BD | as [m1] on both sides of sleeve |
| [m8] | Leicester MA | as [m6] on both sides of sleeve |
| [m9] | Bristol MA | bottom of sleeve hollowed out into B shape |
| [m10] | Basic master | no cut-out, sleeve left square |
| [m11] | Lancaster MA | as [m2], but base is at an angle |
| [m12] | Scottish MA | as [m2], but with inverted-T armhole. |
| [m13] | Liverpool MA | as [m2], but sleeves shorter |
| [m14] | Open University | as [m10], but sleeves reach hip only |
| [m15] | Warwick MA | as [m2], but on both slides of sleeve |
| [m16] | Bath MA | as [m10], but one corner cut at 45° |
| [m17] | Sussex MA | as [m10], but with vertical armhole |
| [m18] | Manchester new | base of sleeve cut into cursive M |
| [m19] | King's London | as [m10], but side of sleeve slit open for full length up to the arc |
| Doctoral/special gowns | ||
| [d1] | Cambridge doctors | wide open sleeves, similar to [b1], with the wrist turned back and held with a cord and button |
| [d2] | Oxford doctors | bell sleeves |
| [d3] | Cambridge MusD | small bell sleeves with cuff |
| [d4] | Cambridge LL.D undress | flap-collar (QC's) gown |
| [d5] | Oxford convocation habit | sleeveless habit closed with two buttons at the front |
| [d6] | Sussex doctors | MA-style sleeve with vertical slit, base hollowed into B shape |
| [d7] | Aston | narrow sleeves |
| [d8] | Cambridge DD undress | bell sleeves gathered at wrist |
Hoods in the Groves system are also divided into three different classes. Unlike the gowns and robes, these are based on the shape of the hood rather than the degrees for which they are worn.
The following table reflects the Groves classification system as of 9 September 2010.
| Code | Shape | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Full shape hoods | ||
| [f1] | Cambridge | cape with square corners |
| [f2] | Dublin | as [f1] but the liripipe is curved at the inner corner |
| [f3] | London | as [f1] but the cape corners are rounded |
| [f4] | Durham doctors | as [f7] but the liripipe is at a 45 degree angle and the cowl is slanted downwards |
| [f5] | Oxford full | as [f7] but larger and with a narrow squared 'slot' between the inner liripipe edge and the cape |
| [f6] | Durham BA | as [f7] but the liripipe is a rectangle sewn on separately |
| [f7] | Durham BCL | as [f3] but the cape has a semi-circular base |
| [f8] | Edinburgh DD | |
| [f9] | Glasgow | as [f1] but larger and the liripipe is narrower |
| [f10] | St Andrews | |
| [f11] | Warham | |
| [f12] | King's London full | |
| [f13] | UMIST DSc | |
| [f14] | ICC doctors | |
| [f15] | Toronto | |
| [f16] | Strawberry Hill | |
| Simple shape hoods | ||
| [s1] | Oxford simple | |
| [s2] | Oxford Burgon | |
| [s3] | Belfast | |
| [s4] | Edinburgh | |
| [s5] | Wales bachelors | |
| [s6] | Leicester bachelors | |
| [s7] | Leeds | |
| [s8] | Sussex | |
| [s9] | Victoria | |
| [s10] | Aston | |
| [s11] | Glasgow Caledonian (old) | |
| [s12] | King's London simple | |
| Other shaped hoods | ||
| [a1] | CNAA | |
| [a2] | Leicester masters | |
| [a3] | Kent | |
| [a4] | East Anglia | |
| [a5] | Leicester doctors | |
| [a6] | Dundee | |
| [a7] | Aberdeen | |
| Code | Example | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| [h1] | Mortarboard | a square board attached to a skull cap, often with a button and tassel |
| [h2] | Tudor bonnet | a round soft hat with brim, often with a cord and tassel |
| [h3] | John Knox cap | a square soft cap |
| [h4] | Bishop Andrewes cap | like [h1] but soft and with a silk tuff in lieu of button and tassel |
| [h5] | Oxford ladies' cap | a soft square cap with a flap at the back and held up with two buttons |
| [h6] | Sussex pileus | a round cylindical cap with a covered button on the top |
| [h7] | Leicester doctoral cap | a modified biretta |
| [h8] | UEA BA | a skull cap with upturned brim (no longer used) |
| [h9] | UEA MA | a skull cap with a triangular structure on top (no longer used) |
The Groves classification system was first published in 2001. Since that time, it has been adapted and changed to include newly devised academic dress and revisions of existing schemes.[1] The Burgon Society maintains a comprehensive listing of system shapes on its website. In addition to those included above, the current list classifies undergraduate gowns in use throughout the United Kingdom and academic headwear.[2]