It is worn as traditional clothing with gowns most especially Livery and burgess guilds officers as suitable headwear. Painting of future King Edward VI by Hans Holbeln the Younger as a child at around the age of 2 in circa 1539. National Gallery of Art // Public Domain Doctoral degrees: PhD, DDS, EdD, EngD, DEdPsy, DSocSci and MD have ascarlet gown with a dark violet facing, sleeves and hood lining. Please note that doctoral degrees have mortarboard style hats. It is mostly worn as part of academic dress by a person who holds a doctorate degree, mainly by those holding a research or professional doctoral degree. It is also often worn by those holding an honourary or full higher doctorate, and, at certain educational establishments, by University Officers, such as the Esquire Bedell, University Marshal, the president of the students’ union, and members of the university council.

For men, the most common dress consisted of trousers made of wool in addition to a tunic which reached to the knees. One of their main ceremonial functions is the daily Ceremony of the Keys. In this ceremony the gates of the Tower of London are secured each night shortly before 10.00 pm by the Chief Yeoman Warder escorted by an armed guard of four men.This is a lot easier if you have someone to do it for you, but it’s simple enough to do on your own. Standing in front of the mirror, wrap the tape measure around the circumference of your head. About an inch (2.5cm) above your eyebrows. Also, don’t wrap it too tight, as you’ll want a comfortable fit. Portrait of Edward Courtenay, Earl of Devon during part of the Tudor dynasty. Painted in 1555. Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain A Tudor bonnet is a velvet round academic cap with a long honour tassel hanging from a cord which is circled around the cap. It is also known as a round doctoral bonnet or PhD cap. The Canterbury cap differs from the present-day biretta, as a Canterbury cap has four ridges, compared to the biretta's three. In addition, the biretta is (sometimes) rigid, or rigid but folding, while the Canterbury cap is always soft and easily folds when not in use. [1] [ failed verification] In the Catholic Church, its use is identical to that of the modern biretta, into which, on the continent, the cap evolved into throughout the centuries. Portray your academic or doctorate status with our range of Tudor Bonnets and American Tams made from only the highest quality velvet.

Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s first wife, was the first Tudor royal to introduce the ‘Spanish farthingale’ into the royal court. The farthingale was a conical shaped undergarment that gave a different shape to dresses and exaggerated the silhouette. While their role is usually confined to the Tower of London, the Yeomen Warders do take part in one State ceremony. At Coronations, they form a guard of honour inside the annexe at Westminster Abbey. For many graduates, a traditional cap and gown are somewhat of a novel, eccentric outfit you wear for graduation, but the attire is a tradition with a long history. Essentially, it represents the history of graduating from higher education and wearing a cap during the ceremony is a rite of passage.The Tudor bonnet (also referred to as a doctor's bonnet or round cap) is a traditional soft-crowned, round-brimmed cap, with a tassel hanging from a cord encircling the hat. As the name suggests, the Tudor bonnet was popularly worn in England and elsewhere during Tudor times. Today the cap is strongly associated with academic tradition. It is typically worn as part of academic dress by the holder of a research or professional doctoral degree. A person who has obtained an honourary degree or a higher doctorate degree also wears this cap. Apart from that, higher authorities like University officers, University council members, the president (student's union), University Marshal, or Esquire Bedell can also wear this cap on some educational establishments. Additionally, women also used an apron over the skirt and a cloth bonnet on the heads. During the late Tudor period, hats also became an important ingredient of Tudor clothes for the poor. Today the cap is strongly associated with academic tradition. It is typically worn as part of academic dress by the holder of a research or professional doctoral degree or a full higher doctorate. It may also be worn by a person who has been awarded an honorary doctorate. At certain educational establishments the cap distinguishes university officers, such as the esquire bedell, university marshal, the president of the students' union, and members of the university council. British Museum, Compass Database, visitied on 22-Oct-2003. http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/compass/

Most of the universities in UK founded from the early nineteenth century onwards opted to put all doctors when wearing the full-dress robes in a round bonnet or some variant like a John Knox soft cap. The first PhD in the UK was introduced in 1917. Some universities distinguish PhDs and the newer professional doctors from higher doctors by putting them in a mortar-board or giving them a bonnet in cloth rather than velvet or in other ways.” Another style is the Tudor bonnet graduation cap . A soft, round cap with a tassel attached to a cord surrounding the hat’s circumference. This style of cap was traditionally worn in Tudor times, hence the name, but now is worn by those graduating at a Doctorate level. Ours are made from the highest quality velvet and have a durable and comfortable design. As your PhD Doctoral Gown will be colourful to celebrate your accolade, our bonnets will match your gown colour with a range of coloured honour cords . How to Measure Your Head for a Graduation Cap

What to wear with your gown

While this may be obvious to those who have previously measured their head for other hats, it may be a new experience for others. So, here’s how to measure your head for a graduation cap. The first thing you’ll need is a tape measure, not a DIY metallic one, as that’ll prove to be a nightmare. Of course, graduation caps have evolved a lot over the years, but what about today’s caps? The two most commonly used cap styles for modern graduations are the following. Mortarboard Caps Throughout Henry VIII’s rule, flat caps were also popularised. In fact, in many of his most famous paintings, King Henry can often be seen wearing a fur-trimmed flat cap heavily embellished with jewels and pearls. The Canterbury cap is a square cloth hat with sharp corners. It originated in the Middle Ages, and is commonly found in the Anglican Communion, as well as in the Catholic Church where it is used by Anglican Ordinariate clergy. It is also soft and foldable, "Constructed to fold flat when not in use..." [1] The Canterbury cap is the medieval biretta, descended from the ancient pileus headcovering. It is sometimes called the "catercap". [ citation needed] The American Doctoral Tam is a traditional soft-crowned, six-sided cap with a golden tassel. It is typically worn as part of academic dress by the holder of a research or professional doctoral degree.

If you are graduating with a BA, BSc or BEng degree you will have a hood in a colour called University red, in lighter and darker shades. If you are graduating with an LLB degree the hood will be in University red with a violet trim. The hood for MBChB, BDS and BVScdegrees is in University red with a whitetrim.A few educational establishments have a custom to wear a mortarboard instead of a Tudor Bonnet. Furthermore, Livery and burgess guild's officers wear this cap as part of their traditional attire (with gowns). This cap is a completely academic cap and it's usually worn by a person after completing his/her doctorate degree. Usually, a doctorate degree held by a professional or research purposes wears this cap with an academic dress. We’ll cover how to measure your head for a graduation cap below, but we also have elasticated mortarboard caps available for a simpler solution. The only thing to note is that our elasticated hats are 100% polyester with no felt option. Tudor Bonnet