The Academic Hood in the Church of England with Particular Reference to Anglo-Catholic Choir Habit

Abstract The Ornaments Rubric of 1549 directs that graduate clergy should wear academic hoods for choir offices, and by the Canons of 1604, the practice was extended to Holy Communion. The Tractarian and Ritualist movements of the nineteenth century led to the publication of ritual books, often noting the influence of Roman Catholicism on liturgical dress and praxis. The Vesture of Ministers Measure of 1964 removed any doctrinal significance in relation to vesture, and the hood effectively became optional. The wearing of the academic hood in church services is discussed in relation to rubrics and canon law from 1549 to the present, with emphasis placed on Anglo-Catholic practice and current societal trends.