A dean of an American cathedral 'was dispatched to the railroad station. The train arrived and passengers got off, but there was no Archbishop in evidence. My father noticed a porter leaning out of a doorway. He pointed to his shins, the porter broke into a big smile, disappeared back into the car and emerged with Geoffrey Fisher. The gaiters of course had given him away'.

'I have photographs taken at my old Salisbury Theological College Triennial Festival in 1961 showing both Geoffrey Cantuar and William Sarum wearing episcopal gaiters. In 1964, Sauders-Davies, Bishop of Stockport wore them during a visit to my parish. The then bishop of Coventry, Cuthbert Bardsley, who accompanied him, wore a suit. He was regarded as one of the new line of bishops. All the time I was in the Chester diocese I never saw the Archdeacon of Chester gaiterless. Finally, there is an episcopal instruction:

There was an archdeacon who said,
Can I take off my gaiters in bed,
But the bishop said no
Wherever you go
You must wear them until you are dead'.

Personal observation.

'Wore gaiters at least once. The garment had apparently belonged to his predecessor, Dean Gilling. Dean Abraham retired in the early 1990s'. You may want to confirm this be emailing the Toronto Cathedral office (the present Dean is the Very Rev. Douglas Stoute'. (Ed. note: We didn't, alas, since we were short of time.)

'I seem to remember that Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother was with him but I certainly remember the gaiters—one would. I can't do the year I'm afraid, but he was at Truro from 1981 to 1990'.

See The Times (London) for his obituary.

Rt. Rev. and Rt. Hon Gerald Ellison, Bishop of London

'He was consecrated to Willesden (London) in 1950 or so, translated to Chester in about 1955 and thence to London in 1973 or 1974. He retired in 1982 (?). He served for a year as Vicar General in Bermuda for a year (1983/84) which is where I met him. He had the full rig, including gaiters and stringed top hat. He also had full evening dress which he wore to the US Naval Air Station for their July 4th banquet (it rather stunned the Marine guard at the front gate)!

Jane Ellison, his wife, said once that when he was Willesden he wore out four sets of gaiters, and commented something along the lines of "Archbishop Fisher would not let a bishop within 100 yards of Lambeth Palace without gaiters!".

When he retired from London, he had an audience with Queen Elizabeth. He telephoned the Palace to ask what he should wear, and whether episcopal morning dress was still required. He was told that it was not required, but that Her Majesty always appreciated seeing it worn. On his arrival at the Palace, he remarked (as they looked at him wearing the full kit, with WWII service medals, pectoral cross, etc): "Take a good look at me, for I am like the dinosaur and the battleship..."

His collection of robes (he also had a Parliamentary Robe—the equivalent of a cappa magna) was donated to a museum on his death a few years ago'.

1990s

What makes your correspondent (and you?) think gaiters are extinct? The younger generation of dignitaries still includes their champions. My good friend the Dean of Carlisle wears them regularly. I have even seen him simply put a surplice and stole over the top (no cassock) to conduct a wedding, as was the custom in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Unless you have spied these contraptions at close quarters, you may not be aware that gaiters are fashioned by the inclusion of a steel rod down the back of the leg so that whatever the physical attributes of the wearer, a 'shapely calf' is displayed!

The present Archbishop of Canterbury (Note: at the time of writing, this would have been George Carey) still, I think, wears episcopal evening dress at Buckingham Palace banquets. This is an even more stunningly bizarre get-up! I expect that His Grace of York and His nearly-Grace of London need the same attire for the same reason. If they wear that absurd costume it is difficult to imagine that they do not have to sport the 'day' version from time to time.

A priest of my acquaintance, in his early thirties, turned out, a while ago, for a Buckingham Palace garden party in clerical morning dress which he had just bought because he thought he would need it from time to time. This modest eccentricity consists of black trousers and morning coat. I did not see whether he had the requisite black silk top hat; but then, why on earth not?

Messrs. Wippell of Exeter still purvey this fancy dress — at their customary vast expense. They will still send their man from Exeter to measure the More-than-Reverend and could doubtless supply a list of recent customers. Whether they will is quite another matter.

I wonder whether any female dignitaries have taken up this male attire.

Personal observation, shrewd guess.

'I am writing to draw your attention to a contemporary example of a bishop apparently wearing a set in public, with photographic evidence (furthermore) posted openly in a photograph on a Cathedral website'.

We especially like the subtle use of the adverb 'openly' in the writer's email. After all, privately worn gaiters would be just . . . odd.

Website for St David's Cathedral, Diocese of St Davids, Church in Wales.

Visit to Burlington, New Jersey, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of St Mary's Parish.

Bp William Croswell Doane wore the traditional frock coat and gaiters throughout his episcopate (1868-1913), possibly the only American bishop so to do.

He 'caused outrage in his early years as a bishop (amongst other things) by making it clear that he wouldn't wear the offending garments. Mervyn told me how touched he was that on the morning of his consecration Geoffrey Fisher came down to breakfast wearing a cassock'.

He also told a story about meeting Henry Montgomery Campbell, Bishop of London (1956-1961) on Lambeth Bridge. Montgomery Campbell (in gaiters) muttered to Mervyn (in purple cassock, purple cloak, probably purple biretta, which he often sported) as he passed, 'Ah! The Bishop of Southwark incognito'.

'Owen Chadwick, in his biography "Michael Ramsey: A Life", states that Lambeth 1968 was the first time the bishops did not wear gaiters. (Ed. note: But see above.) Evidently one unnamed bishop showed up at registration wearing them, and Archbishop Fisher, Ramsey's predecessor, wore them to a garden party'. (Ed. note: See Abp Fisher's photo on these pages passim.)