Other Robes
Parliamentary Robes
Ede & Ravenscroft provides and maintains the ceremonial dress worn at The State Opening of Parliament.
Parliamentary officers together with peers, bishops, judges and heralds all of whom are smartly dressed in court dress and robes await the arrival of the Sovereign.
Parliamentary robes and uniforms, with their regalia and fabric trimmings, are handmade using time-honoured techniques and traditional materials at Ede & Ravenscroft’s London workshops.
Ede & Ravenscroft proudly supplies legislative assemblies throughout the Commonwealth and the world. We make ceremonial dress for parliamentary officers in locations as diverse as Victoria, British Columbia, and Maseru, Lesotho.
For more information please contact ceremonialspecialist@edeandravenscroft.com.
The Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, Air Chief Marshal Sir John Gingell
The Lord Mayor of London at the proclamation of the accession of His Majesty King George V
Municipal Robes
Ede & Ravenscroft has long enjoyed the patronage of the City of London. The company tailors robes for the Lord Mayor, the aldermen, sheriff, common councillors and the Lord Mayor’s household.
The Municipal Corporations Act of 1835 established many new mayoralties throughout the British Isles. Most mayors wanted their robes designed on long-established patterns used by the City of London. Hats, jabots, rosettes and ribbons are all still handmade to order.
Ede & Ravenscroft keeps detailed and extensive records of the design of robes and regalia worn by mayors, town clerks, aldermen and councillors of nearly four hundred boroughs and cities in the UK as well as important municipalities throughout the world. When new robes are ordered designs are verified. A full cleaning and refurbishment service for all robes ensures their pristine appearance.
For more information please contact ceremonialspecialist@edeandravenscroft.com.
Court Dress & High Sheriffs
The Victorians established strict rules governing the wearing of civil and military uniform. The court coat in black cloth or velvet with waistcoat and breeches formed the basis of dress for men. Ladies followed rigorous regulations when wearing plumes, feathers, gloves and gowns.
Mourners too followed dress etiquette such as wearing black buckles and buttons in place of bright cut steel.
Court dress is still the everyday wear of Queen’s Counsel and some judges. The Serjeant-at-Arms and Assistant Serjeants-at-Arms of Parliament also adopt it.
On ceremonial occasions, the Lord Chancellor, the Speaker, the Lord Speaker and other high ranking dignitaries of State and Law all wear court dress of a black cloth court coat waistcoat and breeches, black stockings and buckled shoes. When attending official functions, High Sheriffs wear black, or darkly coloured velvet court dress with lace trimmings and cut steel buttons and buckles. The Earl Marshall, the Lord Great Chamberlain, the officers of the Colleges of Arms and Privy Councillors all wear variations of this basic pattern of dress.
For more information please contact ceremonialspecialist@edeandravenscroft.com.
The Earl Marshal, the Duke of Norfolk in full ceremonial dress
Livery company officers
Livery Robes
For centuries, Ede & Ravenscroft has manufactured and maintained the livery companies’ ceremonial fabrics. Details are kept of robe designs for almost all the livery companies as well as, amongst others, those of York, Richmond, sundry Scots and Welsh guilds.
London livery companies can trace their roots to fraternal organisations established during the medieval period. These evolved into guilds that regulated trade in the City under the direction of the Lord Mayor and Aldermen.
By the 15th century distinctive robes, often incorporating coloured hoods and displaying armorial bearings, helped identify guild members.
For more information please contact ceremonialspecialist@edeandravenscroft.com.