I ran the Cambridge Town and Gown 10k on Sunday. It set me wondering about the history of the phrase 'Town and Gown'. Apparently its usage dates from the Middle Ages, when students admitted to European universities often held minor clerical status and wore clothing, including gowns, similar to that worn by the clergy. This dress code made students a recognisably distinct community from ordinary city residents. Thus town referred to the non-academic population and gown the university community.
One article notes that 'Historically, colleges and universities literally walled themselves off from their host communities. This was particularly the case in urban settings ... community and government agencies, in turn, have often viewed colleges as pariahs, complaining about their tax-exempt status, physical encroachment, and noisy students. The term town-gown itself typically conjures up acrimony and tension which has frequently played out when academic and community stakeholders have interacted'.
