King's established a Theological Department to train Anglican priests in 1846, predating those at Oxford or Cambridge. This recognised degrees from Oxford, Cambridge and Durham, and the AKC, but did not recognise London degrees. The Theological AKC, awarded by the King's Theological Department until 1976, was from 1862 marked by a silk hood lined with mauve silk by special permission of the Archbishop of Canterbury (John Sumner). This was very similar to the Durham MA hood, leading to protests. Following representations to the Archbishop of Canterbury (Edward White Benson) in 1884 by the Durham University Association, the hood was revised to conform with the pattern approved for theological colleges, with the change backdated to 1882. The new hood was poplin, rather than silk, with a 1-inch edging of mauve silk, rather than fully lined.
