Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense
Order of the Garter
from
Wikipedia Website
A garter is one
of the Order's most recognizable insignia. Diamonds spell
out the motto of the Order on this seventeenth century
garter. |
The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an
English order of chivalry with a history stretching back to medieval
times; today it is the world's oldest national order of knighthood
in continuous existence and the pinnacle of the British honours
system. Its membership is extremely limited, consisting of the
Sovereign and not more than twenty-five full members, or Companions.
Male members are known as Knights Companions, whilst female members
are known as Ladies Companions (not Dames, as in most other British
chivalric orders). The Order can also include certain extra members
(members of the British Royal Family and foreign monarchs), known as
"Supernumerary" Knights and Ladies. The Sovereign alone grants
membership of the Order; the Prime Minister does not tender binding
advice as to appointments, as he or she does for most other orders.
As the name suggests, the Order's primary emblem is a garter bearing
the motto "Honi soit qui mal y pense" (which means "Shame
on him who thinks ill of it") in gold letters. The Garter is an
actual accessory worn by the members of the Order during ceremonial
occasions; it is also depicted on several insignia.
Most British orders of chivalry cover the entire kingdom, but the
three most exalted ones each pertain to one constituent nation only.
The Order of the Garter, which pertains to England, is most senior
in both age and precedence; its equivalent in Scotland is The Most
Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle. Whilst the Order of the
Thistle was certainly in existence by the sixteenth century and
possibly has medieval origins (or even, according to more fanciful
legends, dates to the eighth century), the foundation of the
institution in its modern form dates only to 1687. In 1783 an Irish
equivalent, The Most Illustrious Order of St Patrick, was founded,
but since the independence of the greater part of Ireland the Order
has fallen dormant (its last surviving knight died in 1974).
History
The Order was founded circa 1348 by Edward III as "a society,
fellowship and college of knights." Various more precise dates
ranging from 1344 to 1351 have been proposed; the wardrobe account
of Edward III first shows Garter habits issued in the autumn of
1348. At any rate, the Order was most probably not constituted
before 1346; the original statutes required that each member
admitted to the Order already be a knight (what would today be
called a knight bachelor), and several initial members of the Order
were first knighted in that year.
Various legends have been set forth to explain the origin of the
Order. The most popular one involves the "Countess of Salisbury" (it
may refer to Joan of Kent, the King's future daughter-in-law, or to
her then mother-in-law, whom Edward is known to have admired).
Whilst she was dancing with the King at Eltham Palace, her garter is
said to have slipped from her leg to the floor. When the surrounding
courtiers sniggered, the King picked it up and tied it to his own
leg, exclaiming "Honi soit qui mal y pense." (The French may be
loosely translated as "Shame on him who thinks ill of it"; it has
become the motto of the Order.) According to another myth, Richard
I, whilst fighting in the Crusades, was inspired by St George to tie
garters around the legs of his knights; Edward III supposedly
recalled the event, which led to victory, when he founded the Order.
Composition
Sovereign and Knights
Since its foundation, the Order of the Garter has included the
Sovereign and Knights Companions. The Sovereign of the United
Kingdom serves as Sovereign of the Order.
Queen Elizabeth
II in Garter Robes |
The Prince of Wales is explicitly
mentioned in the Order's statutes and is by convention created a
Knight Companion; aside from him, there may be up to twenty-four
other Knights Companions. In the early days of the Order, women (who
could not be knighted), were sometimes associated with the Order
under the name "Ladies of the Garter," but they were not full
companions. Henry VII, however, ended the practice, creating no more
Ladies of the Garter after his mother Margaret Beaufort, Countess of
Derby (appointed in 1488).
Thereafter, the Order was exclusively male (except, of course, for
the occasional female Sovereign) until 1901, when Edward VII created
Queen Alexandra (his wife) a Lady of the Garter. Throughout the 20th
century women continued to be admitted to the Order, but, except for
foreign female monarchs, they were not full members of the Order
until 1987, when it became possible, under a statute of Elizabeth
II, to appoint "Ladies Companions."
In addition to the regular Knights and Ladies Companions, the
Sovereign can also appoint "Supernumerary Knights". This concept was
introduced in 1786 by George III so that his many sons would not
count towards the limit of twenty-five companions set by the
statutes; in 1805, he extended the category so that any descendant
of George II could be created a Supernumerary Knight. Since 1831,
the exception applies to all descendents of George I. Such
companions, when appointed, are sometimes known as "Royal Knights."
From time to time, foreign monarchs have also been admitted to the
Order; and for two centuries they also have not counted against the
limit of twenty-five companions, being (like the Royal Knights
aforementioned), supernumerary. Formerly, each such extra creation
required the enactment of a special statute; this was first done in
1813, when Alexander I, Emperor of Russia was admitted to the Order.
Many European monarchs are in fact descended from George I and can
be appointed supernumerarily as such, but a statute of 1954
authorizes the regular admission of foreign Knights and Ladies
without further special statutes irrespective of descent. The
appellation "Stranger Knights," which dates to the middle ages, is
sometimes applied to foreign monarchs in the Order of the Garter.
Generally, only foreign monarchs are made Stranger Knights or
Ladies; when The Rt Hon. Sir Ninian Stephen (an Australian citizen)
and Sir Edmund Hillary (from New Zealand) joined the Order, they did
so as Knights Companions in the normal fashion. The British
Sovereign is the head of state of both these countries, which were
formerly British colonies.
Formerly, whenever vacancies arose, the Knights would conduct an
"election," wherein each Knight voted for nine candidates (of which
three had to be of the rank of Earl or above, three of the rank of
Baron or above, and three of the rank of Knight or above). The
Sovereign would then choose as many individuals as were necessary to
fill the vacancies; he or she was not bound to choose the receivers
of the greatest number of votes. Victoria dispensed with the
procedure in 1862; thereafter, all appointments were made solely by
the Sovereign. From the eighteenth century onwards, the Sovereign
made his or her choices upon the advice of the Government. George VI
felt that the Orders of the Garter and the Thistle had become too
linked with political patronage; in 1946, with the agreement of the
Prime Minister (Clement Attlee) and the Leader of the Opposition
(Winston Churchill), he returned these two orders to the personal
gift of the Sovereign.
Knights of the Garter could also be degraded by the Sovereign, who
normally took such an action in response to serious crimes such as
treason. The last degradation was that of James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde, who had participated in the Jacobite Rebellion and had been
convicted upon impeachment, in 1716. During the First World War,
Knights who were monarchs of enemy nations were removed by the
"annulment" of their creations; Knights Companions who fought
against the United Kingdom were "struck off" the Rolls. All such
annulments were made in 1915.
The Knights who were removed were:
-
Francis Joseph, Emperor of Austria
-
William II, Emperor of Germany
-
Ernst August, 3rd Duke of Cumberland
-
Prince Albert William Henry of
Prussia
-
Ernest, Grand Duke of Hesse and the Rhine
-
William, Crown
Prince of Germany
-
William II, King of Württemberg
The only
Knight Companion to be struck off the Rolls was Prince Charles
Edward, 2nd Duke of Albany.
Poor Knights
At the original establishment
of the Order, twenty-six "Poor Knights" were appointed and attached
to the Order and its chapel at St. George's Chapel, Windsor. The
number was not always maintained; by the seventeenth century, there
were just thirteen Poor Knights. At his restoration, Charles II
increased the number to eighteen. After they objected to being
termed "poor", William IV renamed them the Military Knights of
Windsor.
Poor Knights were originally impoverished military veterans. They
were required to pray daily for the Sovereign and Knights
Companions; in return, they received a salary, and were lodged in
Windsor Castle. Today the Military Knights, who are no longer
necessarily poor, but are still military pensioners, participate in
the Order's processions, escorting the Knights and Ladies of the
Garter, and in the daily services in St George's Chapel. They are
not actually members of the Order itself, nor are they necessarily
actual knights: indeed few if any have been knights.
Officers
The Order of the Garter has six officers:
-
the Prelate
-
the
Chancellor
-
the Registrar
-
the King of Arms
-
the Usher
-
the
Secretary
The offices of Prelate, Registrar and
Usher were created
upon the Order's foundation; the offices of King of Arms and
Chancellor were created during the fifteenth century, and that of
Secretary during the twentieth.
The office of Prelate is held by the Bishop of Winchester,
traditionally one of the senior bishops of the Church of England.
The office of Chancellor was formerly held by the Bishop of the
diocese within which Windsor fell— at one point, the Bishop of
Salisbury, but after boundary changes the Bishop of Oxford. Later,
the field was widened so that, for example, the Stuart courtier Sir
James Palmer served as Chancellor from 1645 although he was neither
a prelate nor even a companion (although he was a Knight Bachelor).
Today, however, one of the companions serves as Chancellor. The Dean
of Windsor is, ex officio, the Registrar.
Garter King of Arms is the head of the College of Arms (England's
heraldic authority) and thus the "principal" herald for all England
(along with Wales and Northern Ireland). As his title suggests, he
also has specific duties as the heraldic officer of the Order of the
Garter, attending to the companions' crests and coats of arms, which
are exhibited in the Order's chapel (see below). The modern (1904)
office of Secretary has also been filled by a professional herald.
The Order's Usher is the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod. He is
also the Serjeant-at-Arms of the House of Lords (although his
functions there are more often performed by his deputy, the Yeoman
Usher). The title of his office comes from his staff of office, the
Black Rod.
Vestments and accoutrements
Sovereign and Knights
For the Order's great occasions, such as its annual service each
June in Windsor Castle, as well for coronations, the Companions wear
an elaborate costume:
Today Knights of
the Garter wear their distinctive habits over ordinary suits
or military uniforms. For the coronation of George IV in
1821, this version of Jacobean dress was devised. |
-
Most importantly (although hardly
visible), the Garter is a buckled velvet strap worn around the
left calf by men and on the left arm by women. Originally light
blue, today the Garter is dark blue. Those presented to Stranger
Knights were once set with several jewels. The Garter bears the
Order's motto in gold majuscules.
-
The mantle is a blue velvet robe.
Knights and Ladies Companions have worn mantles, or coats, since
the reign of Henry VII. Once made of wool, they had come to be
made of velvet by the sixteenth century. The mantle was
originally purple, but varied during the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries between celestial blue, pale blue, royal
blue, dark blue, violet and ultramarine. Today, mantles are dark
blue in colour, and are lined with white taffeta. The mantles of
the Sovereign and members of the Royal Family end in trains.
Sewn onto the left shoulder of the mantle is a shield bearing St
George's cross, encircled by a Garter; the Sovereign's mantle is
slightly different, showing instead a representation of the star
of the Order (see below). Attached to the mantle over the right
shoulder are a crimson velvet
hood and surcoat, which have lost
all function over time and appear to the modern observer simply
as a splash of colour. Today the mantle, which includes two
large gold tassels, is worn over a regular suit or military
uniform.
-
The hat is of black velvet, and
bears a plume of white ostrich and black heron feathers.
-
Like the mantle, the collar was
introduced during Henry VII's reign. Made of pure gold, it
weighs 30 troy ounces (0.93 kilogram). The collar is composed of
gold knots alternating with enamelled medallions showing a rose
encircled by the blue garter. During Henry VII's reign, each
garter surrounded two roses—one red and one white—but he later
changed the design, such that each garter now encircles just one
red rose. The collar is worn around the neck, over the mantle.
-
The George, a three-dimensional
figurine of St George on horseback slaying a dragon, colourfully
enamelled, is worn suspended from the collar.
Queen Victoria
wearing the Garter around her arm. |
Aside from these special occasions,
however, much simpler insignia are used whenever a member of the
Order attends an event at which decorations are worn.
-
The star, introduced by Charles I,
is an eight-pointed silver badge; in its centre is an enamel
depiction of the cross of St George, surrounded by the Garter.
(Each of the eight points is depicted as a cluster of rays, with
the four points of the cardinal directions longer than the
intermediate ones.) It is worn pinned to the left breast.
Formerly, the stars given to foreign monarchs were often inlaid
with jewels. (Since the Order of the Garter is the UK's senior
order, a member will wear its star above that of other orders to
which he or she belongs; up to four orders' stars may be worn.)
-
The broad riband, introduced by
Charles II, is a four inch wide sash, worn from the left
shoulder to the right hip. (Depending on the other clothing
worn, it either passes over the left shoulder, or is pinned
beneath it.) The riband's colour has varied over the years; it
was originally light blue, but was a dark shade under the
Hanoverian monarchs. In 1950, the colour was fixed as
"kingfisher blue". (Only one riband is worn at a time, even if a
Knight or Lady belongs to several orders.)
-
The badge (sometimes known as the
Lesser George) hangs from the riband at the right hip, suspended
from a small
Insignia of
the Order of the Garter |
gold link (formerly, before Charles
II introduced the broad riband, it was around the neck). Like
the George, it shows St George slaying the dragon, but it is
flatter and monochromatically gold. In the fifteenth century,
the Lesser George was usually worn attached to a ribbon around
the neck. As this was not convenient when riding a horse, the
custom of wearing it under the right arm developed.
However, on certain "collar days"
designated by the Sovereign, members attending formal events may
wear the Order's collar over their military uniform or eveningwear.
The collar is fastened to the shoulders with silk ribbons. They will
then substitute the broad riband of another order to which they
belong (if any), since the Order of the Garter is represented by the
collar.
Upon the death of a Knight or Lady, the
insignia must be returned to the Central Chancery of the Orders of
Knighthood. The badge and star are returned personally to the
Sovereign by the nearest male relative of the deceased.
Poor Knights
Poor Knights originally wore red mantles, each of which bore the
cross of St George, but did not depict the Garter. Elizabeth I
replaced the mantles with blue and purple gowns, but Charles I
returned to the old red mantles. When the Poor Knights were renamed
Military Knights, the mantles were abandoned. Instead, the Military
Knights of Windsor now wear the old military uniform of an "army
officer on the unattached list": black trousers, a scarlet coat, a
cocked hat with a plume, and a sword on a white sash.
Officers
The officers of the Order also have ceremonial vestments and other
accoutrements that they wear and carry for the Order's annual
service. The Prelate's and Chancellor's mantles are blue, like that
of the knights (but since the Chancellor is now a member of the
Order, he simply wears a knight's mantle), those of other officers
crimson; all are embroidered with a shield bearing the Cross of St
George. Garter King of Arms wears his tabard.
Assigned to each officer of the Order is a distinctive badge that he
wears on a chain around his neck; each is surrounded by a
representation of the garter. The Prelate's badge depicts St George
slaying a dragon; the Garter within which it is depicted is
surmounted by a bishop's mitre. The Chancellor's badge is a rose
encircled by the Garter. The badge of Garter Principal King of Arms
depicts the royal arms impaled (side-by-side) with the cross of St
George. The Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod's badge depicts a knot
within the Garter. The Registrar has a badge of a crown above two
crossed quills, the Secretary two crossed quills in front of a rose.
The Chancellor of the Order bears a purse, embroidered with the
royal arms, containing the Seal of the Order. The Gentleman Usher of
the Black Rod carries his staff of office, the Black Rod. At the
Order's great occasions, Garter Principal King of Arms bears his
baton of office as a king of arms; he does not usually wear his
crown.
Chapel
The Chapel of the Order is St. George's Chapel, Windsor, located in
the Lower Ward of Windsor Castle. It was founded for
At the
order's annual gathering and service, the sovereign and
companions — such as George VI and Queen Elizabeth, shown
here — process through Windsor Castle to St. George's
chapel. |
the Order in 1475. The order once held
frequent services at the Chapel, but they became rare in the
eighteenth century. Discontinued after 1805, the ceremony was
revived by George VI in 1948 and it has become an annual event. On a
certain day each June, the members of the Order (wearing their
ceremonial vestments and insignia) meet in the state apartments in
the Upper Ward of Windsor Castle, then (preceded by the Military
Knights) process on foot down through the castle to St George's
Chapel for the service. If there are any new knights, they are
installed on this occasion. After the service, the members of the
Order return to the Upper Ward by carriage.
Each member of the Order, including the Sovereign, is allotted a
stall in the quire of the chapel, above which his or her heraldic
devices are displayed. Perched on the pinnacle of a knight's stall
is his helm, decorated with a mantling and topped by his crest.
Under English heraldic law, women other than monarchs do not bear
helms or crests; instead, the coronet appropriate to the Lady's rank
is used (see coronet). The crests of the Sovereign and Stranger
Knights who are monarchs sit atop their crowns, which are themselves
perched on their helms. Below each helm, a sword is displayed.
Above the crest or coronet, the knight's or lady's heraldic banner
is hung, emblazoned with his or her coat of arms. At a considerably
smaller scale, to the back of the stall is affixed a piece of brass
(a "stall plate") displaying its occupant's name, arms and date of
admission into the Order.
Upon the death of a Knight, the banner, helm, mantling, crest (or
coronet or crown) and sword are taken down. No other newly admitted
Knight may be assigned the stall until (after the funeral of the
late Knight or Lady) a ceremony marking his or her death is observed
at the chapel, during which Military Knights of Windsor carry the
banner of the deceased Knight and offer it to the Dean of Windsor,
who places it upon the altar. The stall plates, however, are not
removed; rather, they remain permanently affixed somewhere about the
stall, so the stalls of the chapel are festooned with a colourful
record of the Order's Knights (and now Ladies) throughout history.
Precedence and privileges
Knights and Ladies of the Garter are
assigned positions in the order of precedence, coming before all
others of knightly rank, and above baronets. (See order of
precedence in England and Wales for the exact positions.) Wives,
sons, daughters and
The arms of
Knights and Ladies (as well as the Sovereign) may be
encircled by the Garter. |
daughters-in-law of Knights of the
Garter also feature on the order of precedence; relatives of Ladies
of the Garter, however, are not assigned any special precedence.
(Generally, individuals can derive precedence from their fathers or
husbands, but not from their mothers or wives.)
The Chancellor of
the Order is also assigned precedence, but this is purely academic
since today the Chancellor is always also a Knight Companion, with a
higher position by that virtue.
(In fact, it is unclear whether the
Chancellor's tabled precedence has ever come into effect, since
under the old system the office was filled by a diocesan bishop of
the Church of England, who again had higher precedence by virtue of
that office than any that the Chancellorship could bestow on him.)
Knights Companions prefix "Sir," and Ladies Companions prefix
"Lady," to their forenames. Wives of Knights Companions may prefix
"Lady" to their surnames, but no equivalent privilege exists for
husbands of Ladies Companions. Such forms are not used by peers and
princes, except when the names of the former are written out in
their fullest forms.
Knights and Ladies use the post-nominal letters "KG" and "LG,"
respectively. When an individual is entitled to use multiple
post-nominal letters, KG or LG appears before all others, except
"Bt" (Baronet), "VC" (Victoria Cross) and "GC" (George Cross).
The Sovereign, Knights and Ladies Companions and Supernumerary
Knights and Ladies may encircle their arms with a representation of
the Garter; and since it is Britain's highest order of knighthood,
the Garter will tend to be displayed in preference to the insignia
of any other order, unless there is special reason to highlight a
junior one. (They may further encircle the Garter with a depiction
of Order's collar, but this very elaborate version is seldom seen.)
Stranger Knights, of course, do not embellish the arms they use at
home with foreign decorations such as the Garter; likewise, while
the UK Royal Arms as used in England are encircled by the Garter, in
Scotland they are surrounded by the circlet of the Order of the
Thistle instead. (In Wales and Northern Ireland, the English pattern
is followed.)
Knights and Ladies are also entitled to receive heraldic supporters.
These are relatively rare among private individuals in the UK. While
some families claim supporters by ancient use and others have been
granted them as a special reward, only peers, Knights and Ladies of
the Garter and Thistle, and Knights and Dames Grand Cross and
Knights Grand Commanders of certain junior orders are entitled to
claim an automatic grant of supporters (upon payment of the
appropriate fees to the College of Arms).
Current
members and officers
-
Sovereign: HM The Queen
-
Knights and Ladies Companions:
-
HRH The Prince of Wales KG KT
GCB OM AK QSO PC ADC (1958)
-
His Grace The Duke of Grafton KG
DL (1976)
-
The Rt Hon. The Lord Richardson
of Duntisbourne KG MBE TD PC DL (1983)
-
The Rt Hon. The Lord Carrington
KG GCMG CH MC PC JP DL (1985)
-
His Grace The Duke of Wellington
KG LVO OBE MC DL (1990)
-
Field Marshal The Rt Hon. The
Lord Bramall KG GCB OBE MC JP (1990)
-
The Rt Hon. The Viscount Ridley
KG GCVO TD (1992)
-
The Rt Hon. The Lord Sainsbury
of Preston Candover KG (1992)
-
The Rt Hon. The Lord Ashburton
KG KCVO DL (1994)
-
The Rt Hon. The Lord Kingsdown
KG PC (1994)
-
The Rt Hon. Sir Ninian Stephen
KG AK GCMG GCVO KBE (1994)
-
The Rt Hon. The Baroness
Thatcher LG OM PC FRS (1995)
-
Sir Edmund Hillary KG ONZ KBE
(1995)
-
Sir Timothy Colman KG JP (1996)
-
His Grace The Duke of Abercorn
Bt KG (1999)
-
Sir William Gladstone of Fasque
and Balfour Bt KG DL (1999)
-
Field Marshal The Rt Hon. The
Lord Inge KG GCB DL (2001)
-
Sir Antony Arthur Acland KG GCMG
GCVO (2001)
-
His Grace The Duke of
Westminster KG OBE TD DL (2003)
-
The Rt Hon. The Lord Butler of
Brockwell KG GCB CVO PC (2003)
-
The Rt Hon. The Lord Morris of
Aberavon KG PC QC (2003)
-
The Rt Hon. Sir John Major KG CH
(2005)
-
The Rt Hon. The Lord Bingham of
Cornhill KG PC (2005)
-
The Rt Hon. The Lady Soames LG
DBE (2005)
(one vacancy following the death of The Rt Hon. Sir Edward
Heath KG MBE)
-
Royal Knights and Ladies
(supernumerary knights and ladies descended from George I):
-
HRH The Duke of Edinburgh KG KT
OM GBE AC QSO PC (1947)
-
HRH The Duke of Kent KG GCMG
GCVO (1985)
-
HRH The Princess Royal LG LT
GCVO QSO (1994)
-
HRH The Duke of Gloucester KG
GCVO (1997)
-
HRH Princess Alexandra, The
Honourable Lady Ogilvy LG GCVO (2003)
-
Stranger Knights and Ladies:
-
HRH Grand Duke Jean sometime
Grand Duke of Luxembourg (1972)
-
HM The Queen of Denmark (1979)
-
HM The King of Sweden (1983)
-
HM The King of Spain (1988)
-
HM The Queen of the Netherlands
(1989)
HIM The Emperor of Japan (1998)
-
HM The King of Norway (2001)
-
Officers:
-
Prelate: The Rt Revd Michael
Scott-Joynt (Lord Bishop of Winchester)
-
Chancellor: The Rt Hon. The Lord
Carrington KG GCMG CH MC PC DL
-
Registrar: The Rt Revd David
Conner (Dean of St George's Chapel, Windsor)
-
King of Arms: Peter Llewellyn
Gwynn-Jones Esq. CVO (Garter Principal King of Arms)
-
Secretary: Patric Dickinson Esq.
CVO (Richmond Herald)
-
Usher: Lt-Gen. Sir Michael
Willcocks KCB (Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod)
|