THE ARMORIAL INSIGNIA OF KNIGHTHOOD
It hardly falls within the scope of the present work to detail or discuss
the various points concerning the history or statutes of the different
British Orders of Knighthood, and still less so of the Foreign Orders. The
history of the English Orders alone would make a bulky volume. But it is
necessary to treat of the matter to some limited extent, inasmuch as in
modern heraldry in every country in Europe additions are made to the
armorial achievement whenever it is desired to signify rank in any of the
Orders of Knighthood.
Though a large number of the early Plantagenet Garter Stall plates date as
far back as the year 1420, it is evident that nothing in the armorial
bearings with which they are emblazoned bears any relation to the order of
knighthood to which they belonged until the year 1469 or thereabouts, when
Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, was elected a Knight of the Garter. His
Stall plate, which is of a very exceptional style and character, is the
first to bear the garter encircling the shield. It is curious to notice, by
the way, that upon the privy seal of the Duke of Burgundy, which shows the
same arms depicted upon his Garter plate, the shield is surrounded by the
collar, from which depends the badge of the Order of the Golden Fleece, so
that it is highly probable that the custom of adding marks of knighthood to
a shield came to us from the Continent. The next Garter plate, which shows
the garter around the shield, is that of Viscount Lovel, who was elected in
1483; and the shield of the Earl of Derby, who was elected in the same
year, also is encircled by the Garter. The Garter itself encircling the
shields of knights of that order remained the only mark of knighthood used
armorially in this country for a considerable period, though we find that
the example was copied in Scotland soon afterwards with regard to the Order
of the Thistle. At the commencement of the present Lyon Register, which
dates from the year 1672, the arms of the King of Scotland, which are given
as such and not as the King of England and Scotland, are described as
encircled by the collar of the Order of the Thistle. This probably was used
as the equivalent of the garter in England, for we do not find the collar
of the {562} Garter, together with the garter itself, or the ribbon circle
of the Thistle, together with the collar of that order, until a much later
period. The use of collars of knighthood upon the Continent to encircle
coats of arms has been from the fifteenth century very general and
extensive; examples are to be found at an earlier date; but the encircling
of arms with the garter carrying the motto of the order, or with the ribbon
(which is termed the circle) and motto of any other order is an entirely
English practice, which does not appear to have been copied in any other
country. It, of course, arose from the fact that the actual garter as worn
by the knight of the order carried the motto of the order, and that by
representing the garter round the shield, the motto of the order was of
necessity also added. The Lyon Register, however, in the entry of record
(dated 1672), states that the shield is "encircled with the Order of
Scotland, the same being composed of rue and thistles having the image of
St. Andrew with his crosse on his brest y^runto pendent," and it is by no
means improbable that occasional instances of the heraldic use of the
collar of the garter might be discovered at the same period. But it is not
until the later part of the eighteenth century that it obtained anything
like a regular use.
During the Hanoverian period it became customary to encircle the shield
first with the garter, and that in its turn with the collar of the order
whenever it was desired to display the achievement in its most complete
style; and though even then, as at the present day, for less elaborate
representations the garter only was used without the collar, it still
remains correct to display both in a full emblazonment of the arms. An
impetus to the practice was doubtless given by the subdivision of the Order
of the Bath, which will be presently referred to. In speaking of the
garter, the opportunity should be taken to protest strongly against the
objectionable practice which has arisen of using a garter to encircle a
crest or shield and to carry the family motto. No matter what motto is
placed upon the garter, it is both bad form and absolutely incorrect for
any one who is not a Knight of the Garter to use a garter in any heraldic
display.
But to tabulate the existing practice the present rules as to the display
of the arms of knights of the different orders are as follow:--
_A Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter_ encircles his escutcheon
by a representation of the garter he wears. This is a belt of dark blue
velvet edged with gold and ornamented with a heavy gold buckle and ornament
at the end. It carries the motto of the Order, "Honi soit qui mal y pense,"
in gold letters of plain Roman character. Anciently the motto was spelled
"Hony soit qy mal y pense," as may be noticed from some of the early Garter
plates, and the style {563} of the letter was what is now known as "Old
English." The garter is worn buckled, with the end tucked under and looped
in a specified manner, which is the method also adopted in heraldic
representations. It is quite permissible to use the garter alone, but a
Knight of the Order is allowed to add outside the garter the representation
of the collar of the order. This is of gold, consisting of twenty-six
buckled garters enamelled in the correct colour, each surrounding a rose,
the garter alternated with gold knots all joined up by chain links of gold.
From the collar depends the "George," or figure of St. George on horseback
encountering the dragon, enamelled in colours. In heraldic representations
it is usual to ignore the specified number of links in the collar. A Knight
of the Garter as such is entitled to claim the privilege of a grant of
supporters, but as nowadays the order is reserved for those of the rank of
earl and upwards, supporters will always have a prior existence in
connection with the peerage.
_Knights of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle_ are
entitled to surround their arms with a plain circle of green edged with
gold and bearing the motto in gold letters, "Nemo me impune lacessit." They
are also entitled to surround their arms with the collar of the order,
which is of gold, and composed of sprigs of thistle and rue (Andrew)
enamelled in their proper colours. From the collar the badge (the figure of
St. Andrew) depends.
_Knights of the Most Illustrious Order of St. Patrick_ are entitled to
surround their arms by a plain circle of sky-blue edged with gold, bearing
the motto, "Quis Separabit. MDCCLXXXIII," as enamelled on the star of the
order. This is encircled by the collar of the order, which is of "gold,
composed of roses and harps alternately, tied together with knots of gold,
the said roses enamelled alternately, white leaves within red and red
leaves within white; and in the centre of the said collar shall be an
Imperial crown surmounting a harp of gold, from which shall hang the
badge."
Knights of the Thistle and St. Patrick are entitled as such to claim a
grant of supporters on payment of the fees, but these orders are nowadays
confined to peers.
_The Most Honourable Order of the Bath._--Knights of the Bath, who have
existed from a remote period, do not appear as such to have made any
additions to their arms prior to the revival of the order in 1725. At that
time, similarly to the Orders of the Garter and the Thistle, the order was
of one class only and composed of a limited number of knights. Knights of
that order were then distinguished by the letters K.B., which, it should be
noted, mean Knight of the Bath, and not Knight Bachelor, as so many people
now imagine. There is nobody at the present time who is entitled to use
these letters. Upon those {564} of the Bath plates which now remain in the
chapel of Henry VII. in Westminster Abbey, no instance will be found in
which the collar is represented outside the circle, which is pretty good
evidence that although isolated examples may possibly be found at an
earlier date, it was not the usual custom up to the end of the eighteenth
century to encircle a shield with a collar of knighthood. These Knights of
the Bath (K.B.), as they were termed, surrounded their escutcheons with
circlets of crimson edged with gold, and bearing thereupon the motto of the
order, "Tria juncta in uno," in gold letters.
Although at that time it does not appear that the collar of the order was
ever employed for armorial purposes, instances are to be found in which the
laurel wreath surrounded the circlet with the motto of the order.
In the year 1815, owing to the large number of officers who had merited
reward in the Peninsular Campaign, it was considered necessary to largely
increase the extent and scope of the order. For this purpose it was divided
into two divisions--the Military Division and the Civil Division--and each
of these were divided into three classes, namely, Knights Grand Cross
(G.C.B.), Knights Commanders (K.C.B.), and Companions (C.B.). The then
existing Knights of the Bath became Knights Grand Cross. The existing
collar served for all Knights Grand Cross, but the old badge and star were
assigned for the civil division of the order, a new pattern being designed
for the military division. The number of stalls in Henry VII.'s Chapel
being limited, the erection of Stall plates and the display of banners
ceased; those then in position were allowed to remain, and still remain at
the present moment. Consequently there are no Stall plates to refer to in
the matter as precedents since that period, and the rules need to be
obtained from other sources. They are now as follows: A Knight Grand Cross
of the Order of the Bath surrounds his arms with the circlet as was
theretofore the case, and in addition he surrounds the circlet by his
collar, from which depends the badge (either military or civil) of the
division to which he belongs. The collar is really for practical purposes
the distinguishing mark of a Knight Grand Cross, because although as such
he is entitled upon payment of the fees to claim a grant of supporters, he
is under no compulsion to do so, and comparatively but few avail themselves
of the privilege. All Knights of the Bath, before the enlargement of the
order, had supporters. A Knight Grand Cross of the _military_ division
encircles his arms with the laurel wreath in addition, this being placed
outside the circlet and within the collar of the order. The collar is
composed of gold having nine Imperial crowns and eight devices of the rose,
the thistle, and shamrock issuing from a sceptre placed alternately and
enamelled in {565} their proper colours, the links being connected with
seventeen knots enamelled white. The badges of the military and civil
divisions differ considerably.
Knights Commanders of the Bath have no collar and cannot claim a grant of
supporters, but they encircle their shields with the circlet of the order,
suspending their badge below the shield by the ribbon from which it is
worn. Knights Commanders of the military division use the laurel wreath as
do Knights Grand Cross, but no members of any class of the civil division
are entitled to display it.
Companions of the order (C.B.) do not use the helmet of a knight as does a
G.C.B. or a K.C.B.; in fact, the only difference which is permissible in
their arms from those of an undistinguished commoner is that they are
allowed to suspend the badge of a C.B. from a ribbon below their shields.
They do not use the circlet of the order. Certain cases have come under my
notice in which a military C.B. has added a laurel wreath to his armorial
bearings, but whether such a practice is correct I am unaware, but I think
it is not officially recognised.
_The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India_ (like the Order of the Bath
as at present constituted) is divided into three classes, Knights Grand
Commanders, Knights Commanders, and Companions. Knights Grand Commanders
place the circlet of the order around their shields. This is of light blue
inscribed with the motto, "Heaven's light our guide." This in its turn is
surrounded by the collar of the order, which is composed of alternate links
of the Indian lotus flower, crossed palm-branches, and the united red and
white rose of England. In the centre of the collar is an Imperial crown
from which depends the badge of the order, this being an onyx cameo of the
effigy of her late Majesty Queen Victoria within the motto of the order,
and surmounted by a star, the whole being richly jewelled. The surrounding
of the shield by the circlet of the order doubtless is a consequence and
follows upon the original custom of the armorial use of the garter, but
this being admitted, it is yet permissible to state that that practice came
from the Continent, and there is little reason to doubt that the real
meaning and origin of the custom of using the circlet is derived from the
Continental practice which has for long been usual of displaying the shield
of arms upon the star of an order of knighthood. The star of every British
order--the Garter included--contains the circlet and motto of the order,
and it is easy to see how, after depicting the shield of arms upon the star
of the order, the result will be that the circlet of the order surrounds
the shield. No armorial warrant upon the point is ever issued at the
creation of an order; the thing follows as a matter of course, the circlet
being taken from the star to surround the shield without further
authorisation. Upon this point {566} there can be no doubt, inasmuch as the
garter which surrounds the shield of a K.G. is in _all_ authoritative
heraldic paintings buckled in the peculiar manner in which it is worn and
in which it is depicted upon the star. The Star of the Thistle shows the
plain circlet, the Star of St. Patrick the same, and the arms of a Knight
of St. Patrick afford a curious confirmation of my contention, because
whilst the motto of the order is specified to be, "Quis separabit," the
circlet used for armorial purposes includes the date (MDCCLXXXIII.) as
shown upon the star. The Order of the Bath, again, has a plain circlet upon
the star, and the badges and stars of the military knights have the laurel
wreath represented in heraldic drawings, the laurel wreath being absent
from the stars and the shields of those who are members of the civil
division. Now with regard to the Order of the Star of India the motto on
the star is carried upon a representation of a ribbon which is tied in a
curious manner, and my own opinion is that the circlet used to surround the
shield of a G.C.S.I. or K.C.S.I. should (as in the case of the garter) be
represented not as a simple circlet like the Bath or Thistle, but as a
ribbon tied in the curious manner represented upon the star. This tying is
not, however, duplicated upon the badge, and possibly I may be told that
the circlet and its use are taken from the badge and not from the star. The
reply to such a statement is, first, that there is no garter upon the badge
of that order, there is no circlet on the badge of the Thistle, and the
circlet on the badge of St. Patrick is surrounded by a wreath of trefoils
which in that case ought to appear round the shield of a K.P. This wreath
of trefoils is absent from the K.P. star. Further, no Companion of an Order
is permitted to use the Circlet of the Order, whilst every Companion has
his badge. No Companion has a star. Though I hold strongly that the circlet
of the Star of India should be a ribbon tied as represented on the star of
the order, I must admit I have never yet come across an official instance
of it being so represented. This, however, is a point upon which there is
no definite warrant of instruction, and is not the conclusion justifiable
that on this matter the officers of arms have been led into a mistake in
their general practice by an oversight and possible unfamiliarity with the
actual star? A Knight Grand Commander is entitled to claim a grant of
supporters on payment of the fees. A Knight Commander encircles his shield
with the circlet of the order and hangs his badge from a ribbon below, a
Companion of the Order simply hangs the badge he wears below his shield.
THE MOST DISTINGUISHED ORDER OF ST. MICHAEL AND ST. GEORGE.--This order
again is divided into three classes--Knights Grand Cross, Knights
Commanders, and Companions. Knights Grand Cross place the circlet of the
order and the collar with the badge around their shields, {567} and, like
other Knights Grand Cross, they are entitled to claim a grant of
supporters. The circlet of the order is of blue edged with gold, and
bearing in gold letters the motto of the order, "Auspicium melioris ævi."
The collar is composed alternately of lions of England, of Maltese crosses,
and of the ciphers S.M. and S.G., and having in the centre an Imperial
crown over two lions passant guardant, each holding a bunch of seven
arrows. At the opposite point of the collar are two similar lions. The
whole is of gold except the crosses, which are of white enamel, and the
various devices are linked together by small gold chains. Knights
Commanders of the Order encircle their shields with a similar circlet of
the order, and hang their badges below. A Companion simply suspends his
badge from a ribbon below his shield.
_The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire._--This order is divided into
three classes--Knights Grand Commanders, Knights Commanders, and
Companions. Knights Grand Commanders and Knights Commanders encircle their
shields with the circlet of the order, which is of purple inscribed in
letters of gold, with the motto of the order, "Imperatricis auspiciis." The
collar of the order, which is used by the Knights Grand Commanders, in
addition to the circle, is composed of elephants, lotus flowers, peacocks
in their pride, and Indian roses, and in the centre is an Imperial crown,
the whole being linked together by chains of gold. Knights Commanders
suspend their badges from their shields. Companions are only permitted to
suspend their badges from a ribbon, and, as in the cases of the other
orders, are not allowed to make use of the circlet of the order.
_The Royal Victorian Order_ is divided into five classes, and is the only
British order of which this can be said. There is no collar belonging to
the order, so a G.C.V.O. cannot put one round his shield. Knights Grand
Cross surround their shields with the circlet of the order, which is of
dark blue carrying in letters of gold the motto, "Victoria." Knights
Commanders and Commanders also use the circlet, with the badge suspended
from the ribbon. Members of the fourth and fifth classes of the Order
suspend the badge which they are entitled to wear below their shields. The
"Victorian Chain" is quite apart from the Victorian Order, and up to the
present time has only been conferred upon a very limited number. It
apparently exists by the pleasure of His Majesty, no statutes having been
ordained.
The Distinguished Service Order, the Imperial Service Order, and the Order
of Merit are each of but one class only, none of them conferring the
dignity of knighthood. They rank heraldically with the Companions of the
other Orders, and for heraldic purposes merely confer upon those people
entitled to the decorations the right to {568} suspend the badges they wear
below their shields or lozenges as the case may be, following the rules
observed by other Companions. The Victoria Cross, the Albert Medal, the
Edward Medal, the Conspicuous Service Cross, the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal, the
Royal Red Cross, the Volunteer Officers' Decoration, the Territorial
Decoration, and the Decoration of the League of Mercy all rank as
decorations. Though none confer any style or precedence of knighthood,
those entitled to them are permitted to suspend representations of such
decorations as are enjoyed below their shields.
The members of the Orders of Victoria and Albert and of the Crown of India
are permitted to display the badges they wear below their lozenges.
Some people, notably in the early part of the nineteenth century, adopted
the practice of placing war medals below the escutcheons amongst other
decorations. It is doubtful, however, how far this practice is correct,
inasmuch as a medal does not technically rank as a decoration or as a
matter of honour. That medals are "decorations" is not officially
recognised, with the exception, perhaps, of the Jubilee medal, the Diamond
Jubilee medal, and the Coronation medal, which have been given a status
more of the character of a decoration than of simple medals.
_The Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem in England_ does not
rank with other orders or decorations, inasmuch as it was initiated without
Royal intervention, and carries no precedence or titular rank. In 1888,
however, a Royal charter of incorporation was obtained, and the
distribution of the highest offices of the order in the persons of the
Sovereign, the Prince of Wales, and other members of the Royal Family has
of late years very much increased its social status. The Order is, however,
now recognised to a certain extent, and its insignia is worn at Court by
duly appointed authority. The Crown is gradually acquiring a right of veto,
which will probably eventually result in the order becoming a recognised
honour, of which the gift lies with the Crown. In the charter of
incorporation, Knights of Justice and Ladies of Justice were permitted to
place as a chief over their arms the augmentation anciently used by knights
of the English language of the original Roman Catholic Celibate Order. The
chief used is: "Gules, charged with a cross throughout argent, the cross
embellished in its angles with lions passant guardant and unicorns passant
alternately both or," as in the cross of the order. The omission, which is
all the more inexplicable owing to the fact that Garter King of Arms is the
officer for the order, that the heraldic provisions of this charter have
never been conveyed, as should have been the case, in a Royal Warrant to
the Earl Marshal, has caused some {569} confusion, for the officers of the
College of Arms, when speaking officially, decline to admit the insignia of
the order in any official emblazonment of arms. Lyon King of Arms has been
less punctilious.
Knights of Justice, Knights of Grace, and Esquires of the Orders all
suspend the badges they wear from a black watered-silk ribbon below their
shields (Fig. 334), and Ladies of Justice and Ladies of Grace do the same
below their lozenges. The arms of members of the Order are frequently
depicted superimposed upon the Cross. By the Statutes of the Order Knights
of Justice were required to show that all their four grandparents were
legally entitled to bear arms, but so many provisions for the exercise of
discretion in dispensing with this requirement were at the same time
created that to all intents and purposes such a regulation might never have
been included. Some of the Knights of Justice even yet have no arms at all,
others are themselves grantees, and still others would be unable to show
what is required of them if the claims of their grandparents were properly
investigated.
It should perhaps be stated that supporters, when granted to Knights Grand
Cross as such, are personal to themselves, and in the patents by which they
are granted the grant is made for life only, no hereditary limitation being
added.
Any person in this country holding a Royal Licence to wear the insignia of
any foreign order is permitted to adopt any heraldic form, decoration, or
display which that order confers in the country of origin. Official
recognition exists for this, and many precedents can be quoted.
[Illustration: FIG. 772.--"Bailli-profès" of the Catholic Order of the
Knights Hospitallers or the Order of Malta.]
The rules which exist in foreign countries concerning heraldic privileges
of the knights of different orders are very varied, and it is impossible to
briefly summarise them. It may, however, be stated that the most usual
practice is to display the shield alone in the centre of the star (Fig.
772). As with us, the collars of the orders are placed around the shields,
and the badges depend below, but the use of the circlet carrying the motto
of the order is exclusively a British practice. In the case of some of the
Orders, however, the official coat of arms of the order is quartered,
impaled, or borne in pretence with the personal arms, and the cross patée
of the Order of the Dannebrog is to be met with placed in front of a shield
of quarterings, the charges thereupon appearing in the angles of the cross.
I am not sure, however, that the cases which have come under my notice
should not be rather considered {570} definite and hereditary grants of
augmentation, this being perhaps a more probable explanation than that such
a method of display followed as a matter of course on promotion to the
order. The Grand Masters of the Teutonic Order quarter the arms of that
order with those of their families. The Knights of the Order of St. Stephen
of Tuscany bear the arms of that order in chief over their personal arms.
Fig. 772 represents the manner in which a "Bailli-profès" (Grand Cross) of
the real Catholic and Celibate Order of St. John of Malta places the chief
of the order on his shield, the latter being imposed upon a Maltese star
(this being white) and the badge of the order depending below. The
"Knight-profès" does not use the chief of the order. In the German
Protestant Order of Malta (formerly Bailiwick of Brandenburg) the
Commendatores place the shield of their arms upon the Cross of Malta. The
Knights of Justice ("Richtsritter") on the contrary assume the cross upon
the shield itself, whilst the Knights of Grace suspend it from the bottom
of the shield. The members of the ancient Order of La Cordelière formerly
encircled their lozenges with a representation of the Cordelière, which
formed a part of their habit; and the officers of the Ecclesiastical Orders
frequently surround their escutcheons with rosaries from which depend
crucifixes. Whether this latter practice, however, should be considered
merely a piece of artistic decoration, or whether it should be regarded as
an ecclesiastical matter or should be included within the purview of
armory, I leave others to decide.
By a curious fiction, for the origin of which it is not easy to definitely
account, unless it is a survival of the celibacy required in certain
orders, a knight is not supposed to share the insignia of any order of
knighthood with his wife. There is not the slightest doubt that his own
knighthood does confer upon her both precedence and titular rank, and why
there should be any necessity for the statement to be made as to the
theoretical position has long been a puzzle to me. Such a theory, however,
is considered to be correct, and as a consequence in modern times it has
become a rigid rule that the arms of the wife of a knight must not be
impaled upon a shield when it is displayed within the circlet of an order.
No such rule existed in ancient times, and many instances can be found in
which impaled shields, or the shield of the wife only, are met with inside
a representation of the Garter. In the warrant recently issued for Queen
Alexandra the arms of England and Denmark are impaled within a Garter. This
may be quite exceptional and consequent upon the fact that Her Majesty is
herself a member of the Order. Nevertheless, the modern idea is that when a
Knight of any Order impales the arms of his wife, he must use two shields
placed accollé, the dexter {571} surmounting the sinister (Fig. 745). Upon
the dexter shield is represented the arms of the knight within the circlet,
or the circlet and collar, as the case may be, of his order; on the
sinister shield the arms of the knight are impaled with those of his wife,
and this shield, for the purpose of artistic balance, is usually surrounded
with a meaningless and inartistic floral or laurel wreath to make its size
similar to the dimensions of the dexter shield.
The widow of a knight of any Order is required at present to immediately
discontinue the use of the ensigns of that Order, and to revert to the
plain impaled lozenge which she would be entitled to as the widow of an
undecorated gentleman. As she retains her titular rank, such a regulation
seems absurd, but it undoubtedly exists, and until it is altered must be
conformed to.
Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commanders, as also Knights Bachelors, use
the open affronté helmet of a knight. Companions of any order, and members
of those orders which do not confer any precedence or title of knighthood,
use only the close profile helmet of a gentleman. A Knight Bachelor, of
course, is at liberty to impale the arms of his wife upon his escutcheon
without employing the double form. It only makes the use of the double
escutcheon for Knights of Orders the more incomprehensible.
Reference should also be made to the subject of impalement, which will be
found in the chapter upon Marshalling. {572}