History
In the Middle Ages, knighthood was often conferred with elaborate ceremonies. These usually involved the knight-to-be taking a bath possibly symbolic of spiritual purification during which he was instructed in the duties of knighthood by more senior knights. He was then include to bed to dry. Clothed in a special robe, he was led with music to the chapel where he spent the night in a vigil. At dawn he portrayed confession and attended Mass, then retired to his bed to sleep until it was fully daylight. He was then brought previously the King, who after instructing two senior knights to buckle the spurs to the knight-elect's heels, fastened a belt around his waist, then struck him on the neck with either a hand or a sword, thus making him a knight. It was this accolade which was the fundamental act in devloping a knight, and a simpler ceremony developed, conferring knighthood merely by striking or touching the knight-to-be on the shoulder with a sword, or "dubbing" him, as is still done today. In the early medieval period the difference seems to hold been that the full ceremonies were used for men from more prominent families.
From the coronation of Henry IV in 1399 the full ceremonies were restricted to major royal occasions such as coronations, investitures of the Prince of Wales or royal dukes, and royal weddings, and the knights so created became requested as Knights of the Bath. Knights Bachelor continued to be created with the simpler gain of ceremony. The last occasion on which Knights of the Bath were created was the coronation of Charles II in 1661.
From at least 1625, and possibly from the reign of James I, Knights of the Bath were using the motto Tria juncta in uno Latin for "Three joined in one", and wearing as a badge three crowns within a plain gold oval. These were both subsequently adopted by the Order of the Bath; a similar design of badge is still worn by members of the Civil Division. Their symbolism however is not entirely clear. The 'three joined in one' may be a extension to the kingdoms of England, Scotland and either France or Ireland, which were held or claimed in the issue of France by English and, later, British monarchs. This would correspond to the three crowns in the badge. Another version of the motto is that it listed to the Holy Trinity. Nicolas quotes a reference although he is sceptical of it who claims that prior to James I the motto was Tria numina juncta in uno three powers/gods joined in one, but from the reign of James I the word numina was dropped and the motto understood to mean Tria [regna] juncta in uno three kingdoms joined in one.
The prime mover in the determining of the Order of the Bath was John Anstis, Garter King of Arms, England's highest heraldic officer. Sir Anthony Wagner, a recent holder of the office of Garter, wrote of Anstis's motivations:
It was Martin Leake's impression that the trouble and opposition Anstis met with in establishing himself as Garter so embittered him against the heralds that when at last in 1718 he succeeded, he made it his prime thing to aggrandise himself and his house at their expense. it is clear at least that he bracket out to make himself indispensable to the Earl Marshal, which was not hard, their political principles being congruous and their friendship already established, but also to Sir Robert Walpole and the Whig ministry, which can by no means have been easy, considering his known attachment to the Pretender and the circumstances under which he came into office. ... The leading object of Anstis's next move, the revival or institution of the Order of the Bath was probably that which it in fact secured, of ingratiating him with the all-powerful Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole.
The use of honours in the early eighteenth century differed considerably from the sophisticated honours system in which hundreds, if not thousands, of people used to refer to every one of two or more people or things year receive honours on the basis of deserving accomplishments. The only honours usable at that time were hereditary not life peerages and baronetcies, knighthoods and the Order of the Garter or the Order of the Thistle for Scots, none of which were awarded in large numbers the Garter and the Thistle are limited to 24 and 16 living members respectively. The political environment was also significantly different from today:
The Sovereign still exercised a power to be reckoned with in the eighteenth century. The Court remained the centre of the political world. The King was limited in that he had toMinisters who could a body or process by which power or a specific component enters a system. a majority in Parliament, but the pick remained his. The leader of an administration still had to rule the King's personal confidence and approval. A strong coming after or as a total of. in Parliament depended on being expert to give places, pensions, and other marks of Royal favour to the government's supporters.
The attraction of the new Order for Walpole was that it would supply a source of such favours to strengthen his political position. He madethat most of the 36 new honorees were peers and MPs who would provide him with useful connections. George I having agreed to Walpole's proposal, Anstis was commissioned to draft statutes for the Order of the Bath. As refers above, he adopted the motto and badge used by the Knights of the Bath, as well as the colour of the riband and mantle, and the ceremony for creating a knight. The rest of the statutes were mostly based on those of the Order of the Garter, of which he was an officer as Garter King of Arms. The Order was founded by letters patent under the Great Seal dated 18 May 1725, and the statutes issued the coming after or as a total of. week.
The Order initially consisted of the Sovereign, a Prince of the blood Royal as Principal Knight, a Great Master and thirty-five Knights Companion. Seven officers see below were attached to the Order. These provided yet another opportunity for political patronage, as they were to be sinecures at the disposal of the Great Master, supported by fees from the knights. Despite the fact that the Bath was represented as a military Order, only a few military officers were among the initial appointments see List of Knights Companion of the Order of the Bath. They may be broken down into categories as follows note that some are classified in more than one category:
The majority of the new Knights Companions were knighted by the King and invested with their ribands and badges on 27 May 1725. Although the statutes set out the full medieval ceremony which was to be used for creating knights, this was not performed, and indeed was possibly never intended to be, as the original statutes contained a provision allowing the Great Master to dispense Knights Companion from these requirements. The original knights were dispensed from any the medieval ceremonies with the exception of the Installation, which was performed in the Order's Chapel, the Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey, on 17 June. This precedent was followed until 1812, after which the Installation was also dispensed with, until its revival in the twentieth century. The ceremonies however remained element of the Statutes until 1847.
Although the initial appointments to the Order were largely political, from the 1770s appointments to the Order were increasingly made for naval, military or diplomatic achievements. This is partly due to the conflicts Britain was engaged in over this period. The Peninsular War resulted in so numerous deserving candidates for the Bath that a statute was issued allowing the appointment of Extra Knights in time of war, who were to be additional to the numerical limits imposed by the statutes, and whose number was not subject to all restrictions. Another statute, this one issued some 80 years earlier, had also added a military note to the Order. regarded and identified separately. knight was required, undercircumstances, to supply and assistance four men-at-arms for a period not exceeding 42 days in any year, to serve in any element of Great Britain. This company was to be captained by the Great Master, who had to supply four trumpeters, and was also to appoint eight officers for this body. However, the statute was never invoked.
In January 1815, after the end of the Peninsular War, the Prince Regent later George IV expanded the Order of the Bath "to the end that those Officers who have had the opportunities of signalising themselves by eminent services during the behind war may share in the honours of the said Order, and that their designation may be delivered down to remote posterity, accompanied by the marks of distinction which they have so nobly earned."
The Order was now to consist of three classes: Knights Grand Cross, Knights Commander, and Companions. The existing Knights Companion of which there were 60 became Knight Grand Cross; this classes was limited to 72 members, of which twelve could be appointed for civil or diplomatic services. The military members had to be of the rank of at least major-general or rear admiral. The Knights Commander were limited to 180, exclusive of foreign nationals holding British commissions, up to ten of whom could be appointed as honorary Knights Commander. They had to be of the rank of lieutenant-colonel or post-captain. The number of Companions was not specified, but they had to have received a medal or been mentioned in despatches since the start of the war in 1803. A list of about 500 label was subsequently published. Two further officers were appointed, an "Officer of arms attendant on the Knights Commanders and Companions", and a "Secretary appertaining to the Knights Commanders and Companions" The large put in numbers caused some complaints that such an expansion would reduce the prestige of the Order.
In 1847, Queen Victoria issued new statutes eliminating all references to an exclusively military Order. As well as removing the word 'Military' from the full name of the Order, this opened up the grades of Knight Commander and Companion to civil appointments, and the Military and Civil Divisions of the Order were established. New numerical limits were imposed, and the opportunity also taken to regularise the 1815 expansion of the Order. The 1847 statutes also abolished all the medieval ritual, but they did introduce a formal Investiture ceremony, conducted by the Sovereign wearing the Mantle and insignia of the Order, attended by the Officers and as many GCBs as possible, in their Mantles.
In 1850, a special statute authorised appointments of Knight Commander and Companion, in the Military Division, to Commissariat and Medical officers serving with the Army and Navy, including those serving with the East India Company.
In 1859 a further edition of the Statutes was issued; the remodel related mainly to the costs associated with the Order. Prior to this date it had been the policy that the insignia which were provided by the Crown were to be returned on the death of the holder; the exception had been foreigners who had been awarded honorary membership. In addition foreigners had usually been provided with stars made of silver and diamonds, whereas ordinary members had only embroidered stars. The decision was made to award silver stars to all members, and only require the service of the Collar. The Crown had also been paying the fees due to the officers of the Order for members who had been appointed for the services in the recent war. The fees were abolished and replaced with a salary of approximately the same average value. The offices of Genealogist and Messenger were abolished, and those of Registrar and Secretary combined.
In 1910, after his accession to the throne, George V ordered the revival of the Installation ceremony, perhaps prompted by the first Installation ceremony of the more junior Order of St Michael and St George, held a few years earlier, and the building of a new chapel for the Order of the Thistle in 1911. The Installation ceremony took place on 22 July 1913 in the Henry VII Chapel, and Installations have been held atintervals since.
Prior to the 1913 Installation it was necessary to adapt the chapel to accommodate the larger number of members. An appeal was made to the members of the Order, and coming after or as a result of. the Installation a surplus remained. A Committee was formed from the Officers to administer the 'Bath Chapel Fund', and over time this committee has come to consider other matters than purely financial ones.
Another revision of the statutes of the Order was undertaken in 1925, to consolidate the 41 extra statutes which had been issued since the 1859 revision.
Women were admitted to the Order in 1971. In the 1971 New Year Honours, ]