Historical and Antiquarian Magazine.

ORDER OF THE BATH.

NEARLY all that is known of the Knighthood of the Bath previous to 1725, was in that year collected and published by John Anstis, Esq., Garter principal King of Arms: hence the following observations will relate exclusively to its history from that time to the present, a period in which the Order has derived unprecedented lustre from the military and civil merits of those upon whom it has been conferred. Although it was said to have been re-established by King George the First, in 1725, it was in fact nothing more than a revival of the name; for notwithstanding that all the ceremonies with which its members had been anciently admitted were ordered to be performed, they have never been observed; new statutes were ordained; and different insignia were assigned to the Knights'. In previous ages, the knighthood of the Bath differed from common knighthood, by its being conferred at the time of the King's coronation, or on some other solemn occasion, and by the Knights undergoing a variety of ceremonies before their admission, the principal of which was that of bathing.

So little is said by Anstis on the insignia of the Knights of the Bath previous to 1725, that we have been induced to make inquiries on the subject. Although some persons who were knights of that Order in the reigns of Elizabeth and James the First are represented with a kind of jewel or badge suspended by a riband from their necks, and notwithstanding the statement of Bishop Kennett, it is by no means certain that any insignia was worn by the Knights of the Bath previous to the accession of Charles the First; for though the well-known egotist, Edward Lord Herbert of Cherbury, describes, with considerable minuteness, the ceremonies with which he was admitted, in 1603, he takes no notice of any badge; nor does it occur in the portrait of him, dressed in the robes of the Order, to which he alludes in his life. On the 4th of February, 1625-6, the Earl Marshal issued the following command. "His Majesty hath commanded me to let his will and pleasure be known, that all the Knights of the Bath, as well those made by the Kinge, his father, of glorious memory, in any time of his reigne, as those by himself, at the royal coronation, shall contynually weare the Ensigne of that Order about their necks as a marke of Honour. And that they may not want any due unto them, I am to publish that Knights of the Bath and their wyves are of right

By Letters Patent, dated on the 18th of May, 1725, the King declared, that

"Whereas our royal predecessors, upon divers wise and honourable considerations, have, on occasion of certain august solemnities, conferred, with great state, upon their royal issue male, the princes of the blood royal, several of their nobility, principal officers, and other persons distinguished by their birth, quality, and personal merit, that degree of knighthood which hath been denominated the Knighthood of the Bath; we, being moved by the same considerations, do hereby declare our royal intention, not only to re-establish and support the said honour of knighthood in its former lustre and dignity, but to erect the same into a regular military order.

"We have instituted, erected, constituted, and created, and by these our letters patents do institute, erect, constitute, and create, a military order of knighthood to be, and be called for ever hereafter by the name and title of the Order of the Bath; whereof we, our heirs and successors, kings of this realm, for ever shall be sovereigns; which said Order shall consist of a Great Master, to continue during the pleasure of us, our heirs or successors, and thirty-six Companions, to be from time to time nominated and appointed by us, our heirs and successors, wherein a succession shall be always regularly continued: which said Order shall be governed by statutes and ordinances, to be from time to time made, ordained, altered, and abrogated, by us, our heirs and successors, at our and their pleasure."

(without question) to have precedency before all Knight Batchelors and their wyves." -MS. in the College of Arms, marked I 26, f. 25.

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But the most particular description of the insignia is given by Bishop Kennett, in his "Register and Chronicle," p. 410. Speaking of the Knights of the Bath made at the coronation of Charles the Second, he says, "Which Knights of the Bath were first dubbed Knights Batchelors, being knighted by the King with the Sword of State; and then every one was adorned with the red riband of Knighthood of the Bath, with a medal adjoining unto it of three crowns, with an inscription about it of TRIA JUNCTA IN UNO, which words, till King James's coronation, were TRIA NUMINA JUNCTA IN UNO, from the Holy Trinity; but at that time the word NUMINA" was left out, which is supposed to be that, from that time, it might be looked on to be an Order of Knighthood, in allusion unto the union of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland, as TRIA REGNA JUNCTA IN UNO." Through the kindness of George Frederick Beltz, Esq., Lancaster Herald, and Gentleman Usher of the Red Rod, we are enabled to present an engraving of the badge which was worn by Sir Edward Walpole (grandfather of the celebrated Sir Robert Walpole, K. G., the first Earl of Orford), who was one of the Knights of the Bath at the coronation of Charles the Second. Its weight was 18 dwts. 22 grs. The circle is green, with gold letters and edges: the centre is white; the wreaths green, and the bars, chain, and loop, are gold.

John, Duke of Montagu, was constituted the first Great Master of the Order; a Dean, Register, King of Arms, Genealogist, Secretary, Usher, and Messenger were assigned to it; and the Dean of Westminster for the time being was appointed for ever, Dean of the said Order. All the other officers were to be nominated by the Great Master.

The Statutes, after reciting the Letters Patent, enacted first, that the King should be Sovereign of the Order; secondly, that it should consist of the Sovereign, of a Prince of the royal blood, of a Great Master, and of thirty-five other Companions, which number was never to be augmented; but when a stall became void, it was to be filled by the nomination of another person: thirdly,

"That the persons to be admitted into this Order shall be gentlemen of blood, bearing coat-arms, and void of all reproach; that is, they shall not be convicted of heresy against the articles of the Christian religion; not attainted of high treason, without being first restored by a pardon; neither shall they be such, who out of cowardice have fled from any field of battle: and in case any companion shall be found guilty of reproach in any instance of this kind, (which God forbid !) he shall be degraded at the next chapter, his escutcheon shall be thrown out of his stall, with all the usual marks of infamy, and a memorial thereof shall be entered in the register."

The fourth statute enacts, that the King's grandson, Prince William, should be the first and principal Companion; the fifth contained the names of the individuals who, "in consideration of the great merit, virtue, prudence, generosity, valour, and loyalty" for which they were distinguished, were to be the other Knights Companions; the sixth related to the appointment of a Great Master, who was "to take especial care that these statutes, and the ancient rituals belonging to this knighthood, be observed with the greatest exactness;" the seventh provides, that each new knight" shall be attended by two esquires of honour, gentlemen of blood, and bearing coat-arms," and then details all the ceremonies which are to be performed, and which are precisely those which are said to have been observed in former centuries';

* It is amusing to notice how some of these officers perform their duties by deputy: according to the red book the Messenger of the Order is the Deputy Bath King of Arms, and there is also a Deputy Secretary. Thus it is evident that instead of those offices being given to individuals who understand the duties attached to them, they are mere sinecures, bestowed on junior branches of noble or other titled families.

These rituals, of which we give the description because of their absurdity, were as follow: Each of the new Knights shall be "attended by two esquires of honour, gentle. men of blood, and bearing coat-arms (to be approved by the Great Master), who shall be worshipfully received, at the door of that chamber, by the King of Arms, and the Gentleman-Usher of this Order: and the person thus elected shall enter into that chamber with the Esquires, who, being experienced in matters of chivalry, are to instruct him

the eighth describes the manner of installation, the oaths, &c.; the ninth the mode of election; the tenth ordains, that on the

in the nature, dignity, and duties, of this military order, and to take diligent care that all the ceremonies thereof (which have their allegorical significations) shall be powerfully recommended and punctually observed: and such Esquires, who from this service have been usually denominated Esquires Governors, shall not permit the elected to be seen abroad during the evening of his first entry, but shall send for the proper barber to make ready a bathing-vessel, handsomely lined on the inside and outside with linen, having cross hoops over it, covered with tapestry, for defence against the cold air of the night; and a blanket shall be spread on the floor by the side of the bathing-vessel: then the beard of the elected being shaven, and his hair cut, the Esquires shall acquaint the Sovereign, or Great Master, that, it being the time of Even-Song, the elected is prepared for the Bath; whereupon some of the most sage and experienced Knights shall be sent to inform the elected, and to counsel and direct him in the order and feats of chivalry; which Knights being preceded by several Esquires of the Sovereign's household, making all the usual signs of rejoicing, and having the minstrels playing on several instruments before them, shall forthwith repair to the door of the Prince's chamber, while the Esquires Governors, upon hearing the music, shall undress the elected, and put him into the Bath; and the musical instruments then ceasing to play, these grave Knights, entering into the chamber without any noise, shall severally, one after the other, kneeling near the bathing-vessel, with a soft voice instruct the elected in the nature and course of the Bath, and put him in mind, that for ever hereafter he ought to keep his body and mind pure and undefiled. And thereupon the Knights shall each of them cast some of the water of the Bath upon the shoulders of the elected, and then retire, while the Esquires Governors shall take the elected out of the Bath, and conduct him to his pallet-bed, which is to be plain, and without curtains; and as soon as his body is dry, they shall clothe him very warm, in consideration that he is to watch that whole night; and therefore they shall then array him in a robe of russet, having long sleeves reaching down to the ground, and tied about the middle with a cordon of ash-coloured and russet silk, with a russet hood, like to an hermit, having a white napkin hanging to the cordon, or girdle; and the barber having removed the bathing-vessel, the experienced Knights shall again enter, and from thence conduct the elected to the chapel of King Henry the Seventh, (wherein it is our pleasure that the religious ceremonies relating to this Order shall for the future be constantly performed). And they being there entered, preceded by all the Esquires, making rejoicings, and the minstrels playing before them, during which time wine and spices shall be laid ready for these Knights, the elected, and the Esquires Governors; and the elected having returned thanks to these Knights, for the great favours of their assistance, the Esquires Governors shall shut the chapel door, permitting none to stay therein, save the elected, one of the Prebendaries of the church of Westminster to officiate, the chandler to take care of the lights, and the verger of the church; where the elected shall perform his vigils, during the whole night, in orisons and prayers to Almighty God, having a taper burning before him, held by one of his Esquires Governors, who, at the reading of the Gospel, shall deliver it into the hands of the elected, which being read, he shall redeliver it to one of his Esquires Governors, who shall hold it before him during the residue of divine service; and when the day breaks, and the elected hath heard matins, or morning prayer, the Esquires Governors shall reconduct him to the Prince's chamber, and lay him in bed, and cast over him a coverlet of gold, lined with carde; and when it is a proper time, these Esquires shall acquaint the Sovereign, or Great Master, that the elected will be ready to rise from his bed, who shall again command the experienced Knights, preceded as before, to repair to the Prince's chamber: And the elected being awakened by the music, and the Esquires Governors having provided every thing in readiness, the experienced Knights, at their entry, shall wish the elected a good morning, acquainting him, that it is a convenient time to rise; whereupon the Esquires Governors taking him by the arm, the most ancient of these Knights shall present to him his shirt, the next his breeches, the third his doublet, another the surcort of red Tartarin, lined and edged with white sarcenet; two others shall take him out of his bed; two others shall put on his boots, in token of the beginning of his warfare; another shall gird him with his white girdle without any ornament; another shall comb his head; another shall deliver him his

20th of October, in every year, there shall be a convention of the Companions to celebrate the anniversary of his Majesty's coronation; the eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth relate to the precedency, ensigns, and robes of the Companions, and to the arrangement of their stalls; the fifteenth directs, that the arms of the Esquires Governors and young Esquires shall be affixed to the back of the seats, under the stalls of their respective knights, that they shall enjoy all the privileges possessed by the Esquires of the Sovereign's body, or by the Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber, and that the eldest son of each of them" shall have and use the addition and title of Esquire, in all acts, pleadings, &c.; the sixteenth points out the manner in which the Knights shall attend chapters of the Order; the seventeenth provides, that the Prebends of Westminster shall wear the same badge as the Esquires, when attending processions of the Order; the eighteenth names the officers, describes their various insignia, and regulates the fees to be paid by each Knight; the nineteenth statute states, that

"Whereas, by the statutes of the most noble Order of the Garter, it is ordained, that none shall be elected and chosen to be Fellow and Companion thereof, except that he be a knight without reproach; we do hereby declare and ordain, for the great love, favour, and confidence, we bear towards the knights of the most honourable Order of the Bath, that from henceforth a special regard shall be had, in preferring, advancing, and presenting them to be Companions of the most noble Order of the Garter."

The twentieth grants power to every Knight of the Order to resign it upon being elected a Knight of the Garter," or, if he shall design to retain this Order, he shall make the previous protestations usual in cases of the acceptance of another Order;" and the last statute commands, that these statutes shall for ever be inviolably observed within the said Order, with reservation to the Sovereign of the power of adding to or explaining them, On the first of June following, four additional statutes were issued, regulating the collar to be worn by the Knights, the size of their banners, and giving a new Knight power to nominate a proxy at his installation. On the next day, supporters were ordered to be assigned to their arms; and on the 16th of November, in the same year, a statute appeared altering the form of the collar. In January, 1725-6, additional honours were conferred on some of the officers of the Order, by constituting the Genealogist, Blanc Coursier Herald of Arms; Bath King of

coif, or bonnet; and, lastly, another shall put upon him the mantle of this Order," &c. Graphic illustrations of this ridiculous ceremony will be found in Upton "De Studio Militari."