Knights of the Garter

“ Further, every knight was bound to wear the Garter in public, wherever he might be, on pain of a mulct of half a mark. Equally obligatory was it on the knight, in whatever part of the world he was residing, or however he was engaged, to wear the sanguine mantle of the order from the eve of St. George till vesper-time on the morrow of the festival. Some of the chevaliers who were in distant lands must have caused as much surprise by their costume, as a Blue-coat boy does, wandering in his strangely-colored garb, in the streets of Paris. ”

“ Again, under Richard II., among the most famous alien gentlemen created knights of the Garter, were the Gascon soldier Du Preissne; Soldan de la Tour, Lord of much land in Xaintonge; the Dutch Count William of Ostervant, who made a favor of accepting the honorable badge; the Duke of Bavaria (not yet Emperor) , and Albert, Duke of Holland, who was hardly a sovereign prince, but who, nevertheless, may be accounted as such, seeing that, in a small way indeed, more like a baron than a monarch, he exercised some sovereign rights. ”

“ The order of the Garter was established in 1349; and we should expect that more than half a century would elapse before it would be natural to refer to the Knights as old knights, who did worthily in their time. ”

“ Partisans, not of his own faction, have censured his going publicly to mass soon after his accession; but it must be remembered that the Knights of the Garter, in the collar of their order, complacently accompanied him, and that the Duke of Norfolk was the only knight who left him at the door of the chapel.
He had little of the knight in him in his method of love, if one may so speak. He cared little for beauty; so little, that his brother Charles remarked that he believed James selected his mistresses by way of penance. ”

“ From a very early period Garter exercised, and still continues to exercise, a concurrent jurisdiction with the two Provincial Kings of Arms in the grant of Armorial Ensigns, but he had many exclusive privileges; as the right of ordering all funerals of peers of the realm, the two archbishops, the bishop of Winchester, and knights of the Garter; he only could grant arms to these individuals ”

“ When a Knight-Companion is found Guilty of any of the Offences mentioned in King Henry VIII’s Statutes, he is usually degraded at the next Chapter, of which the Sovereign gives the Knights-Companions previous notice; and then commands Garter to attend such of them as are appointed to go to the Convict Knight, who, in a solemn manner, first takes from him the George and Ribbond, and then his Garter. ”

“ If the elect Knight be at hand, where the Chapter is convened, and the Garter hath been sent to make known to him the Honour, and Conduct him into the Chapter-House, to receive the Garter and George, before they break up, Intimation being given of his approach, the Sovereign sends out two of the Knights-Companions to meet him, who, after a mutual Salute, Conduct him between them, to the Presence of the Sovereign, Garter going before them. ”

“ The black Velvet Cap before-mentioned and described, with the Helm, Crest, and Mantlings, together with a Sword and Girdle, are to be got in readiness by the care and direction of the Garter, but at the Expence of the Knights elect; all which are to be set over his Stall, as soon as his Installation Fees are paid.
This Honour, that every Knight-Companion shall have his Helm, Crest, and Sword, affixed over his Stall at the Chappel of St. George, is particularly provided for in all the several Bodies of Statutes ”

“ All Knights might carry Gold and Silver, be array’d in rich Cotton, have the use of painted and gilt Vessels, and wear Shoes; but the common People only the earthen sort; neither might they carry Shoes nor Attire themselves, but in a gross Stuff. Every Order had their Lodging assign’d them in the Palace, distinguish’d by their proper Ensigns: The first was the Lodging of the Prince, the second of Eagles, the third of Lyons and Tygers, and the fourth of Grey Knights. ”

“ From that, not from my liege, I turn away.
The countess, naturally, has the best of the argument, and shames the king. In this pleasant light is she presented by both chronicler and poet, and the lady, chiefly to honor whom the Order of the Garter was constructed upon the basis of the Order of the Blue Thong, was worthy of all the distinctive homage that could be rendered to her by knight or king. ”

“ And tho’ the Lord Roos was, at the Time of his Election a Baron of this Realm, which is a higher degree of Honour than a Knight; The Sovereign after Mass re-assembled the Knights-Companions, and annulled the Election, and commanded the Garter and George, so lately conferred, to be taken off, and in the same Place dubbed him a Knight; and then he was Elected again, with an unanimous Consent, and so declared by the Sovereign’s own Mouth; and was restored to his Ensigns and Ornaments, by the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk. Agreeable to this, it’s recorded in the Red Book of the Order ”

“ Knights-aldermen in the city claimed precedence of knights-commoners, and violent was the struggle when the question was agitated. Heralds stood forth and pleaded before “my lords,” as lawyers do, with reference to the party by which they were retained. One party considered it absurd that a knight who happened to be an alderman should take precedence of one who was only a knight. The civic dignitary, it was said, was no more above the chivalric, than a rushlight was superior to the sun. Such an idea, it was urged, by York against Garter, was an insult to God and man. ”

“ Right grave and honorable, that importeth much—
‘Evil be to him,’ it saith, ‘that evil thinks.’”
Elizabeth was distinguished for loving to hold newly-chosen knights in suspense, before she ratified their election by her approval. The anniversary banquets too fell into disuse during her reign, and she introduced the most unworthy knight that had ever stood upon the record of the order. This was Charles IX. of France. On the other hand she sent the Garter to Henri Quatre. ”

“ Howbeit, the Custom is otherwise as to wearing the Garter, the principal Ensign of the Order; for tho’ it be injoyned to be wore at the grand Festivals, &c. yet it does not imply that it might be left off: For indeed it ought daily to be worn both by the Sovereign and Knights Companions. And therefore was it decreed even in its Institution, That if any Knight-Companion should in publick be found without one buckled about his Leg, upon Challenge he should be mulct a Noble to the Dean and College of Windsor. ”

“ The first who received the Garter was the brother of Queen Charlotte, the reigning Duke of Mecklenburg Strelitz. Then came the Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, who married Augusta, the sister of George III. Caroline of Brunswick was the issue of this marriage. Of the kings, roitelets, and petty princes of Germany who were added to the Garter, or rather, had the Garter added to them, it is not worth while speaking; but there is an incident connected with the foreign knights which does merit to be preserved. ”

“ Henry VIIth’s Chapel in Westminster Abbey is the locality in which the installation of the different knights takes place. The statutes of the order authorize the degradation of a knight “convicted of heresy against the Articles of the Christian religion;” or who has been “attainted of high treason,” or of “cowardly flying from some field of battle.” It is rather curious that felony is not made a ground of degradation. The Duke of Ormond was the last Knight of the Garter who was degraded, for treason against George I. Addison, after the degradation, invariably speaks of him as “the late Duke.” ”

“ He accordingly assembled the nobility and knighthood of his realm, and showed them his intention of forming an especial brotherhood of knights, to be called Knights of the blue Garter, and of ordaining that a feast should be kept yearly at Windsor, on Saint George’s day. The barons and cavaliers of England joyously agreed to his pleasure; for they were animated by this [Pg 6] encouragement to military feats, and they saw that great amity and love would grow and increase among them. Twenty-five of the most valiant men of the kingdom were then chosen. ”

“ No elect Knight can be installed, unless by the Sovereign of the Order himself, or by his Commission drawn up in Writing, and passed under the Great-Seal of the Order, directed either to his Lieutenant or Knights-Commissioners. There is but one Instance to be found, where the Sovereign hath been pleased to Honour a Knight by installing of him himself ”

“ Although it has been made apparent, that the Knights-Companions, at their Election or Installation, succeeded the immediate defunct Knight in his Stall, yet we may observe, that sometimes after Installation, as an especial signal of Favour and Indulgence, the Sovereign hath been pleased, though very rarely, to advance a Knight-Companion to a higher Stall than that wherein he was first placed ”

“ In Times of extraordinary Danger, and great Battles, they were to have another singular and solemn Banner; every Knight was to have his Esquire armed at all Points, a little Valet for his Lance and Helmet, a bigger to carry his Mail, and a third to lead his Sumpter; Five Horses, and Four Servants were to attend him in all Warlike Expeditions, and Two or Three Horses and Servants in all Times of Peace. The Number of these Knights of the Holy Chevalry was 1000 or 1100.
33. The Order of the Brician Knights in Sweden. ”

“ I. the Prince was brought up by Clarenceux and Norroy, when he came to Offer, and not by Garter. When the Lieutenant hath Offered for himself, he returns to the lower end of the Stalls, and passes to his own, where having paid the usual Reverences, he enters it, and is ready to receive the Reverences of all the other Knights-Companions. ”

“ By the Symbols of this Garter the Knights are reminded, with all Religiousness, Sincerity, Friendliness, Faithfulness and Dexterity, not to leave the Pursuit of whatsoever they take in hand, nor to enterprize any Thing contrary to the Statutes of the Order; neither to frustrate the Rights of Peace and Friendship, nor vilify the Law of Arms, or proceed in any Thing farther than Faith and Compact, or the Bond of Friendship will admit. ”

“ The Ensigns of the Equestrian Order among the Romans, by which they were made, was a Publick Horse, or a Gold Ring; yet still, to those who had Equestrian Cense, the Horse was the ancienter Badge of the two; but when thro’ the Multitude of these Knights no Publick Horses were assigned, but to such who were ready to enter upon Military Service, and to fight in the Legions, such were called Legionary Knights, to distinguish them from the rest, who had only receiv’d the Honour of a Gold-Ring; for they were not all employ’d in Wars. ”

“ But there are some remarkable differences between these Knights and Knights-Batchelors; as in the Occasions and Circumstances of their Creations, the Baneret being not Created, unless at a Time when the King’s Standard is erected, and that he bears his own Banner in the Field; whilst the Knight-Batchelor follows that which is anothers. ”

“ There is nothing half so spirited in the knightly pieces brought on the stage during the reign of George III., and which caused infinite delight to very easily-pleased audiences. It is well known that the good-natured Sovereign of England, although unassuming in his domestic character, was exceedingly fond of display in public ceremonies. He used to arrange the paraphernalia of an installation of the Garter with all the energy and care of an anxious stage-manager. The people generally were as anxious to have an idea of the reality. ”

“ It was translated into French and English by Sir Thomas Wriothesley, Kt. then Garter King of Arms. The English Version annex’d here to this Treatise, is what hath since been deliver’d (instead of the former Statutes) to all succeeding Knights-Companions, according to the Injunction; but of late Times appointed to be sent to Foreign Princes and other elect Knights abroad, sealed with the Great Seal of the Order, affix’d to a Label of Blue Silk and Gold.
§ 3. There have been several Endeavours since the Reign of King Henry VIII. for reforming the Statutes. ”

“ The King of England, his Heirs and Successors, are to be Sovereigns or Superiors of this Order.
2. None are to be admitted, unless he be a Gentleman of Blood, and that he be a Knight and without Reproach.
3. The Knights-Companions were to be Twenty Six, each to have at Windsor a Mantle and Garter for the better Splendor of the Order; to wear the said Habit whensoever they go to the Chapel of St. George or Chapter-House, to hold a Chapter, or do any thing relating to their Order. In like manner they are to wear the Habit upon the Vigils of St. ”

“ For as at this Day Knights are styled Equites Aurati, from the Golden Spurs, heretofore put on at their Creation, so were they more anciently Singulo Miletari donati, in respect, when any one was Knighted, he was not only smitten with the Sword, but invested with Sword and Belt, yet retain’d at the creating our Knights of the Bath, as the old Formulary thus hath it ”

“ When a Knight dies or is degraded, his banner is removed and that of his successor is hoisted in its place, whilst a small brass plate is left as a lasting record of each succeeding Knight in each of the stalls.
The Garter itself is of blue ribbon edged with gold, and has a buckle and pendent of gold richly chased. Round the Garter in gold is the motto of the Order, “Honi soit qui mal y pense.” The Garter is worn below the left knee by a Knight, and round the left arm above the elbow by a Lady. ”