Knights of the Bath , KB, with sash, In the
Middle Ages, a
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 put 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 made
confession and attended
Mass, then retired to his bed to sleep until it was fully daylight. He was then brought before 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 essential act in creating 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 have been that the full ceremonies were used for men from more prominent families. and the knights so created became known as
Knights of the Bath. 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 reference to the kingdoms of
England,
Scotland, and either
France or
Ireland, which were held (or
claimed in the case of France) by English and, later, British monarchs. This would correspond to the three crowns in the badge. Another explanation of the motto is that it refers to the
Holy Trinity.
Foundation of the order The prime mover in the establishment of the Order of the Bath was
John Anstis,
Garter King of Arms, England's highest
heraldic officer.
Robert Walpole, the de facto head of His Majesty's government, was also eager to have the Order created to reduce the
Duke of Montagu's financial claims on the government for a failed attempt at colonial expansion. Thus, allowing Montagu to become the Order's first Great Master, would encourage him to lay aside, or at least modify, his immense financial claim on the government. Sir
Anthony Wagner, a more recent holder of the office of Garter King of Arms (1961–1978), wrote of Anstis's motivations: It was Martin Leake's opinion that the trouble and opposition Anstis met with in establishing himself as Garter [King of Arms] so embittered him against the
heralds that when at last in 1718 he succeeded, he made it his prime object to aggrandise himself and his office at their expense. It is clear at least that he set 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 main 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. , who as
Prime Minister used the Order for political patronage|alt= The use of honours in the early eighteenth century differed considerably from the modern
honours system, in which hundreds, if not thousands, of people each year receive honours on the basis of deserving accomplishments. The only honours available 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 twenty-four and sixteen 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 to choose Ministers who could command a majority in
Parliament, but the choice remained his. The leader of an administration still had to command the King's personal confidence and approval. A strong following in Parliament depended on being able to supply places, pensions, and other marks of Royal favour to the government's supporters.
Lord Rodney (appointed a Knight Companion in 1780) wearing the riband and star of the Order|alt= The attraction of the new Order for Walpole was that it would provide a source of such favours to strengthen his political position. He made sure that most of the 36 new honorees were
peers and MPs who would provide him with useful connections. Crucially, roughly half of the founder-knights were descendants of 17th century knights of the bath. George I having agreed to Walpole's proposal, Anstis was commissioned to draft statutes for the Order of the Bath. Early proposals for admit any man were dropped and Anstis included the traditional definition of a gentlemen for non-noble knights was included in the statutes, proof of ‘noble ancestry’ by which was meant
armigerous birth of at least three generations on both paternal and maternal sides. As noted 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 , and the statutes issued the following 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 (some are classified in more than one category): • Members of the
House of Commons: 14 • The
Royal Household or sinecures: 11 • Diplomats: 4 • The Walpole family, including the Prime Minister: 3 • Naval and Army officers: 3 • Irish peers: 2 • Country gentlemen with Court appointments: 2 Sir
George Callaghan wearing the insignia of a military Companion of the Order|alt= 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 all 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 part 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 non-aristocratic
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 many 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 any restrictions. Another statute, this one issued some 80 years earlier, had also added a military note to the Order. Each knight was required, under certain circumstances, to supply and support four
men-at-arms for a period not exceeding 42 days in any year, to serve in any part 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. became Knight Grand Cross; this class 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 names 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 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 changes 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 return 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.
Contemporary era Sir
Richard Johns in his service dress uniform, wearing the star, riband, and badge of a military Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath|alt= In 1910, after his accession to the throne,
George V ordered the revival of the Installation ceremony, 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 at regular intervals 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 following 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 additional statutes which had been issued since the 1859 revision. Women were admitted to the Order in 1971. In 1975,
Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, an aunt of
Elizabeth II, became the first woman to reach the highest rank, Dame Grand Cross. and her husband, who had died the previous year, had also held that office. The second Dame Grand Cross,
Sally Davies, was appointed in the
2020 New Year Honours. ==Composition==