2 Composition

The British Sovereign is the Sovereign of the Order of the Bath. The next-most senior member of the Order is the Great Master; HRH The Prince of Wales has been the Great Master since 1975. The Sovereign makes all appointments to the Order on the advice of the Government.

Aside from the Sovereign the Order originally included

• One Great Master of the Bath (G.M.B.),
• and a maximum of thirty six Knights of the Bath (K.B).

After the Napoleonic Wars, it was deemed necessary to honour more individuals; therefore, in 1815, the Order (K.B.) was divided into a civil division of one class:

• Knight of the Order of the Bath (K.B.)

and a new military division three classes:

• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (G.C.B.)
• Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (K.C.B.)
• Companion of the Order of the Bath (C.B.)

The civil division was subsequently expanded into three classes in 1847, the same as the military division.

Limits were placed on the number of Knights Grand Cross, Knights Commanders and Companions, but they have been frequently increased; they are now 120, 355 and 1925, respectively. These limits are often disregarded, as the statutes allow in the event of actions that merit a "peculiar honour or reward."

Women were not admitted to the Order until 1971; the first Dame Grand Cross was Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, an aunt of Elizabeth II. Foreigners may be admitted to the Order as honorary members; they do not count towards the limit on the number of members. Two individuals were made Knights Grand Cross shortly after the conclusion of their terms as Presidents of the United States: Ronald Reagan (in 1989) and George H. W. Bush (in 1993). Honorary members may be stripped of their knighthoods; the first to suffer this fate was Nicolae Ceausescu, the dictator of Romania.

The Order of the Bath has six officers: the Dean, the King of Arms, the Secretary, the Deputy Secretary, the Genealogist and the Usher. The office of Dean is held by the Dean of Westminster. The King of Arms, responsible for heraldry, is known as the Bath King of Arms; he is not, however, a member of the College of Arms like many heralds. The Order's Usher is known as the Gentleman Usher of the Scarlet Rod; he does not, unlike his Order of the Garter equivalent (the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod) perform any duties in the House of Lords.

3 Vestments and accoutrements

Members of the Order wear elaborate costumes on important occasions (such as its quadrennial investiture ceremonies and coronations), which vary by rank:

• The mantle, worn only by Knights and Dames Grand Cross, is made of crimson satin lined with white tafetta . On the left side is a representation of the star (see below). The mantle is bound with two large tassels.
• The hat, worn only by Knights and Dames Grand Cross and Knights and Dames Commanders, is made of black velvet; it includes an upright plume of feathers.
• The collar, worn only by Knights and Dames Grand Cross, is made of gold and weighs 30 troy ounces (approximately 0.933 kilograms). It consists of depictions of nine imperial crowns and eight sets of flowers ( roses for England, thistles for Scotland and shamrocks for Ireland), connected by seventeen silver knots.

At lesser occasions, simpler insignia are used:

• The star is an accoutrement used only by Knights and Dames Grand Cross and Knights and Dames Commanders. Its style varies by rank and division; it is worn pinned to the left breast:
  • The star for military Knights and Dames Grand Cross consists of a Maltese cross on top of an eight-pointed silver star; the star for military Knights and Dames Commander is an eight-pointed silver cross pattee. Each bears in the centre three crowns surrounded by a red circlular band bearing the motto of the Order in gold letters. The circle is flanked by two laurel branches and is above a scroll bearing the words Ich dien in gold letters.
  • The star for civil Knights and Dames Grand Cross consists of an eight-pointed silver star, without the Maltese cross; the star for civil Knights and Dames Commanders is an eight-pointed silver cross pattee. The design of each is the same as the design of the military stars, except that the laurel branches and the words Ich dien are excluded.

• The badge is an insignia which varies in design, size and manner of wearing by rank and division. The Knight and Dame Grand Cross' badge is larger than the Knight and Dame Commander's badge, which is in turn larger than the Companion's badge. Knights and Dames Grand Cross wear the badge on a crimson riband, or sash, passing from the right shoulder to the left hip. Knights Commanders and male Companions wear the badge from a crimson ribbon worn around the neck. Dames Commanders and female Companions wear the badge on a bow on the left side:
  • The military badge is a gold Maltese Cross of eight points, enamelled in white. Each point of the cross is decorated by a small gold ball; each angle has a small figure of a lion. The centre of the cross bears three crowns on the obverse side, and a rose, a thistle and a shamrock, emanating from a sceptre on the reverse side; both emblems are surrounded by a red circlular band bearing the motto of the Order in gold letters, which are in turn flanked by two laurel branches, above a scroll bearing the words Ich dien in gold letters.
  • The civil badge is a plain gold oval, bearing three crowns on the obverse side, and a rose, a thistle and a shamrock, emanating from a sceptre on the reverse side; both emblems are surrounded by a band bearing the motto of the Order.

On certain "collar days" designated by the Sovereign, members attending formal events may wear the Order's collar over their military uniform or evening wear. When collars are worn (either on collar days or on formal occasions such as coronations), the badge is suspended from the collar.

The collars and badges of Knights and Dames Grand Cross are returned to the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood upon the decease of their owners. All other insignia may be retained by their owners.

4 Chapel

The Chapel of the Order is Henry VII Lady Chapel in Westminster Abbey. Every four years, an installation ceremony, presided over by the Great Master, and a religious service are held in the Chapel; the Sovereign attends every alternate ceremony. The Sovereign and each knight who has been installed is allotted a stall in the choir of the chapel. Since there are a limited number of stalls in the Chapel, only the most senior Knights and Dames Grand Cross are installed. By convention, stalls are offered alternately to members of the military and civil divisions. Waits between admission to the Order and installation may be very long; for instance, Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma was created a Knight Grand Cross in 1955, but was installed in 1972.

Above each stall, the occupant's heraldic devices are displayed. Perched on the pinnacle of a knight's stall is his helm, decorated with a mantling and topped by his crest. Under English heraldic law, women other than monarchs do not bear helms or crests; instead, the coronet appropriate to the dame's rank is used.

Above the crest or coronet, the knight's or dame's heraldic banner is hung, emblazoned with his or her coat of arms. At a considerably smaller scale, to the back of the stall is affixed a piece of brass (a "stall plate") displaying its occupant's name, arms and date of admission into the Order.

Upon the death of a Knight, the banner, helm, mantling and crest (or coronet or crown) are taken down. The stall plates, however, are not removed; rather, they remain permanently affixed somewhere about the stall, so that the stalls of the chapel are festooned with a colourful record of the Order's Knights (and now Ladies) throughout history.

5 Precedence and privileges

Members of the Order of the Bath are assigned positions in the order of precedence. Wives of male members also feature on the order of precedence, as do sons, daughters and daughters-in-law of Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commanders; relatives of female members, however, are not assigned any special precedence. As a general rule, individuals can derive precedence from their fathers or husbands, but not from their mothers or wives. (See order of precedence in England and Wales for the exact positions.)

Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commanders prefix "Sir," and Dames Grand Cross and Dames Commanders prefix "Dame," to their forenames. Wives of Knights may prefix "Lady" to their surnames, but no equivalent privilege exists for husbands of Dames. Such forms are not used by peers and princes, except when the names of the former are written out in their fullest forms. Furthermore, honorary members and clergymen do not use the accolade of knighthood.

Knights and Dames Grand Cross use the post-nominal "GCB"; Knights Commanders use "KCB"; Dames Commanders use "DCB"; Companions use "CB."

Knights and Dames Grand Cross are also entitled to receive heraldic supporters. They may, furthermore, enircle their arms with a depiction of the circlet (a red circle bearing the motto) and the collar; the former is shown either outside or on top of the latter. Knights and Dames Commanders and Companions may display the circlet, but not the collar, around their arms. The badge is depicted suspended from the collar or circlet.

6 See also

• Order of the Garter
• Order of the Thistle
• Order of St Michael and St George
• Royal Victorian Order
• Order of the British Empire

7 References

• Sovereign as 'Fountain of Honour'
• Brennan, I. G. (2004). "The Most Honouarable Order of the Bath."
• Cambridge University Heraldic and Genealogical Society. (2002). "The Most Honourable Order of the Bath."
• Debrett's Limited. (2004). "The Most Honourable Order of the Bath."
• "Knighthood and Chivalry." (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed. London: Cambridge University Press.
• Velde, F. R. (2003). "Order of Precedence in England and Wales.

British honours system

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