Page:Dod's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage etc. of Great Britain and Ireland.djvu/45

 PRECEDENCE 21 This position was allotted to such as were created by the commanders of armies in the king's name on the open field of battle. 105. Knights of the Thistle. — The Order of the Thistle is scarcely ever conferred on any but Scottish nobles of very high rank, and of course they take precedence according to their peerages. The statutes of the Order are silent respecting precedence, and there does not appear to be any Acts of Parliament, royal ordinances, or letters patent, on the subject. In the absence of these authorities, the natural course is to place the orders according to priority of institu- tion or revival. 106. Knights of St. Patrick. — This Order has never been, and probably never will be, 1 Victorian Order. Bachelors by royal warrant with the title of "His Honour" prefixed to the word "Judge" before their respective names. 120. Serjeants-at-Law. 121. Masters in Chancery. 122. Masters in Lunacy. 123. Companions of the Bath. — Under the statute of the Order referred to in No. 107. 124. Companions of the Star of India are here placed by the statutes of the Order. 125. Companions of St. Michael and St. George under the statutes of the Order. 126. Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire under the statutes of the Order. 127. Members of the 4th Class of the Royal ^conferred upon a commoner. Its right, therefore, to the place here assigned it in the scale of prece- dence is not likely to be soon decided. The warrant under which the Order was instituted, declares that in Ireland the Knights of St. Patrick shall take precedence immediately after the eldest sons of barons. It has been sometimes svipposed that the warrant gave them this rank in England, which would amount to granting them precedence over the Knights of the Garter. This document does not abrogate any statute of the Order of the Garter ; and nothing is more evident than that the Sovereign never intended to place the Irish Order above the more ancient and illustrious fraternities of England and Scot- and. It is a position clearly established, that baronets shall come next after the younger sons 128. Companions of the Distinguished Service Order under the statutes of the Order. 129. Companions of the Imperial Service Order. l.'iO. Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber. 131. Eldest Sons of the Younger Sons of Peers are here placed under the authority of an ordinance of the Earl Marshal's Covirt, dated 1 8th of March, 1615. By some authorities this position is considered to extend to a second or third generation of eldest sons, or even in a perpetual succession. 132. Eldest Sons of Baronets are here placed on the same ground as No. 131, viz., the ordinance of the Earl Marshal's Court. 133. Eldest Sons of Knights of the Garter are here placed on the ground of ancient usage, of barons, and that no knight in respect of his which is confirmed by implication in the ordinance knighthood (except those of the Order of the of the Earl Marshal's Court already referred to. Garter together with certain bannerets), shall be ' In modern times, they enjoy however a superior entitled to precede a baronet. As the general ; place, inasmuch as their fathers are always peers ; rule then is, that knights come after baronets, i and the hereditary nobility, therefore, yields them the several Orders of knighthood have been ! a higher position than that springing from the placed, as already stated, according to priority j personal honour of knighthood, of institution or revival. i 134. Eldest Sons of Knights Banneret, on 107. Knights Grand Cross of the Bath j the same ground as No. 133 ; the usage can be are declared by the 19th statute of the Order, distinctly traced as far back as the year 1399. made in pursuance of letters patent dated 14th 135. Eldest Sons of the Knights of the April, 1847, to have precedence "next to and ! Thistle, on the same ground as No. 105. immediately after Baronets " ; a place clearly ; 136. Eldest Sons of Knights Grand Cross inconsistent with awarding the positions here j of the Bath, on the same ground as No. 133 given to Nos. 104, 105, and 106. j taken in connexion with the new statutes of the 108. Knights Grand Commaj^der of the j Order ; and, ijiter se, they rank according to the Star of India tmder the statute of the Order of I seniority of their respective fathers in the Order of 19th April, 1866. j the Bath. 109. Knights Grand Cross of St. Michael I 137. Eldest Sons of Knights Grand Com- AND St, George under the statutes of the Order. ' mander of the Star of India. 110. Knights Grand Commander of the 138. Eldest Sons of Knights Grand Cross Indian Empire under the statute of the Order ; of St. Michael and St. George. made in pursuance of letters patent dated 1st 139. Eldest Sons of Knights Grand Com Jime, 1887. 111. Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order. 112. Knights Commander of the Bath are here placed under the statute of the Order referred to in No. 107. mander of the Indian Empire. 140. Eldest Sons of Knights Grand Cross OF THE Royal Victorian Order. 141. Eldest Sons op Knights Commander OF THE Bath, on the same ground as No. 136. 142. Eldest Sons of Knights Commander 113. KjsriGHTS Commander of the Star of | of the Star of India. India under the statutes of the Order. j 143. Eldest Sons of Knights Commander 114. Knights Commander of St. Michael • of St. Michael and St. George are here placed, and St. George under the statutes of the Order. ! on the ground that the general practice with 115. Knights Commander of the Indian j respect to precedence gives to the descendants of Empire under the statute of the Order made in [titled persons a station amongst each other, pursuance of letters patent dated 15th Feb. 1887. 116. Knights Commander of the Royal ViCTORi.iN Order. 117. Ivnights Bachelor. — By various patents analogous to that enjoyed by their fathers. 144. Eldest Sons of Knights Commander OF THE Indian Empire. 145. Eldest Sons of Knights Comm.-vnder and ordinances, as well as by Acts of Parliament, of the Royal Victorian Order. several classes in the state have been assigned precedence over Knights Bachelor, and though they are the most ancient order of knights, we find them at length moved downwards by successive changes to this rank in the scale of precedence. 118. Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order. 119. .Judges of County' Courts in England and Wales and Judges of the City of Lon- don Court have precedence next after Knights placed on the same groimd as No. 143 146. Eldest Sons of Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order. 147. Eldest Sons of Knights Bachelor are here placed under the authority of letters patent temp. James I. 148. Members of the 5th Class of the Royal Victorian Order. 149. Younger Sons of the Younger Sons OF Peers hold this place by usage. 150. Younger Sons of Baronets are here I