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INTRODUCTION.

Knights, which commenced in 1772, and which in consequenceof the success of His Majesty’s Arms, became common be-tween the years 1802 and 1814, the number of Extra Knightsof the Bath at length amounted to twenty-two.

In 1783, King George the Third established an Order ofKnighthood for Ireland, to consist of the Sovereign, a GrandMaster, (who was not, however, to be one of the Knights) andfifteen Knights Companions, called The Order of SaintPatrick, which was intended to become in that Kingdom,what the Garter was in England, and the Order of the Thistlein Scotland, namely, a Distinction to be given only to Peers. Bythe creation of Extra Knights of the Order of Saint Patrick,the number was increased to twenty-one in July 1821; and in1833 it was permanently fixed at Twenty-two Knights.

In 1815, the Order of the Bath was placed on an entirelynew foundation; and for the first time in England, an Order wasmade to consist of more than one degree of rank, and of morethan one class of members. This alteration was copied fromother European States, most of which had one or more of itsOrders divided into separate, and usually into three classes,called “ Knights Grand Cross,” “ Knights Commanders,” and“ Knightsbut sometimes into four, and even into fiveclasses, the various degrees being designated simply by thenumber of the class. The first instance 2 of an Order, strictlymilitary, being thus divided into classes, appears to have

2 Religious Orders, and those which were both Religious and Military, like the KnightsTemplars and the Knights of St. John, commonly called Knights of Malta, however, alwaysconsisted of classes, inasmuch as every person belonging to them was a member of the Frater-nity. Ashmole (p. 65) says, of “ The Order of the Constantinian Angelick Knights ofSaint George in Greece, but now in Italy,” that “ Amongst these Knights are three degrees,the first are called Collared , or Grand Crosses; these wear a Collar formed of Labarums,