GENERAL REMARKS.]
ORDER OF THE THISTLE.
81
heirs-apparent of Dukedoms, namely, James Earl of Arran, son and heir of theDuke and Duchess of Hamilton, in 1687; James Earl of Dalkeith, son andheir of the Duchess of Buccleuch, in 1704; and Francis Earl of Dalkeith,grandson of the said Duchess, in 1725. It may, therefore, almost be said thatno Commoner was ever a Knight of the Thistle; and that the Order, like theGarter, has always been reserved for the Peerage. As might be expected, avery large proportion of the Knights have been Peers of Scotland; but nearlyone-sixth have, nevertheless, consisted of Peers of England or Ireland; andsince the year 1704, there were never less than two (except from 1755 to 1767),occasionally three, and latterly, sometimes five Knights, who were not ScottishPeers. 1 While many Noble families of Scotland have given several members
1 The following List contains the names of all the Knights of the Thistle who were not Peers ofScotland:
From 1704 to 1716Earl of Orrery.
1725 to 1726.
Earl of Orrery.
Earl of Cadogan.
Earl of Essex.
1739 to 1753.
Earl of Tankerville.Earl of Berkeley.
1770 to 1773.Prince William Henry.Earl Brooke and Earlof Warwick.
Earl of Carlisle.
1814 to 1815.
Duke of Clarence.
Earl Poulett.
Earl of Abergavenny.
1827 to 1830.
Duke of Clarence.
Earl of Abergavenny.Marquess of Ailesbury.Earl of Warwick.
Earl of Fife.
1716 to 1721.
Earl of Orrery.
Earl of Cadogan.
1726 to 1731.
Earl of Orrery.
Earl of Essex.
1753 to 1755.
Earl of Berkeley.
Earl Brooke.
1773 to 1786.Duke of Clarence.
Earl of Carlisle.
Earl of Northington.
1815 to 1819.
Duke of Clarence.
Earl Poulett.
Earl of Abergavenny.Lord Erskine.
1830 to 1839.
Duke of Sussex.
Earl of Abergavenny.Marquess of Ailesbury.Earl of Warwick.
Earl of Fife.
1721 to 1722.Earl of Orrery.
Earl of Cadogan.Earl of Tankerville.
1731 to 1738.Earl of Essex.
Earl of Tankerville.
1755 to 1767.Earl Brooke.
1786 to 1793.Prince William Henry.Earl of Carlisle.
Earl of Ailesbury.
1819 to 1823.
Duke of Clarence.
Earl of Abergavenny.Lord Erskine.Marquess of Ailesbury.
1722 to 1725.Earl of Orrery.
Earl of Cadogan.
1738 to 1739.Earl of Tankerville.
1767 to 1770.
Earl Brooke and Earlof Warwick.
Earl of Carlisle.
1794 to 1814.
Duke of Clarence.
Earl of Ailesbury.
Earl Poulett.
1823 to 1827.
Duke of Clarence.
Earl of Abergavenny.Marquess of Ailesbury.
It must, however, be observed, that though his late Majesty was not a Peer at the time of his
M