212

HISTORY OF THE

[DEGRADATION.

seven Knights Grand Cross who are also Knights of the Garter, namely, theKings of Hanover, Wurtemberg, and Belgium ; the Dukes of Sussex, Cam-bridge, and Wellington ; and the Marquess of Anglesey.

Degradation from the Order is not only provided for by the Statutes, buthas actually occurred in two instances, those of Lord Cochrane in 1814, andSir Eyre Coote in 1816. According to the Statutes, there are only threecrimes for which a Knight Companion can be Degraded; Heresy, High Treason,and Cowardice. It is declared by the third article, “ that the persons to beadmitted into this Order shall be Gentlemen of Blood, bearing Coat-Arms, andvoid of all Reproach ; that is, they shall not be convicted of Heresy against theArticles of the Christian Religion; not attainted of High Treason, withoutbeing first restored by a pardon; neither shall they be such, who out ofCowardice have fled from any Field of Battle: and in case any Companionshall be found guilty of Reproach in any instance of this kind, (which Godforbid!) he shall be Degraded at the next Chapter, his Escutcheon shall bethrown out of his Stall, with all the usual marks of infamy, and a memorialthereof shall be entered in the Register.” 3

All that occurs besides, respecting crimes and punishments, in the Statutes,is in the sixteenth and eighteenth articles. The former refers only to non-attendance of Chapters, to disobedience of any article of the Statutes, or ofany Ordinance made, with the Sovereign’s consent, by the Companions in Chap-ters; 4 and the latter empowers the Gentleman Usher of the Order, “ to touchwith his Rod any Companion that shall be convicted of any Crime, contrary tothe tenor of these Statutes ; and in case of a Degradation, to pluck down theEscutcheon of such Knight, and to spurn it out of the Chapel.” 5

It is, therefore, evident, that according to the strict letter of the Statutes, noKnight Companion can be Degraded unless he have been convicted of Heresyagainst the Articles of the Christian Religion, been attainted of High Treason,or have Cowardly fled from some Field of Battle. In the penal, as well as inmost other parts of the Statutes of the Order of the Bath, those of the Garterwere very closely followed; and it is material to inquire whether there is aprecedent of a Knight having been Degraded from that Order for any otheroffence than those mentioned in its Statutes. The crime next in importance toTreason, is Felony; but it was solemnly adjudged in a Chapter of the Order

3 Art. IV. Vide p. 47, antea.

4 Alt. XVI. p. 60, antea.

3 Art. XVIII. p. 62, antea.