By the Decree of King Charles the First, of the 4th of February 1625-6,Precedency was granted to “ Knights of the Bath and their Wives, before allKnights Bachelors and their Wives,” 3 and no other place was assigned tothem, except in the Ceremonials of the Order, by the Statutes of King Georgethe First, nor by any subsequent Ordinance; and as the Knights Grand Crossare “ subjected to the same Rules and Ordinances to which the Knights Com-panions had been subject, and are to have and enjoy all the Rights, Privileges,and Advantages which the Knights Companions had held and enjoyed,” 4 theirPrecedency is the same as that of the original Companions. Every KnightGrand Cross takes Precedency among the others, “ within the Chapters, Con-ventions, Processions, and Ceremonies of the Order,” 5 “ according to thesituation of his Stall, and not according to the grandeur of his Estate, Degree,or Office,” 6 or to their being Military, Civil, or Honorary Knights, except thatPrinces of the Blood Royal “ shall be seated in the Stalls next to that of theSovereignbut in 1725, the Great Master was placed next to the Prince of theBlood, and above all the other Companions. 8 Though three Foreign Sovereigns(the Kings of Hanover, Wiirtemberg, and Belgium) are Knights of the Order,no special Precedency, as in the Order of the Garter, 9 is assigned to themas Sovereign Princes.

The eleventh Article of the Statutes provides “ That at all future Corona-tions, and other Solemnities, wherein Knights of the Bath have been here-tofore usually created, all the Companions of this Most Honourable Order,

3 Vide p. 37, antea. 4 Vide p. 126, antea. 5 Statutes, Art. V. p. 48, antea.

6 Art. XIV. p. 59. 7 Statutes, Art. XIV. p. 59, and Art. V. p. 48, antea.

8 Statutes, Art. XIV. p. 59, antea.

9 Vide the History of the Order of the Garter, p. 376.