I belong to a women's club and am fortunate to be able to attend lectures and outings sponsored by the club. I attended my first one Jan. 19 where the lecturer was Rob Williamson and he spoke on The Peerage, Liveries, the Lord Mayor of London. I took notes. As it was my first lecture, I had no idea what to expect. it was quite informative and interesting. But my notes were crazily disjointed. I wrote them up anyway in kind of an abbreviated form. they make sense to me and might be interesting to others, I hope.
19 January- Lecturer: Rob Williamson "THE PEERAGE, THE LORD MAYOR & LIVERY COMPANIES"
Things I learned and a good deal of it I just copied from the handout he gave us.
The Orders of Knighthood in order of Importance
#1) Most Noble Order of the Garter (1348) motto in Latin: Honi Soit Qui Mal y Pense
Never more than 24 but with the Queen and Prince Phillip, are 26 in total
This is the only one where the Queen only chooses who becomes a Knight.
Order came about by Edward III during the Black Death or Plague years
Believe that there was a dance done before him by the Countess of Saucenry (?) and her garter was slipping down her leg and showing her underwear and people were starting to snicker. He stopped the dance and slowly took off her garter and then waved it about and stated the motto meaning that don't be evil in your thoughts. This is the folklore on how the order came about because it was during a very chivalrous time but could also have referred to a belt that men wore called a garter.
The number 24 is important because these kings were trying to recreate Camelot and there were 24 Knights around the Round Table. Edward III had a round table. Also 12 is believed to be the optimum amount for the cooperation and working together of any group, e.g. unlucky 13? Also, there are two teams in jousting and 12 members on a team so 24 Knights in a joust.
Current Garters are not necessarily English and there was controversy when Queen Elizabeth appointed the Emperor of Japan
Current Garters include Queen Julianne of the Netherlands and King Carlos of Spain
#2) Most Ancient and Noble Order of the Thistle (revived 1687), Nemo Me Impune Lacessil
Mostly for Scots
Sean Connery is a member of the Order of the Thistle
#3) Most Illustrious Order of St. Patrick (1783) Quis Separabit for northern Ireland
#4) Most Honourable Order of the Bath (1399, revived 1725) Tria Juncta in Uno
Henry IV, had his order in the Tower of London in the Chapel and before Knights went into battle, (usually against the French) they would gather in the chapel and be blessed and in part of the ceremony, they would completely disrobe and get into a tin bath. Kind of like being baptized again before battle. Was a lot of concern when they had a queen and how was she going to be in that room with all the naked men but they rigged up a gauze something so she could be there and sort of see. So it was and still is a military award. Now it is maintained in Westminster and they don’t actually get into a bath anymore. There are only 115 members but are more honorary members. Colin Powell, George Swartzkoff, and George Bush Sr are all members but since they are not British citizens or members of a commonwealth nation, they are honorary and not entitled to be called "Sir"
#5) Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George (1818) Auspicium Melioris Aevi, started by George IV and was for diplomatic services overseas
#6) Most Exalted Order of the Star of India (1861) Heaven’s Light our Guide – for service in India
#7) Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire (1866) Imperatricus Auspiciis, same as #6
#8) Royal Victorian Order (1896) Victoria – she started it
#9) Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (1917) For God and the Empire
The Chapel is at St. Paul’s Cathedral Crypt (dedicated in 1969) and has one of the few stone ceilings in the world that was carved in situ or as the blocks were sitting in the ceiling.
This order was started by King George V and Queen Mary and in the first two years, they awarded 15,000
There are 5 ranks within the OBE
First one is GBE or Grand Cross or the British Empire
Second one is KBE or Knight of the British Empire only these first two ranks of the OBE are allowed to be called “Sir”
Third is CBE or Commander of the British Empire
Fourth is OBE or Officer and last is MBE or Member
Before this system was nothing for women at all
There is also a Knights Bachelor created in 1207 for knighthoods lesser in honour but not an order of chivalry (letters Kt), it means one who fights in battle, not one who is not married. Paul McCartney is somehow a Knights Bachelor
And finally and Order of Merit in 1902 for outstanding service but not a Knighthood and a Companion of Honour in 1917 is a similar but lessor honour
Honours are awarded two days each year, New Year’s honours and the Queen’s birthday honours. About 45% are women and 15% are ethnic minorities of some type. Now there are over 100,000 living OBE’s. every 4 years there is a service at St. Paul’s that they are invited to attend but of course most don’t because they are spread all over the world. But as an OBE, you can be married in the chapel in the crypt. On those 2 days, there are around 900 each time for the OBE. The only qualification is that there be valued public service and you cannot nominate yourself.
Press is often wrong in how they address people e.g., they address Bob Geldof as a Sir but he is Irish so he is not entitled to Sir
OBE chapel is in St. Paul’s and was adopted in 1960
They have the largest crypt in Western Europe
Nelson and Wellington are buried there, national heroes
The queen and prince Phillip are Grand Masters of the OBE
Buckingham Palace does all the knighting since it has a room for it.
Duke of Wellington: most recognized and came up through the ranks within 5 years, a record held unto today. He wasn’t born into the aristocracy. In 1815 he defeated Napoleon at Waterloo and so he also has a Spanish Dukedom. There are some 43 things named after him like Wellington boots or Wellies, and Wellington, the capital of New Zealand
The Duck of Marlbough is John Churchill, Winston’s family and built Blenheim Palace. They married into the American Vanderbilt family but they fell out with the queen and she took away her patronage so it took 200 years to build the palace and then finish paying it off.
Duke of Westminster owns a lot of property in London but he also invested overseas (one of the earlier ones). He owns the land where the American Embassy is located in London. We only rent it from him. We have offered to buy it but he won’t sell. It is one of only 2 U.S. Embassies where we don’t own the land.
All this is from Rob Williamson’s handout
Features of a Dukedom:
Of the 24 Dukedoms surviving today, the oldest surviving, and still regarded as the Premier, is the title Duke of Norfolk (1483). Royal Dukedoms can, however, be traced to 1337 when Edward III created his son the Black Prince, duke of Cornwall (still attends the male heir to the throne to this day). To complicate matters, they can be divided up into Dukes of England, Scotland, Great Britain, Ireland and the United Kingdom! Some pedigrees, such as Westminster (the Grosvenor family), Leinster, Beaufort and Northumberland can be traced back to the Norman Conquest of 1066. Many titles were extinguished (by the end of a family line or even treason) only to be revived later in history. At one extreme, 6 Dukes were created in one day by Richard II in 1397 and Charles II created 26 Dukes (often for his illegitimate offspring), and at the other end, religious and political upheavals in the time of the Tudors meant there were no dukedoms at all for at least 30 years after 1572! No new Dukes have been created since Fife (1900). Tow, Portland and Newcastle, have died out in the last 30 years.
Reason for Decline
1) Extravagance – the consequences of excessive gambling and bad management led in the 19th Century to a need for a fresh injection of capital, often in the form of lucrative marriages to American heiresses ($800 million is estimated to have been derived this way between 1880 and 1905)ref: The Glitter and the Gold by Consuelo Vanderbilt covers the store of her marriage to the 9th Duke of Marlborough in 1895. Others simply sold up their estates to the Government.
2) Death Duties, Capital Transfer & Wealth Taxes – especially the land tax of 1909
3) Eccentricity – inter breeding and disastrous father/son relationships.
Top Land Owning Dukes (2001) in land value order
Duke of Westminster (11.5 bn pounds), Duke of Northumberland (800 m pounds), duke of Devonshire (435 m pounds), Duke of Atholl (430 m pounds), Duke of Bedford (340 m pounds), Duke of Beaufort (310 m pounds) Duke of Buccleuch & Queensbury (282 m pounds), Duke of Richmond & Gordon (260 m pounds), Duke of Norfolk (210 m pounds), Duke of Rutland (150 m pounds), Duke of Roxburgh (150 m pounds)
Top Landowners in the UK in acreage order
Forestry Commission, Ministry of Defense, national Trust (England & Wales), Pension Funds ?, Utilities, Crown Estate, RSPB, Duke of Buccleuch, National Trust (Scotland), Duke of Atholl, Duchy of Cornwall, Duke of Westminster, Church of England.
The Peerage (ref: The Dukes by Brian Masters – 2000 edition)
Five Ranks: Duke (Duchess), Marquess (Marchioness), Earl (Countess), Viscount (ess), Baron (ess). Baronets are hereditary knights, invented by James I to raise money!
This ends bits from Rob Williamson’s handout
He suggested reading The Dukes by Brian Masters and also “Order Order, a Parliamentary Miscellany” by Robert Rogers which unfortunately is out of print but available at Amazon for about 80 pounds.
He said Margaret Thatcher was given the title of Baroness but her husband got a Baronet title and her son is now a Sir because it is hereditary. All of the ranks are known as Lords and Ladies but the Duke and Duchess are called “Duke and Duchess”. Until 1991, all had seats in the House of Lords automatically but in 1991, the hereditary bit of House of Lords seats was ended.
Livery: it is originally a uniform to show the trade you were in and its function was to provide burials and to look after widows and orphans. Also to keep out foreign competition. Kept them out because didn’t recognize them as following a trade so they couldn’t practice in the City of London. Now mainly they do charity work. Now the guildhall is open for touring
Churches often connected to livery and liveries often had dining rooms as well and the goldsmith livery dining room is the most opulent
There are currently 108 Liveries including the Information Technologists formed in 1992
The next bits are from Rob Williamson’s handout:
“””Mercers – members all merchants. Provided more than 70 Lord Mayors. No 1 in precedence
Grocers – originally the Pepperers – 1180 – controlled spices and drugs
Drapers – merchants of woolen cloth, very important in middle ages
Fishmongers – controlled wet & dry fish trades, still regulates Billingsgate today
Goldsmiths – existed prior to 1180. Responsible for testing and marking silver, platinum & gold and operating the “hallmark” system. Receipts for gold deposited encouraged paper month
Merchant Tailors – developed from the Tailors & Linen Armourers.
Skinners – controlled the fur trade until the 18th C. Royalty & aristocracy wore fur collars
Haberdashers – dived into makers of hats and small wares or milliners
Salters – salt was expensive & important for preserving food.
Ironmongers – dealers in iron around 1300
Vintners – wine importers from 1364 when given monopoly of Gascony trade.
Clothworkers – formed by a merger of Shearmen & Fullers in 1528
City of London’s Privileges
Originated from the diplomatic settlement between the City and William the Conqueror. Henry I granted the City the right to collect its own taxes and the first Lord Mayor – Henry Ritz Aylwin – was elected in 1189. The merchants’ support for the nobles against King John led to the signing of the Magna Carta. The City government had a history of semi-autonomy since the days of the Saxon Folk Moot at Paul’s Cross, summoned 3 times a year to air grievances. The City divided into 24 wards, each with 1 Alderman and its own court with a weekly Hustling to settle commercial disputes. The definition of a free citizen was determined by membership of a Livery. To join you had to: 1) show patrimony 2) undergo a 7 year apprenticeship or 3) purchase your way in.
Guilds – bodies of men with a common interest – grew around the 11th C in towns and cities all over England and Europe. The representation of trades in London, full of foreign competitors, was meant to limit competition, maintain standards & quality, care for the sick, widows & orphans, provide a decent burial for its members and place to worship & meet – a first in Guildhall.”””” (End of handout bits)
The government means: Parliament of the House of Lords and Commons and the Sovereign.
May of this year, will be the opening of Parliament which the Queen does but reads a speech that they have written for her.
Heralds word coats of arms and were messengers so rarely attacked by either side
In current house of Lords there are more than 200 “Cross benches” which means they sit in the middle and are not Labor or Tory but have no political party.
You can get your own coat of arms made and recognized by the College of Arms but costs about 60,000 pounds.
Every Tue at 2 p.m. is a public tour of the Lord Mayer’s house. David Wooten is the current 684th Lord Mayer
Lord Mayors are only elected for 12 months. Don’t get paid, makes 700 speeches a year. It is not a political thing. Elected by 9000 in the city to promote investment
House of Lord’s doesn’t get paid either but gets 300 pounds a day for attendance
The queen’s yacht, Britannia is in Edinburgh and is a museum
No comments:
Post a Comment