The Most Honourable Order of the Bath
Becoming a Knight was a rite of passage in medieval times. In those days, a knight-to-be would prepare for his investiture by taking a bath and holding a solitary vigil in silent prayer. By cleansing his body and soul in this way, he would make a pledge to a future of knightly conduct. It’s this purification ritual that lends The Most Honourable Order of the Bath its unusual name.
By the time His Majesty King George I revived the order, it had almost been completely forgotten. However, over the 18th century, it became the highest military honour, prized by all who received it. Among its Knights were some of the greatest leaders of the time, including the Duke of Wellington. Ede and Ravenscroft supplied the mantles to many other member Knights from the order’s revival to the present day.
At the end of the Napoleonic Wars, His Royal Highness the Prince Regent created a new division of civil knights for the order and today, the order has three classes: Knights Grand Cross, Knights Commander, and Companions. Each class has a military and civil division.
The order’s emblem is three gold crowns within a circle surrounded by the motto, “Tria Juncta in Uno”, or “Three Joined in One”. What this motto refers to is a mystery: possibly the three crowns symbolised the Union of England, France and Scotland, or even England, Scotland and Ireland. Some believe it refers to the Holy Trinity. The badges of the Military Division are slightly different. They include a laurel wreath and scroll bearing the words “Ich Dien”, or “I serve”.
The chance to see the Knights in their full regalia is relatively rare. Their service occurs only once every four years at their spiritual home, the King Henry VII Chapel at Westminster Abbey. But it’s worth the wait. They look every inch the gallant Knight, in mantles of crimson silk satin lined with white silk taffeta. A silver and gold hand embroidered badge on the left breast bears their emblem and motto. The mantles have no hood, but they are closed at the neck using cloth cordons with crimson and gold tassles. The collars of the order are attached to the mantle with white silk satin bows on the shoulder.
Ede and Ravenscroft has been involved in the creation of the order’s robes since 1725, the year the order was established.
