Order of the Bath

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a special group created by King George I on 18 May 1725. It is one of the important orders of chivalry in the United Kingdom. People who receive this honor are usually important military leaders or high-ranking civil servants. The king or queen gives this award based on advice from the government.

The name "Order of the Bath" comes from an old medieval ceremony where people getting ready to become knights would have a ritual bath as a symbol of purification. Not all knights had this ceremony, but those who did were called "knights of the Bath."

Today, the Order has three main levels: Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross, Knight Commander or Dame Commander, and Companion. There are also two divisions: Civil and Military. The top leader of the Order is the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, currently King Charles III, and the Great Master is William, Prince of Wales. The Order of the Bath is the fourth most important of the British orders of chivalry, after the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Thistle, and the Order of St Patrick.

History

Knights of the Bath

In the Middle Ages, becoming a knight often included special ceremonies. These ceremonies usually started with a bath, which might have been a symbol of cleaning the soul. After the bath, the person would rest, then wear special clothes and stay up all night in a church. In the morning, they would talk to a priest, go to a special church service, and then rest again until daylight. When it was fully light, they would meet the king. The king would have two senior knights put special shoes on the new knight, wrap a belt around them, and gently hit their neck with a hand or a sword. This act made them a knight. Over time, a simpler way of making knights developed, where the king would just tap the shoulder of the person with a sword, which is still done today. In the early middle ages, these full ceremonies were only for people from important families.

From the time of King Henry IV in 1399, these full ceremonies were only used for big royal events, like when a new king was crowned, or when a prince or duke was being honored. The knights made in these ceremonies were called Knights of the Bath. Regular knights, called Knights Bachelor, were made with the simpler ceremony. The last time Knights of the Bath were made was at the coronation of King Charles II in 1661.

Foundation of the order

The Order of the Bath was created by John Anstis, who was the top officer for managing royal symbols and family histories. Robert Walpole, the main leader of the government, also wanted this order to be created. He thought it would help him politically because it would give him more ways to reward people and strengthen his position. The order was officially started by a document signed by King George I on May 18, 1725.

At first, the Order had the king, a special prince, a main leader called the Great Master, and 35 knights. There were also seven officers to help with the Order. Most of the first knights were important people in government or connected to the king, not many were military leaders. The ceremonies for making new knights were changed over time. By 1812, even the special ceremony called the Installation was no longer required, though it was brought back later.

Restructuring in 1815

In 1815, after a big war, the Prince Regent, who later became King George IV, changed the Order of the Bath. He wanted officers who had done very well in the war to be honored. The Order was now split into three levels: Knights Grand Cross, Knights Commander, and Companions. The number of knights in each level was set, and they had to have certain ranks or achievements. Some people complained that making so many new knights might make the honor less special.

Victorian era

In 1847, Queen Victoria changed the rules of the Order again. She removed words that suggested it was only for military people, so now civil servants could also be honored. She also stopped the old, complicated ceremonies but started a new ceremony where the king would give out the honors. In later years, more changes were made, such as allowing women to join the Order starting in 1971.

Composition

The British Sovereign is the leader of the Order of the Bath. The Sovereign chooses members of the Order based on advice from the Government.

The Great Master is the next highest member. There have been many Great Masters over time, including princes and kings. The Great Master watches over the Order and helps follow its rules.

The Order has different levels of membership. There are 120 Knights or Dames Grand Cross, 355 Knights or Dames Commander, and 1,925 Companions. These members are usually senior officers in the military or important civil servants from the United Kingdom and other countries where the British monarch is the leader.

Honorary members can also join the Order. These are usually leaders from other countries or important military leaders. Honorary members do not count towards the total number of members allowed in each level.

Habit and insignia

Members of the Order wear special uniforms for important events like coronations. These uniforms change based on the person's rank.

Knights and Dames Grand Cross wear a fancy mantle made of crimson satin with white lining, and a special hat made of black velvet with feathers. They also wear a gold collar that has crowns and flowers from England, Scotland, and Ireland.

Simpler signs are used on less formal days. These signs, called stars, look different for military and civil members and show the person's rank. There are also badges that match these stars, worn on ribbons. On special "collar days," members can wear the gold collar over their regular clothes.

Chapel

The Chapel of the Order is located in the Henry VII Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey. Important members of the Order, such as the Sovereign, Great Master, and Knights and Dames Grand Cross, have special seats called stalls in the chapel's choir area. Above each stall, their family symbols are displayed.

Every four years, a special ceremony and religious service are held in the chapel, led by the Great Master. The most recent service was on Friday, 16 May 2025, with the King and the Prince of Wales present. Because there are only a limited number of stalls, only the highest-ranking members are invited to have one. When a stall becomes empty, it is offered to the next most senior member of the Order. Sometimes it can take many years before someone is invited to use a stall after they first join the Order.

Privileges

Members of the Order of the Bath have special places in a list that decides their importance in formal events. Wives of male members also have places in this list, as do sons, daughters, and daughters-in-law of the highest-ranking members, but relatives of female members do not get special places.

Knights of the highest ranks can add 'Sir' before their names, and women of the highest ranks can add 'Dame' before theirs. Wives of Knights can add 'Lady' before their last names, but husbands of Dames do not have a similar honor. These special names are not used by royalty or certain religious leaders.

Knights and Dames of the highest rank use the letters GCB after their names, Knights and Dames of the next rank use KCB and DCB, and others use CB.

Revocation

Sometimes, a person can lose their membership in the Order of the Bath. This can happen if they do something very wrong, like treason or a serious crime. When this happens, a special meeting decides, and the person’s name is removed from the official list.

A few people have had their membership taken away. For example, in 1940, an important leader from Italy lost his title after his country went to war with the UK. In other cases, people lost their titles after being found guilty of serious crimes. These decisions are made by the monarch and can sometimes be changed later.

Current Knights and Dames Grand Cross

The Order of the Bath has six important roles today. These roles help manage the order and its ceremonies. Some of these roles are held by special people chosen for their work and achievements.