Title indicating a knight not part of an order of chivalry
The title of
Knight Bachelor
is the basic rank granted to a man who has been
knighted
by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised
orders of chivalry
; it is a part of the
British honours system
.
[1]
Knights Bachelor are the most ancient sort of British knight
[2]
(the rank existed during the 13th-century reign of
King Henry III
), but Knights Bachelor rank below knights of chivalric orders. A man who is knighted is formally addressed as "
Sir
[First Name] [Surname]" or "Sir [First Name]" and his wife as "
Lady
[Surname]".
The designation "Bachelor" in this context conveys the concept of "junior in rank".
[3]
Criteria
[
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]
Knighthood is usually conferred for public service; amongst its recipients are all male judges of
His Majesty's High Court of Justice in England
. It is possible to be a Knight Bachelor and a junior member of an order of chivalry without being a knight of that order; this situation has become rather common, especially among those recognized for achievements in entertainment. For instance, Sir
Michael Gambon
, Sir
Mo Farah
, Sir
Derek Jacobi
, Sir
Anthony Hopkins
, Sir
Elton John
, Sir
Michael Caine
, Sir
Billy Connolly
, Sir
Barry Gibb
and Sir
Ian McKellen
are
Commanders of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
(CBE); Sir
Patrick Stewart
, Sir
Cliff Richard
, Sir
Tom Jones
and Sir
Van Morrison
are
Officers of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
(OBE); while Sir
Paul McCartney
, Sir Richard Starkey (
Ringo Starr
), and Sir
Nick Faldo
are
Members of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
(MBE). None of them would be entitled to use the honorific "Sir" by virtue of their membership of the order alone, but as they are all also Knights Bachelor, they are entitled to preface their names with that title.
Honorifics and post-nominal letters
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Knights Bachelor may prefix "
Sir
" to their forenames, and wives of Knights may prefix "Lady" to their surnames.
[1]
[4]
[5]
The award originated in the
Middle Ages
. There are no
post-nominal letters
associated with the honour nor can it be awarded to women. (They are appointed
Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire
instead.)
[6]
Insignia
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Until 1926, Knights Bachelor had no insignia which they could wear, but in that year
King George V
issued a warrant authorising the wearing of a badge on all appropriate occasions by Knights Bachelor; this badge is worn on the left side of the coat or outer garment. Measuring
2
+
3
⁄
8
inches (60 mm) in length and
1
+
3
⁄
8
inches (35 mm) in width, it is described in
heraldic
terms as follows:
[7]
Upon an oval medallion of
vermilion
, enclosed by a scroll a cross-hilted sword belted and sheathed,
pommel
upwards, between two spurs,
rowels
upwards, the whole set about with the sword belt, all gilt.
In 1974,
Queen Elizabeth II
issued a further warrant authorising the wearing on appropriate occasions of a neck badge, slightly smaller, and in miniature. In 1988, a new certificate of authentication, a knight's only personal documentation, was designed by the
College of Arms
.
[7]
Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor
[
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]
The
Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor
[8]
was founded for the maintenance and consolidation of the Dignity of Knights Bachelor in 1908, and obtained official recognition from the Sovereign in 1912. The Society keeps records of all Knights Bachelor, in their interest.
Equivalence
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]
There is no female counterpart to Knight Bachelor. The lowest knightly honour that can be conferred upon a woman is
Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
(DBE), which is one rank higher than Knight Bachelor (being the female equivalent of KBE or Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, which is the next male knightly rank above Knight Bachelor).
Only citizens of
Commonwealth realms
can be created Knights Bachelor; people of other nationalities are generally made
honorary
KBEs.
[9]
See also
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Notes
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References
[
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]
External links
[
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]
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Orders
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Dormant
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Defunct
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Other
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Current
decorations
and medals
| Level 1
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Level 2A
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Level 2B
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Level 3A
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Level 3B
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Level 4
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Other
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Obsolete
decorations
and medals
| Level 1
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Level 2A
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Level 2B
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Level 3A
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Level 3B
|
- Constabulary Medal (Ireland)
- Union of South Africa King's Medal for Bravery, Silver
- Kaisar-i-Hind Medal (Gold, Silver, Bronze)
- Indian Police Medal, for Gallantry
- Ceylon Police Medal, for Gallantry
- Sierra Leone Police Medal, for Gallantry
- Sierra Leone Fire Brigades Medal, for Gallantry
- Mauritius Police Medal for Meritorious Service
- Colonial Police Medal, for Gallantry
- Canada Medal
- Queen's Medal for Chiefs
- Indian Police Medal, for Meritorious Service
- Ceylon Police Medal, for Merit
- Sierra Leone Police Medal, for Meritorious Service
- Sierra Leone Fire Brigades Medal, for Meritorious Service
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Level 4
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