![]() The Thistle KnightsThe Order consists of the Sovereign and sixteen Knights and Ladies, as well as certain "extra" knights (members of the British Royal Family and foreign monarchs). The Sovereign alone grants membership of the Order; he or she is not advised by the Government, as occurs with most other Orders. ![]() The sixteen members are required to be Scottish-born, though not the "extra" knights and ladies. The Order's primary emblem is the thistle, the national flower of Scotland. The motto is Nemo me impune lacessit (Latin for "No one provokes me with impunity"); the same motto also appears on the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom for use in Scotland and on some pound coins. The patron saint of the Order is St Andrew. Most British orders of chivalry cover the entire kingdom, but the three most exalted ones each pertain to one constituent country only. The Order of the Thistle, which pertains to Scotland, is the second-most senior in precedence. Its equivalent in England, The Most Noble Order of the Garter, is the oldest documented order of chivalry in the United Kingdom, dating to the middle fourteenth century. In 1783 an Irish equivalent, The Most Illustrious Order of St Patrick, was founded; since the independence of the greater part of Ireland the Order has fallen dormant (its last surviving knight died in 1974). History James VII ordained the modern Order. The
original
date of the Order's
foundation is unknown. According to legend, Óengus mac Fergusa (Angus),
King of the Picts, while engaged in battle at Athelstaneford with the
Saxon King Aethelstan of East Anglia, saw in the heavens the cross of
St Andrew. After he won the battle, Angus is said to have established
the Order of the Thistle, dedicating it to the saint, in 787. The tale is not credible, not only because of the unlikeliness of the alleged miracle, but also because the two individuals purported to have fought each other did not even reign during the same century. Another story states that Angus founded the Order in 809 to commemorate an alliance with the Emperor Charlemagne, which is a little less implausible given the Scottish bodyguards employed by Charlemagne. There is, in addition, a tradition that it was instituted, or re-instituted, on the battlefield by Robert I at Bannockburn. Many credit James III, who adopted the thistle as the royal plant badge and issued coins depicting thistles, with founding the Order during the fifteenth century. Others state that James V, who had been admitted to the Order of the Garter in England, the Order of St Michael in France and the Order of the Golden Fleece in the Holy Roman Empire, established the Order of the Thistle in 1540 because he was embarrassed that he had no honour to confer on foreign monarchs. He allegedly conferred membership of the "Order of the Burr or Thissil" on Francis I, King of France. Some Scottish order of chivalry definitely existed during the sixteenth century, but had lapsed by its conclusion. James VII issued letters patent "reviving and restoring the Order of the Thistle to its full glory, lustre and magnificency" in 1687. Eight knights, out of a maximum of twelve, were appointed, but the King was deposed in 1688. His successors, the joint monarchs William and Mary, did not make any further appointments to the Order, which consequently fell into desuetude. In 1703, however, Anne once again revived the Order of the Thistle, which survives to this day. Composition The Kings of Scotland—later the Kings of Great Britain and of the United Kingdom—have served as Sovereigns of the Order. When James VII revived the Order, the statutes stated that the Order would "consist of the Sovereign and twelve Knights-Brethren in allusion to the Blessed Saviour and his Twelve Apostles." In 1827, George IV augmented the Order to sixteen members. Women (other than Queens regnant) were originally excluded from the Order; Elizabeth II, however, allowed the admission of Ladies of the Thistle in 1987. From time to time, individuals may be admitted to the Order by special statutes. Such members are known as "Extra Knights" and do not count towards the sixteen-member limit. Members of the British Royal Family are normally admitted through this procedure; the first to be so admitted was a younger son of George III, HRH The Prince William Henry (later William IV). Olav V, King of Norway, the first foreigner to be admitted to the Order, was also admitted by special statute in 1962. The Sovereign has historically had the power to choose Knights and Ladies of the Order. From the eighteenth century onwards, the Sovereign made his or her choices upon the advice of the Government. George VI felt that the Orders of the Garter and the Thistle had been used only for political patronage, rather than to reward actual merit. Therefore, with the agreement of the Prime Minister (Clement Attlee) and the Leader of the Opposition (Winston Churchill) in 1946, the Order of the Thistle returned to the personal gift of the Sovereign. Knights and Ladies of the Thistle may also be admitted to the Order of the Garter. Formerly, many, but not all, Knights elevated to the senior Order would resign from the Order of the Thistle. The first to resign from the Order of the Thistle was John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll in 1710; the last to take such an action was Thomas Dundas, 2nd Earl of Zetland in 1872. Knights and Ladies of the Thistle may also be deprived of their knighthoods. The only individual to have suffered such a fate was John Erskine, 6th Earl of Mar who lost both the knighthood and the earldom after participating in the Jacobite rising of 1715. The Order has five officers: the Dean, the Chancellor, the Usher, the King of Arms and the Secretary. The Dean is normally a cleric of the Church of Scotland. The Chancellor is normally one of the knights, though not necessarily the most senior. The Usher of the Order is the Gentleman Usher of the Green Rod (unlike his Garter equivalent, the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, he does not have another function assisting the House of Lords). The King of Arms of the Order, responsible for heraldry, is the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Scottish Heraldry. The Lord Lyon often—but not invariably—also serves as the Secretary. The Thistle Chapel When James VII revived the Order in 1687, he directed that the Abbey Church at the Palace of Holyroodhouse be converted to a Chapel for the Order of the Thistle, perhaps copying the idea from the Order of the Garter (whose chapel is located in Windsor Castle). James VII, however, was deposed by 1688; the Chapel, meanwhile, had been destroyed during riots. The Order did not have a Chapel until 1911, when one was added onto St Giles High Kirk in Edinburgh. Each year, the Sovereign resides at the Palace of Holyroodhouse for a week in June or July; during the visit, a service for the Order is held. Any new Knights or Ladies are installed at annual services. Each member of the Order, including the Sovereign, is allotted a stall in the choir of the Chapel, above which his or her heraldic devices are displayed. Perched on the pinnacle of a knight's stall is his helm, decorated with a mantling and topped by his crest. Under the laws of heraldry, women other than monarchs do not bear helms or crests; instead, the coronet appropriate to the Lady's rank is used (see coronet). Unlike other British Orders, the armorial banners of Knights and Ladies of the Thistle are not hung in the chapel, but instead in an adjacent part of St Giles High Kirk. The Thistle Chapel does, however, bear the arms of members living and deceased on stall plates. These pieces of brass are affixed to the back of the stall and display its occupant's name, arms, and date of admission into the Order. Upon the death of a Knight, helm, mantling, crest (or coronet or crown) and sword are taken down. The stall plates, however, are not removed; rather, they remain permanently affixed somewhere about the stall, so that the stalls of the chapel are festooned with a colourful record of the Order's Knights (and now Ladies) since 1911. Precedence and privileges ![]() The badge of the Order is depicted suspended from the collar. Knights and Ladies of the Thistle may also use the circlet, collar and badge on their arms.Knights and Ladies of the Thistle are assigned positions in the order of precedence, ranking above all others of knightly rank, and above baronets. Wives, sons, daughters and daughters-in-law of Knights of the Thistle also feature on the order of precedence; relatives of Ladies of the Thistle, however, are not assigned any special precedence. (Generally, individuals can derive precedence from their fathers or husbands, but not from their mothers or wives.) (See order of precedence in Scotland for the exact positions.) Knights of the Thistle prefix "Sir," and Ladies prefix "Lady," to their forenames. Wives of Knights may prefix "Lady" to their surnames, but no equivalent privilege exists for husbands of Ladies. Such forms are not used by peers and princes, except when the names of the former are written out in their fullest forms. Knights and Ladies use the post-nominal letters "KT" and "LT," respectively. When an individual is entitled to use multiple post-nominal letters, "KT" or "LT" appears before all others, except "Bt" or "Btss" (Baronet or Baronetess), "VC" (Victoria Cross), "GC" (George Cross) and "KG" or "LG" (Knight or Lady of the Garter). Knights and Ladies may encircle their arms with the circlet (a green circle bearing the Order's motto) and the collar of the Order; the former is shown either outside or on top of the latter. The badge is depicted suspended from the collar. The Royal Arms depict the circlet, superimposed over the collar, of the Thistle only in Scotland; they show the Garter in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Knights and Ladies are also entitled to receive heraldic supporters. This high privilege is only shared by members of the Royal Family, peers, Knights and Ladies of the Garter, and Knights and Dames Grand Cross and Knights Grand Commanders of the junior orders. List of Knights and Ladies of the Thistle The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle was founded in 1687. Dates shown are for election or installation. Knights Founders - 1687 James Drummond, 4th Earl of Perth (1648-1716) 1687 George Gordon, 1st Duke of Gordon (1649-1716) 1687 John Murray, 1st Marquess of Atholl (1631-1703) 1687 James Douglas, 4th Duke of Hamilton (1658-1712) 1687 Kenneth Mackenzie, 4th Earl of Seaforth (1661-1701) 1687 John Drummond, 1st Earl of Melfort (1650-1715) 1687 George Douglas, 1st Earl of Dunbarton (1635-1692) 1687 Alexander Stewart, 5th Earl of Moray (1634-1701) 1687 Eighteenth Century John Campbell, 2nd Duke of Argyll 1704 - Resigned 1710 when made KG John Murray, 1st Duke of Atholl 1704 William Johnston, 1st Marquess of Annandale 1704 James Scott, Earl of Dalkeith 1704 George Hamilton, 1st Earl of Orkney 1704 James Ogilvy, 1st Earl of Seafield 1704 William Kerr, 2nd Marquess of Lothian 1704 Charles Boyle, 4th Earl of Orrery 1704 John Erskine, 23rd Earl of Mar 1706 - Degraded 1715 Hugh Campbell, 3rd Earl of Loudoun 1706 John Dalrymple, 2nd Earl of Stair 1710 David Colyear, 1st Earl of Portmore1713 John Gordon, 16th Earl of Sutherland 1716 William Cadogan, 1st Baron Cadogan 1716 - Later Earl Cadogan Thomas Hamilton, 6th Earl of Haddington 1717 Charles Bennet, 1st Earl of Tankerville 1721 Francis Scott, Earl of Dalkeith 1725 - Later 2nd Duke of Buccleuch William Capell, 3rd Earl of Essex 1725 - Resigned 1738 when made KG Alexander Hume-Campbell, 2nd Earl of Marchmont 1725 James Douglas-Hamilton, 5th Duke of Hamilton 1726 Charles Bennet, 2nd Earl of Tankerville 1730 Charles Stuart, 6th Earl of Moray 1731 Charles Colyear, 2nd Earl of Portmore 1732 James Murray, 2nd Duke of Atholl 1734 William Kerr, 3rd Marquess of Lothian 1734 James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton 1738 John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute 1738 - Resigned 1762 when made KG Charles Hope, 1st Earl of Hopetoun 1738 Augustus Berkeley, 4th Earl of Berkeley 1739 James Stuart, 8th Earl of Moray 1741 John Carmichael, 3rd Earl of Hyndford 1742 Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart 1743 Cosmo George Gordon, 3rd Duke of Gordon 1748 William Dalrymple-Crichton, 5th Earl of Dumfries 1752 Francis Greville, 1st Earl Brooke 1753 John Leslie, 10th Earl of Rothes 1753 James Douglas-Hamilton, 6th Duke of Hamilton 1755 Charles Schaw Cathcart, 9th Lord Cathcart 1763 William Douglas, Earl of March 1763 - Later 5th Duke of Queensberry John Campbell, 4th Duke of Argyll 1765 Henry Scott, 3rd Duke of Buccleuch 1767 - Resigned 1794 when made KG John Murray, 3rd Duke of Atholl 1767 Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle 1767 - Resigned 1793 William Henry Kerr, 4th Marquess of Lothian 1768 David Murray, 7th Viscount Stormont 1768 - Later 2nd Earl of Mansfield John Ker, 3rd Duke of Roxburghe 1768 Prince William Henry 1770 - Later William IV, King of the United Kingdom Neil Primrose, 3rd Earl of Rosebery 1771 Robert Henley, 2nd Earl of Northington 1773 Alexander Gordon, 4th Duke of Gordon 1775 John Stewart, 7th Earl of Galloway 1775 William John Kerr, 5th Marquess of Lothian 1776 Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 8th Duke of Hamilton 1786 Thomas Brudenell-Bruce, 1st Earl of Ailesbury 1786 James Graham, 3rd Duke of Montrose 1793 - Resigned 1812 when made KG John Poulett, 4th Earl Poulett 1794 George Douglas, 16th Earl of Morton 1797 John Murray, 4th Duke of Atholl 1800 Nineteenth Century William Schaw Cathcart, 10th Lord Cathcart 1805 Later Earl Cathcart George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen 1808 Charles William Henry Montagu-Douglas-Scott, 4th Duke of Buccleuch 1812 Hugh Montgomerie, 12th Earl of Montgomerie 1812 George Stewart, 8th Earl of Galloway 1814 Henry Nevill, 2nd Earl of Abergavenny 1814 Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine 1815 Charles Brudenell-Bruce, 2nd Earl of Ailesbury 1819 - Later Marquess of Ailesbury William Kerr, 6th Marquess of Lothian 1820 George Hay, 8th Marquess of Tweeddale 1820 Archibald Kennedy, 12th Earl of Cassilis 1821 - Later Marquess of Ailsa James Maitland, 8th Earl of Lauderdale 1821 Robert Saunders-Dundas, 2nd Viscount Melville 1821 Charles Douglas, 6th Marquess of Queensberry 1821 George Gordon, 5th Earl of Aboyne 1827 - Later 9th Marquess of Huntly Henry Richard Greville, 3rd Earl Brooke 1827 James Duff, 4th Earl of Fife 1827 Francis Stuart, 10th Earl of Moray 1827 Prince Augustus, Duke of Sussex 1830 Walter Francis Montagu-Douglas-Scott, 5th Duke of Buccleuch 1830 - Resigned 1835 when made KG William George Hay, 18th Earl of Erroll 1834 David William Murray, 3rd Earl of Mansfield 1835 John Campbell, 2nd Marquess of Breadalbane 1838 James Henry Robert Innes-Ker, 6th Duke of Roxburghe 1840 Archibald John Primrose, 4th Earl of Rosebery 1840 HRH Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 1842 William David Murray, 4th Earl of Mansfield and Mansfield 1843 John Crichton-Stuart, 2nd Marquess of Bute 1843 James Graham, 4th Duke of Montrose 1845 John Hamilton Dalrymple, 8th Earl of Stair 1847 James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin 1847 James Andrew Broun-Ramsay, 10th Earl of Dalhousie 1848 - Later Marquess of Dalhousie Robert Dundas Haldane-Duncan, 1st Earl of Camperdown 1848 Alexander George Fraser, 16th Lord Saltoun 1852 Archibald Montgomerie, 13th Earl of Eglinton 1853 Thomas Hamilton, 9th Earl of Haddington 1853 Fox Maule Ramsay, 1st Baron Panmure 1853 - Later 11th Earl of Dalhousie George Augustus Frederick John Murray, 6th Duke of Atholl 1853 George Douglas Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll 1856 George William Fox Kinnaird, 9th Lord Kinnaird 1857 Archibald Kennedy, 2nd Marquess of Ailsa 1859 James Duff, 5th Earl of Fife 1860 Thomas Dundas, 2nd Earl of Zetland 1861 - Resigned 1872 when made KG Robert Montgomery Hamilton, 8th Lord Belhaven and Stenton 1861 David Graham Drummond Ogilvy, 10th Earl of Airlie 1862 Francis Napier, 10th Lord Napier 1864 HRH Prince Alfred Ernest Albert 1864 - Later Duke of Edinburgh Thomas Alexander Fraser, 14th Lord Lovat 1865 John Hamilton-Dalrymple, 10th Earl of Stair 1865 HRH Albert Edward, Prince of Wales 1867 - Later Edward VII, King of the United Kingdom John James Hugh Henry Stewart-Murray, 7th Duke of Atholl 1868 James Carnegie, 9th Earl of Southesk 1869 HRH Prince Arthur William Patrick Albert 1869 - Later Duke of Connaught William Hugh Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 3rd Earl of Minto 1870 John Douglas Sutherland Campbell, Marquess of Lorne 1871 - Later 9th Duke of Argyll HRH Prince Leopold George Duncan Albert 1871 - Later Duke of Albany Charles John Colville, 10th Lord Colville of Culross 1874 - Later Viscount Colville of Culross John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute 1875 William Henry Walter Montagu-Douglas-Scott, Earl of Dalkeith 1875 - Later 6th Duke of Buccleuch William Stirling-Maxwell 1876 William Alexander Stephen Douglas-Hamilton, 12th Duke of Hamilton 1878 Schomberg Henry Kerr, 9th Marquess of Lothian 1878 John Charles Ogilvy-Grant, 7th Earl of Seafield 1879 Douglas Beresford Malise Ronald Graham, 5th Duke of Montrose 1879 Alexander William George Duff, 6th Earl of Fife 1881 John William Ramsay, 13th Earl of Dalhousie 1881 HRH Prince George William Frederick Charles, Duke of Cambridge 1881 Alan Plantagenet Stewart, 10th Earl of Galloway 1888 James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford 1891 HRH Prince George Frederick Ernest Albert, Duke of York 1893- Later George V, King of the United Kingdom Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery 1895 William Montagu Hay, 10th Marquess of Tweeddale 1898 Charles Alexander Douglas-Home, 12th Earl of Home 1899 Lawrence Dundas, 1st Marquess of Zetland 1900 John Adrian Louis Hope, 7th Earl of Hopetoun 1900 - Later Marquess of Linlithgow Twentieth Century Alexander Hugh Bruce, 6th Lord Balfour of Burleigh 1901 Charles Gore Hay, 20th Earl of Erroll 1901 Henry John Innes-Ker, 8th Duke of Roxburghe 1902 George Baillie-Hamilton, 11th Earl of Haddington 1902 Ronald Ruthven Leslie-Melville, 11th Earl of Leven 1905 John Campbell Hamilton-Gordon, 7th Earl of Aberdeen 1906 - Later Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair Edward Marjoribanks, 2nd Baron Tweedmouth 1908 Gavin George Hamilton, 2nd Baron Hamilton of Dalzell 1909 Walter John Francis Erskine, 12th Earl of Mar and Kellie 1911 Donald James Mackay, 11th Lord Reay 1911 Richard Burdon Haldane, 1st Viscount Haldane 1913 HRH Prince Arthur Frederick Patrick Albert of Connaught 1913 Arthur Fitzgerald Kinnaird, 11th Lord Kinnaird 1914 Simon Joseph Fraser, 16th Lord Lovat 1915 John Charles Montagu-Douglas-Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch 1917 Douglas Haig 1917 Later Earl Haig John George Stewart-Murray, 8th Duke of Atholl 1918 David Alexander Edward Lindsay, 27th Earl of Crawford 1921 HRH Edward Albert Christian George, Prince of Wales 1922 - Later Edward VIII, King of the United Kingdom John Crichton-Stuart, 4th Marquess of Bute 1922 HRH Prince Albert Frederick Arthur George, Duke of York 1923 - Later George VI, King of the United Kingdom Algernon Hawkins Thomond Keith-Falconer, 9th Earl of Kintore 1923 Ronald Crauford Munro-Ferguson, 1st Viscount Novar 1926 Sidney Herbert Elphinstone, 16th Lord Elphinstone 1927 Victor Alexander John Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow 1928 Claude George Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne 1928 George Granville Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, 5th Duke of Sutherland 1929 John Maxwell Stirling-Maxwell 1929 Charles Cospatrick Archibald Douglas-Home, 13th Earl of Home 1930 Herbert Eustace Maxwell 1933 HRH Prince Henry William Frederick Albert, Duke of Gloucester 1933 Edward James Bruce, 10th Earl of Elgin 1933 Archibald Alexander Leslie-Melville, 13th Earl of Leven 1934 Donald Walter Cameron 1934 HRH Prince George Edward Alexander Edmund, Duke of Kent 1 1935 HM Queen Elizabeth 1937 Iain Colquhoun 1937 John James Dalrymple, 12th Earl of Stair 1937 Philip Henry Kerr, 11th Marquess of Lothian 1940 Archibald Henry Macdonald Sinclair 1940 - Later Viscount Thurso David Lyulph Gore Wolseley Ogilvy, 12th Earl of Airlie 1942 Andrew Browne Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham 1945 James Graham, 6th Duke of Montrose 1947 Albert Edward Harry Meyer Archibald Primrose, 6th Earl of Rosebery 1947 Walter John Montagu-Douglas-Scott, 8th Duke of Buccleuch 1949 Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, 14th Duke of Hamilton 1951 George Baillie-Hamilton, 12th Earl of Haddington 1951 Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (b. 1921) 1952 Alexander Steven Bilsland, 1st Baron Bilsland 1955 David Alexander Robert Lindsay, 28th Earl of Crawford 1955 John Stirling 1956 George Mathers, 1st Baron Mathers 1956 Kenneth Fitzgerald Kinnaird, 12th Lord Kinnaird 1957 Thomas Godfrey Polson Corbett, 2nd Baron Rowallan 1957 Olaf V, King of Norway 1962 Alexander Frederick Douglas-Home, 14th Earl of Home 1962 - Later Baron Home of the Hirsel Robert Gordon Menzies 1963 James Wilson Robertson 1965 Francis David Charteris, 12th Earl of Wemyss and March 1966 John Charles Walsham Reith, 1st Baron Reith 1968 Charles Hector Fitzroy Maclean, Baron Maclean 1969 Simon Ramsay, 16th Earl of Dalhousie 1971 Richard Nugent O'Connor 1971 Ronald John Bilsland Colville, 2nd Baron Clydesmuir 1972 Robert Ian Algernon Forbes-Leith 1972 Harald Robert Leslie, Baron Birsay 1973 John Scott Maclay, 1st Viscount Muirshiel 1973 Donald Hamish Cameron of Lochiel 1973 Bernard Edward Fergusson, Baron Ballantrae 1974 George Nigel Douglas-Hamilton, 10th Earl of Selkirk 1976 William Hunter MacFadzean, Baron MacFadzean 1976 HRH Charles Philip Arthur George, Prince of Wales (b. 1948) 1977 John Cameron, Baron Cameron 1978 Walter Francis John Montagu-Douglas-Scott, 9th Duke of Buccleuch 1978 Andrew Douglas Alexander Bruce, 11th Earl of Elgin 1981 George Morgan Thomson, Baron Thomson of Monifieth 1981 Neil Cameron, Baron Cameron of Balhousie 1983 Crawford Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch 1983 David George Coke Patrick Ogilvy, 13th Earl of Airlie 1985 Iain Mark Tennant 1986 William Stephen Ian Whitelaw, 1st Viscount Whitelaw 1990 Fitzroy Hew Maclean 1993 George Younger, 4th Viscount Younger of Leckie 1995 John Campbell Arbuthnott, 16th Viscount of Arbuthnott 1996 Robert Alexander Lindsay, 29th Earl of Crawford 1996 Lady Marion Anne Fraser 1996 Norman Somerville Macfarlane, Baron Macfarlane of Bearsden 1996 James Peter Hymers Mackay, Baron Mackay of Clashfern 1997 HRH Anne, Princess Royal (b. 1950) 2000 David Clive Wilson, Baron Wilson of Tillyorn 2000 Twenty-First Century Stewart Ross Sutherland, Baron Sutherland of Houndwood (b. 1941) 2002 William Eric Kinloch Anderson (b. 1936) 2002 David Steel, Baron Steel of Aikwood (b. 1938) 2004 George Robertson, Baron Robertson of Port Ellen (b. 1946) 2004 |
|
| Frost's
Scottish Gazette |
Scottish News |
| Scottish
Anatomy Index of Contents |
Scotland's
Who's Who |