Knightly orders, Garter and othewise (was Ms. vs. Miss; to Dame or not to Dame)

[pengolodh_sc at yahoo.no]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., "Amy Z" <aiz24 at h...> wrote:
> Christian asked:
> 
> > To my knowledge, while the Queen can award membership in the
> > relevant orders to foreign citizens, these recipients do not
> > receive the right to title themselves "Sir" or "Dame".  
> 
> That's what I understand.  Now what's the point if I'm not even 
> allowed to call myself Dame Amy?  (Has a nice internal-rhyme-
> induced ring to it, don't it?)
> 
> What's the Order of the Garter?
> 
> Amy Z

This makes for a long post.  To start with your question, The Order 
of the Garter is the highest English Order of Chivalry (it is 
English, not British), and was founded in 1348 by King Edward III 
(reportedly following a ball where he picked up a garter that the 
Countess of Salisbury lost, and tied it around his own leg, retorting 
to snickering onlookers:  "Honi soit qui mal y pense. I shall turn it 
into the most honoured garter ever worn").  It has a single class 
(Knight Companion or Lady Companion), with very restricted 
membership; there may only be 24 Knights and Ladies Companion in 
addition to the Sovereign, the Prince or Princess of Wales, sons of 
the Sovereign, and lineal descendants of George I and George II.  
Ladies were, from the beginning, admitted as honorary members, but 
this practise died out, and not until recently was the statutes 
changed, so that Ladies Companion could be admitted, the first being 
the Duchess of Norfolk in 1990.  Foreign royalty may be admitted as 
Extra Knights and Ladies of the Garter.  Non-Christians are not 
admitted.  Knights Companion of the Garter may not be Knights of the 
Order of the Thistle.

The above is a summary of information found at 
http://www.kwtelecom.com/chivalry/britords.html
(note that this site is not complete, and has not been updated since 
1997)

Below are some British orders and decorations, with abbreviations and 
mottoes where I know them.  It is a list I assembled a year I was 
part of an rpg-campaign where we played members of the British upper 
class in the early 1920s.  Sources were numerous books and 
encyclopaedia.  There may be errors in the below.

For more information, see the above link, as well as 
http://www.cam.ac.uk/societies/cuhags/m_of_b/orders.htm

Abbreviations are used following your surname (e.g. "Sir Humphrey 
Appleby, K.C.M.G.").



The Victoria Cross                                   -   V.C.
   The highest-ranking British award of merit, for the utmost bravery 
and gallantry in battle.  Made of bronze, originally provided by 
melting down old guns from the Crimean War.  

The George Cross                                     -   G.C.
   Created in, I believe, 1944.  The companion to the Victoria Cross, 
with the same requirement for bravery, but for bravery displayed 
while not in combat (such as in police-service, or in fire-
fighting).  Was awarded collectively to the island of Malta for the 
bravery and courage displayed by the population there during WW2, is 
displayed in that nations flag.

The Most Noble Order of the Garter
   Motto:  Honi soit qui mal y pense ("Shame to him who thinks evil 
of it", or more popularly, "Evil to him who evil thinks") 
   Knight or Lady of the Garter                      -   K.G. or L.G.

The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle
   Motto:  Nemo me impune lacessit ("No one provokes me with 
impunity")
   Knight of the Thistle (women not admitted, TMK)   -   K.T.

The Most Illustrious Order of St. Patrick (not awarded since 1934)
   Knight of St. Patrick (women not admitted, TMK)   -   K.P. 

The Order of Merit                                   -   O.M.

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath
   Knight Grand Cross                                -   G.C.B.
   Knight Commander                                  -   K.C.B.
   Companion                                         -   C.B.

The Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George
   Knight Grand Cross                                -   G.C.M.G.
   Knight Commander                                  -   K.C.M.G.
   Companion                                         -   C.M.G.

The Royal Victorian Order
   Knight or Dame Grand Cross                        -   G.C.V.O.
   Knight or Dame Commander                          -   K.C.V.O.
   Commander                                         -   C.V.O.
   Lieutenant                                        -   L.V.O.
   Member                                            -   M.V.O.

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
   Knight or Dame Grand Cross                 -   G.B.E.
   Knight or Dame Commander                   -   K.B.E. or D.B.E.
   Commander                                  -   C.B.E.
   Officer                                    -   O.B.E.
   Member                                     -   M.B.E.

The Order of the Companions of Honour	
Companion of Honour                                  -   C.H.

The Distinguished Service Order                      -   D.S.O.

The Distinguished Service Cross (RN)                 -   D.S.C.

The Distinguished Service Medal                      -   D.S.M.

The Distinguished Flying Cross (RAF)                 -   D.F.C.

The Distinguished Flying Medal (RAF)                 -   D.F.M.

The Air Force Cross                                  -   A.F.C.

The Air Force Medal                                  -   A.F.M.

The Imperial Service Order                           -   I.S.O.

The Imperial Service Medal                           -   I.S.M.

The Royal Victorian Medal                            -   R.V.O. 
   For personal military service to the monarch

The Royal Red Cross
   Awarded solely to women
   Member                                            -   R.R.C.
   Associate                                         -   A.R.R.C.

The Military Cross                                   -   M.C.

The Military Medal                                   -   M.M.

Orders and medals for which I do not know of any abbreviations. 

The Albert Medal - Four Classes

The Distinguished Conduct Medal

The Conspicuous Gallantry Medal

The St. John of Jerusalem Life Saving Medal (possibly non-official)

The Grand Priory in the British Realm of the Venerable Order of St. 
John of Jerusalem (for short:  The Venerable Order (of St. John)) - 
for medical service - six classes.  Separate priory for USA.

Bailiff and Dame Grand Cross
Knight and Dame (of Justice, or of Grace)
Commander Brother or Sister
Officer Brother or Sister
Serving Brother or Sister
Esquire

see http://www.saintjohn.org/  

Is not an official order of the British Government, or part of the 
British Honour System.  The Venerable Order operates the St. John Eye 
Hospital in Old East Jerusalem, and the Saint John Ambulance operates 
thousands of ambulances throughout the Commonwealth, as well as 
training volunteers in first-aid.

The Grand Priory is, through The Chivalric Alliance of Hospitallers 
of Saint John of Jerusalem, in alliance with Sovereign, Military and 
Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, called of Rhodes and of 
Malta;
Also known as:
(1113-1309) Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem
(1309-1522) Order of the Knights of Rhodes
(1530-1798) Sovereign and Military Order of the Knights of Malta
(1834-1961) Knights Hospitaller of St. John of Jerusalem)
This order is the original hospitaller order of crusade fame, and it 
recognises four other orders as affiliate orders of St. John.  These 
include the Venerable Order in Britain, the Bailiwick of Brandenburg 
in Germany, and Johanniter-Order in Sweden and the Johanniter-Order 
in Netherlands.  They are all religious, but the Venerable Order of 
St. John does not place demands on specific denomination.  The 
others, TMK, do.

Other orders that style themselves as orders of St. John have nothing 
to do with the Knights Hospitaller, and if they claim so, they are 
frauds.