Order of the Thistle
Another story is that the Order was founded in 809 to commemorate an alliance between Achaius and Emperor Charlemagne. There is some plausibility to this theory as Charlemagne is believed to have employed Scottish bodyguards. But another version is that Robert the Bruce instituted the Order after his victory at Bannockburn in 1314.
Most historians consider the earliest credible claim to be the founding of the Order by James III, during the fifteenth century, who adopted the Thistle as the Royal Badge, issued coins depicting Thistles and allegedly conferred membership of the "Order of the Burr or Thissil" in 1535 on Francis I of France, whose daughter he was marrying, although there is no conclusive evidence for this. In 1558, a French commentator described the use of the crowned Thistle and St Andrew's Cross on Scottish coins and banners but noted there was no Scottish order of knighthood.
King James II/VII’s intention was to reward Scottish Catholics for their loyalty, but the initiative actually came from John, 1st Earl and 1st Jacobite Duke of Melfort, then Secretary of State for Scotland. Only eight members out of a possible twelve were appointed, including Catholics, such as Melfort himself and the Lord Chancellor of Scotland, his elder brother James, 4th Earl and 1st Jacobite Duke of Perth, plus Protestant supporters like the Earl of Arran. The King also failed to appoint any officers to the Order other than Andrew Forrester as Secretary. As his reign started to decline and throw up more and more problems, James appeared to lose interest in the Order or didn't have the time to dedicate to it and thereby failed to contribute much to any further development. After James was deposed by the 1688 Glorious Revolution no further appointments were made, although the exiled House of Stuart continued to issue a Jacobite version, not recognised by the British Crown. Queen Anne re-established the Order on 31st December 1703 - partly to appease Scottish independence and the rise of the 'Auld Alliance' with France as Britain was struggling in the War of the Spanish Succession against France, the rising danger of the Catholic Jacobite Pretender, who was in exile in France, and in the lead-up to the Acts of Union of 1707 - and appointed Knights to the Order from the following year. The Order has remained in existence since then, and is used to recognise Scots 'who have held public office or contributed significantly to national life.' |
In 1827, George IV augmented the Order to sixteen members by Warrant of 8th May 1827 and, in Queen Victoria's reign, additional statutes allowed for the creation of Extra Knights such as members of the Royal Family (the first being Prince Albert) and foreign royalty, although King Olav V of Norway, appointed in October 1962,
Women (other than Queens regnant) were originally excluded from the Order as Members of the Order were required to be Knights Bachelor before appointment (1703 Statutes, article 14) and only men could be created as such. Therefore, George VI had to create his wife Queen Elizabeth a Lady of the Thistle in the Coronation Honours List in 1937, in recognition of her Scottish heritage, by special statute. Queen Elizabeth II allowed the regular admission of women to both the Order of the Thistle and the Order of the Garter in 1987. The first female appointee to the Order of the Thistle, however, wasn’t until 1996 with Scottish music educator Lady Marion Fraser.
The Sovereign has historically had the power to choose Knights 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), both Orders returned to the personal gift of the Sovereign in 1946. Knights and Ladies of the Thistle may also be admitted to the Order of the Garter. Formerly, many, but not all, Knights elevated to what many consider the senior Order (outside Scotland) would resign from the Order of the Thistle. The first to resign from the Thistle was John, Duke of Argyll in 1710 and the last to take such an action was Thomas, Earl of Zetland in 1872. |
The Badge which hangs from both the dark green Riband and the Collar (although in slightly different formats) depicts St Andrew, the Patron Saint of Scotland. The Star of the Order (which itself incorporates the saltire Cross of St Andrew) depicts the Thistle. Both the Star and the Riband Badge carry the Motto of the Order - Nemo me impune lacessit - which is Latin for No one provokes me with impunity. The Collar of the Order is made of gold and depicts 18 links each of Thistles and sprigs of Rue - as a symbol of St Andrew. Officially, the Order of the Thistle is second only to the Order of the Garter and we have seen that it is now allowed to be appointed to both. In such cases, it has become traditional for the recipient to wear the Collar of the Garter and the Riband of the Thistle. Both Stars may be worn at the same time, though. HM The Queen made it her habit to wear the Riband of the Order of the Thistle at her Birthday Parade (Trooping of the Colour) in the days when she wore uniform if the Colour of the Scots Guards was being tropped. |
The Royal Collection Trust holds a numbered of jewelled insignia. Queen Victoria was supplied by Rundell Bridge and Rundell with this Star of the Order of the Thistle presumably at the same time as she commissioned Garter and Bath Stars which had been supplied in September 1838. However, no invoice to confirm exact delivery survives. These Stars, all of reduced size to a standard Star of the time, formed the pattern for the Queen’s subsequent purchases of insignia including the Star of the Order of the Star of India designed by the Prince Consort. The reverse of this Thistle Star is engraved: 'RUNDELL BRIDGE & CO Jewellers & Goldsmiths / To Her Majesty / &c. &c. &c. |
Thistle Chapel, St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh
The Thistle Chapel was built at the request of the 12th Earl of Leven and his brothers in deference to their father's wish for a new Thistle chapel, having donated £24,000 from their late father's Will. It was designed by Robert Lorimer and a team of leading figures in the Scottish Arts and Crafts movement. It was finished in 1911 and formally opened amidst much ceremony on 19th July that year by King George V. (There had been a chapel at Holyrood Abbey at the request of King James II/VII but it was burnt down when the King was deposed and before any knights could meet there.) Entered through a low-vaulted vestibule at the east end of the Preston Aisle, the Chapel is a rectangle of three bays and a polygonal eastern apse, with a stone vault encrusted with a rich pattern of ribs and carved bosses. The effect is greatly enhanced by heraldic and figurative stained glass in the windows. The Chapel contains a wealth of detail, much of it peculiarly Scottish, including angels playing bagpipes. Along the sides of the Chapel are the 16 Knights’ Stalls, capped by lavishly carved canopies with helms and crests rising above. The richest of all, however, is the Sovereign’s Stall at the west end of the Chapel. There is, unfortunately, no room in the Chapel for Banners, so they hang in the Preston Aisle. |
At the installation service, the Sovereign arrives from the Holyrood Palace then processes into St Giles’ Cathedral from the Signet Library with the Knights and officers of the order. The Scottish Sword of State is brought from Edinburgh Castle. In the Chapel, a new Knight is conducted to his/her stall and takes an oath. After the installation, the Sovereign and Knights worship in the Cathedral.
The Monarch is protected at the Ceremony by The Queen's Body Guard for Scotland, The Royal Company of Archers, which is a ceremonial unit serving as the Sovereign's bodyguard in Scotland, a role it has performed since 1822 during the reign of King George IV. It is the equivalent, north of the border, of The Yeomen Warders or Yeoman Guard, popularly known as the Beefeaters. At every Thistle service since December 1949, a Bible has been used which was presented by George VI to commemorate his daughter’s marriage, two years earlier. |
Court of the Lord Lyon
The Court of the Lord Lyon is a standing court of law which regulates heraldry in Scotland. The Lyon Court, as it is known, maintains the register of grants of arms, known as the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland, which dates from 1672, as well as records of genealogies. The Register can be identified to an individual. In Scotland there is no such thing as a family Coat of Arms. What there is, is a common visual trait that may flow through Shields that share the same name. The Lyon Court is a public body, and is headed by the Lord Lyon King of Arms, who must be legally qualified, as he has criminal jurisdiction in heraldic matters, and the court is fully integrated into the Scottish legal system, including having a dedicated prosecutor, known in Scotland as a Procurator Fiscal. |
The chosen subjects were: Arms of the Lord Lyon King of Arms; Scottish Heraldic Banner of Prince Charles as Duke of Rothesay; Arms of Royal Scottish Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture; Arms of Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Please note, in the stamp for the Royal Scottish Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, the Scottish tradition of placing the Motto above the Crest. In Scottish heraldry the Motto forms part of the Grant and cannot be changed without a further Grant. The Arms for the Royal Society of Edinburgh were presumably granted south of the border or painted by an artist who doesn't realise the Scottish tradition for Mottoes, for some reason.