The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1878-09-25
The Order ofthe Garter.

The Order Of the Garter, with
which Earl Beaconsfeld and Lord
Salisbury have been invested by the
Of Great Britain, is one of the
oldest and most famous Of the orders
Of knighthood that remain in Europe.
The exact date OF its foundation is
not known. One authority ascribes
it to lIG2, when in q battle with the
Saracens on St. Georges Day, Rich
ard Ceur de Lion commanded twen-
ty-six of his knights to around
their legs thongs of blue leather. But
most writer's agree that it dates from
Edward III, though the precise date
is in dispute, Froissart giving 1874
and Stow 1850. General tourna-
ments in that time were held at
Windsor. At one of them, says the
familiar story, the Countess OF Sails
bury let fall her garter when dancing
with the King, and the King, picking
it up, tied it around his own leg.
There were smiles from the compa-
nv, and jealous glances from the
Queen, noticing which, Edward re-
stored the garter to the Countess,
saying, "Honi soft qua NAL q pense,"
and added that those who smiled
would shortly see the garter advanc-
ed to such honor and renown as to
account themselves happy to wear
q. TL,o,o hasa haan uritarc ~ ridi-
cule this story, but hone to suggest q
more probable theory. The order
was founded in honor Of the Holy
Trinity, the Virgin Mary, st. Ed
ward the Confessor, and st. George,
the latter of whom had then become
the guardian saint of England, and
was considered the special patron OF
the order. II has always borne the
title of "The Order Of st. George"
as well as Of "The garter"
1t has been claimed that, though
founded in 1874, the order was not
fully organized, nor we're its knight
companions chosen until 1850. The
companions were twenty-five in num-
Der, the sovereign making twenty
six, and having authority to nomi-
nate the others.
The original dresa of knights was
O blue mantle, tunie, and capuchin,
embroidered with garters of gold and
blue silk, the largest OF which was
worn on the left shoulder of the man.
tie. AS now used, it consists of a
dark blue velvet garter, edged with
gold, and worn below the kuee Of the
left leg /; amantle of blue velvet, I'm
ed with white taffeta; q hood Of
crimson velvet; a s%urcoat, also Of
crimson velvet, and lined with white
taffeta +; a hat Of black velvet, lined
with t~aiIeta, aud bearing a plume of
ostrich and heron feathers, fastened
by a band of diamonds. The collar
is of gold, being composed OF twenty
six pieces, each in the form Of a gar
ter, and has appended to it aEgure of
st. George on horseback. A lesser
st. George is enameled on gold and
set with diamonds, being suspended
over the left shoulder by a dark blue
ribbon. The star has eight points,
and is of silver, having the cross of
st. George 10 the center, and being
embroidered on the left breast.
Oe the eagerness with which the
honor has been sought, a writer in
BelgrdUia says: For i've centuries
il nav almost be said to have been
the last infrmity of noble minds in
England, and since 1903 in Scotland,
too. Probably, indeed, a good bit of
the social bitterness with which North
Britons were long regarded in Lon
don was due to the fact that they OBJ
tanned from the Stuart kingstar more
than their share of honors, and nota-
bly, and undue proportion of blue rib
bons. James /. by the way, while
as vet only the Sixth of Scotland,
was generally understood to have ac-
cepted the garter from Queen Eliza
beth, by way Of compensation for his
mothers loss of her head. But the
English Queen judiciously supple
mented the gift of George with g
pension of $1,000 q year. One of
William III's allies among the Germ
an princes thought money could
hardly be weighed in the scale with
the garter. His Serene Highness
had long and persistently demanded
a subsidy of $500, 600; but cheerful
ly agreed to accept 100000 plus the
blue ribon."