7 ?4 HERA 
Officers in the Order of Precedency. 
His grace the lord primate of all Ireland, the right ho. 
nourable William Stuart, lord archbifhop of Armagh, 
prelate of the order. 
Archbifhop of Dublin (earl of Normanton), chancellor. 
Dean of St. Pa'trick (Dr. James Verfchoyle), regiftrar. 
Sir Ricliard-Bligh St. Geclrge, bare, fecretary. 
Stuart Bruce, efq. genealogift. 
NicholasPrice, efq. ufher of the black rod. 
Admiral Sir Chichefler Fortefcue, knt. Ulfler king at 
arms, attendant on the order. 
G. T. Ridfdale, efq. Athlone purfuivant at arms. 
An error has of late crept into the mode of difplaying 
mottos connected with armorial bearings-; and even in a 
certain degree on military colours. Indead of their be¬ 
ing borne at the bottom of the fhield, on anefcrol, in 
conformity to the ancient ufage, or fometimes over the 
creft, as is commonly the cafe in Scotland, a circle is er- 
roneoufly painted, inclofing the arms, on which the mot¬ 
to is written 5 which method fhould be driCtly confined 
to our orders of knighthood, Garter, Thiflle, Bath, and 
St. Patrick. Sometimes, to heighten the abfurdity, a 
buckle is introduced, thereby intrenching on the mod 
noble order of the Garter, which has exclufively the 
buckle, as a neceffary appendage to its infignia. 
II. KNIGHTS BY THE STROKE OF THE 
SWORD. 
KNIGHT BANNERETS. 
The origin of this order of knights, which is now en¬ 
tirely obfolete, is fo fully explained in our vol. ii. p. 605, 
that we have nothing to add to that article. However, 
after refearches made on this account, and confulting 
the bed authorities on the ftibjeCt, it appears, find, that 
the natural acceptation of the word, in ancient authors, 
means generally a warrior who has been knighted on the 
field of battle by the king in perfon, immediately after, 
and for, fome bold achievement which he had perform¬ 
ed under the eye-, of his fovereign ; and, fecondly, that 
as, for a long lapfe of years, the happy fuperiority of 
England, over her continental neighbours, by the Ikill- 
fulnefs of her generals, and bravery of her troops, has 
rendered the prefence of the king needlefs on a field of 
battle, no knight of that denomifiation can claffically 
exid at this time; in fa6t.no records of the creation of 
Knight-Bannerets, for the two or three lad centuries, 
are to be found in the Heralds’ Office. It appears, by 
ancient writers, that in France this order, if it may be 
fo called, was hereditary ; but the words had then 
another meaning, as it was applied to thefe powerful 
proprietors in the country, who, in feudal-ages, being- 
obliged to fumraon a certain number of their vaflals to 
arms, and to lead them to battle, had a right to hoid their 
own banners on the turrets of their cadles, as foon as the 
bunn of war had been proclaimed by the lcrd-paramount, 
KNIGHTS BACHELORS. 
It is well known that this title, as well as others con¬ 
tained under the denomination of knighthood, is hot 
hereditary, although it is conferred by the king him- 
felf, or by a fpecial commitfiOn for the purpofe. See 
the introductory part of this article, p. 414; where we 
have mentioned the different occafions on which his 
majefty has been gracioufly pleafed to grant this digriity 
to fome of his worthy fubjeCts, in the progreffive ad¬ 
vancement of a family. This order is certainly the mod 
ancient, and can be traced up to the earlied ages under 
different denominations. The Roman knights, called 
Equites, EqueJlrisOrdo, formed a confiderable body among 
the people, and in the army 5 and it is well-known that 
they had a particular fpot alligned to them in the area, or 
other parts of the amphitheatres.. The times of Char- 
lemain, record the knights under the old French ap¬ 
pellation of Preux. As the title was. originally granted 
to tAvi well-deferving warrior for his perfonal courage 
L D R Y. 
and prowefs , and did not defeend to his poderity, it was 
cliaraCterifed by the addition of the word Bachelor , im¬ 
plying that the dignity Was conferred on the individual 
without any. regard to his family. However this firriple 
knighthood feems often to have been a ftep towards ba¬ 
ronetcy, as baronetcy is to. the peerage; and therefore 
carries along with it an undoubted right to confideratipn 
and refpeCtability. See Knighthood. 
When his majefty is pleafed to confer the honour of 
knighthood, it is abfolutely neceffary for the new knight 
to difufe the efquire's helmet, which he ufed with his creft 
and arms, as delineated on our firft plate of the armorial 
bearings of Efquires and Gentlemen, and on Plate VIII. 
fig. 4. it no longer befitting his degree ; and, in lieu of 
it, to bear the front helmet with its vizor open , as fhown in 
the plate of the arhrorial bearings of Knights Bachelors, 
and on Plate VIII. fig. 3. and which is the only heraldi- 
cal didinCtion. Several great legal characters, and others 
who enjoy this rank, fuffer their arms to be feen with¬ 
out the front helmet, and therefore their armorial bear¬ 
ings mofl erroneoufly appear dill to be thofe only of 
efquires : an impropriety which feems chiefly to arife 
from the ignorance of too many of thofe who call them- 
felves Herald.Painters, and Armorial Seal Engravers. 
In the enfuing Lid of Knights Bachelors, P.K.B. 
fignifies Proxy rbr a Knight of the Bath. We have 
remarked, p. 414, that every perfon, before he is in- 
veded with the infignia of any order, is made a Knight 
Bachelor, if not fo before; the proxies, therefore, are 
included in the fame rule. The elded Ion of a knight 
has a right to the title of Efquire. If, after indefatiga¬ 
ble inquiries and fearches, any omiflion or incorreCtnefs 
fhould be found in this lid, it is hoped that it will be 
attributed to no other caufe than the infiirmountable 
difficulty of obtaining the means of rendering it perfect 
in all points. 
Achmuty, fir Samuel, P.K.B. Major General in, the 
Army, knighted May 4, 1800. 
Ainflie, fir Philip, of the city of-London, Feb. 25, 1778. 
Alexander, fir James, March 2, 1803. 
Allgood, fir Laiincelot, Dec. 5, 1760. 
Altham, fir William, Sept. 13, 1786. 
Bagfiiaw, fir William Chambers, Dec. 26, 1805. 
Baiid, fir David, Lieutenant General in the Army, 
K.C. OCt. 3, 1804. 
Baker, fir William, Nov; 3, 1760. 
Baldwin, fir Bridges, 1762. 
Barlow, fir Robert, Captain in the Royal Navy, and 
Commiffioner of the Dock-yard at Chatham, 1801. 
Barrington, fir Jonah, LL. D. May 13, 1807. 
Bayly, fir John, one of his Majedy’s Judges in the 
Court of King’s Bench; May 11, 1805. 
Beechey, fir William, R. A. F.A.S. Portrait Painter 
to his Majedy, George-dreet, Hanover-fquare; May 
9, 1798. 
Bennett, fir William, of Fareham, in the county of 
Southampton; Dec. 24, 1760. 
Berwick, fir Robert, Dec. 5, 1760. 
Bifliop, fir William, Maidftone, Kent ; Nov. 4, 1778. 
Blackman, fir Henry, of Lewes in Sulfex, May 29, 
1782. 
Blagden, fir Charles, M.D. F.R. and A.S. Kmghtf- 
briUge'; 1792. 
Blicke, fir Charles, of Londoh ; March 16, 1803. 
Blizard, fir William, F.R.S. and F.S.A.of the London 
Inditutibn in Old Jewry, Devonfhire-fquare, March 
16, 1803. 
Bloxam,. fir Matthew, Banker, and Alderman of the 
city of London, Gracechurch-ltreet, 1800. 
Bolton, fir George, Captain in the Royal Navy, April 
3> W99- . .. 
Bolton, fir William, P.K.B. May 18, 1803. 
Bonfali, fir Thomas, Dec. 16, 1795. 
Bo'ntein, fir James, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army, 
