ORDER OF THE THISTLE

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 141, 11 March 1938, Page 2

ORDER OF THE THISTLE

Origin and History. CONNECTION WITH SCOTLAND - The “Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle,” to which Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth, has been admitted, is Scotland’s most Aist guished order of chivalry, says E. itYarham. . . When, in 1687, King Janies instituted the modern Order, in the Royal Warrant he made reference to the trad.tions attached to the origin ot the Order in these words:— “His Majesty’s Royal predecessor, Achalus. King of Scots, did institute the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle under the protection of St. Andrew, patron saint of Scotland, in commemoration of the signal victory obtained over Athelstan, King of the Saxons, lifter a bloody battle in the time of which there appeared in the heavens a white cross in the form of that upon which the Apostle St. Andrew suffered martyrdom.” This was in the far-off (lays of long ago, and nobody knows what happened to that ancient foundation. It is on record, however, that in 1540 King Janies V reconstituted the order amid many rejoicings at Linlithgow. Revived by Janies 11. But once again the Order passed out of existence, to be revived by James 11, King of England aud Scotland. England had its venerable Order of the Garter, but Scotland had no similar order of chivalry, and so Janies resuscitated the Order of the Thistle, which, in most probability, as suggested, has a far. earlier origin than tlie Garter, which goes back to 1349. anil which is usual iy regarded as the Empire’s oldest order of knighthood. After James II reinaugurated the Order of the Thistle, it consisted of the Sovereign and eight knights companions,' who were Scottish noblemen. Some time later princes of the English Royal family were admitted. Curiously enough this revival was very shortlived, for only the next year, 168 S, James II lied the country. It was left to Queen Anne to bring it into being once more, and she ordered it should consist of the Sovereign and twelve knights companions. Last century the number of knights companions was increased by four. When James II established the Order in its modern form, be decreed the Royal Chapel in the Abbey of Holyrood, adjoining the Palace, of Holyrood, to bo the chapel of the Order. The chapel, as is well-known, is now a ruin, its final collapse in the eighteenth century following an attempt to restore the roof. For over one hundred and fifty years the Order was left without a chapel. Just over thirty years back the late Earl of Leveir left the sum of £40,000 to restore the venerable Abbey Church of Holyrood, for so many centuries closely linked with the national history of Scotland. Unhappily it was found impossible to carry through the scheme, which would have provided the Knights of tlie Thistle with a chapel unique among the Empire's Orders of Chivalry. The present Earl of I,even and his brother determined to provide the longfelt want, an f d they built the new Thistle Chapel at the south-east corner of St. Giles. It was begun in .1909, and is the work of Robert Lorimer, architect also of the famous Scottish National War Memorial. The chapel was inaugurated by King George V at a service in 1911.