BATH, KNIGHTS OF THE. The name of this order is derived from the ceremony of bathing, which used to be practiced at the inauguration of a knight, as an emblem of the purity henceforth required of him by the laws of chivalry. The ceremony is of unknown antiquity, and is spoken of by writers of the 13th c. as an ancient custom. See KNIGHT. The earliest authentic instance of its observance which we have in this country, is in the time of Henry IV., who, in preparing for his coronation, made forty six knights at the tower of London, who had watched all the night before, and bathed themselves. The last knights of the B. created in the ancient form were at the cor onation of Charles II. in 1661. From that period till the accession of the house of Hanover, the order fell into oblivion. It was revived by George I. in 1725, and is now the second order in rank in England, the first being the Garter. By the statutes then framed for the government of the order, it was declared that, besides the sovereign, a prince of the blood, and a great master, there should be thirty-five knights. At the conclusion of the great war, it was thought expedient, with a view to rewarding the merits of many distinguished officers, both military and naval, to extend the limits of the order, which was effected on the 2d Jan., 1815. But the order was still purely
military, and it was not till 1847 that it was placed on its present footing by the admis sion of civil knights, commanders, and companions. The following is its present organization.
Fint grand cross (K.G.C.); the number net to exceed, for the military service, 50, exclusive of the royal family and foreigners; and for the civil wrvice, 25.
Second commanders (K.C.B.); military, 102, and civil, 50, exclusive of foreigners. These, like the first, have the title sir, and take precedence of knights bachelors.
Third (C.B.); military. 525, and civil, 200. They take prece dence of esquires, but are not entitled to the aistinctive appellation of knighthood. No officer can be nominated to the military division of this class unless his name has been mentioned in the London Gazette for distinguished services in action; and the order ha.s never been conferred on an officer below the rank of a major, or commander in the navy.