22 PRECEDENCE 151. Esquires by Office, on the same ground as No. 131. This class, of course, includes all officers of the naval and military forces who are styled " esquires" in their commissions. 152. YoTTNGER Sons of Knights of the Gaetee, on the same ground as No. 133. 153. Younger Sons of Knights Banneret, on the same ground as No. 134. 154. Younger Sons of Knights Grand Cross OF THE Bath. 155. Younger Sons of Knights Grand Commander of the Star of India. 156. Younger Sons of Knights Grand Cross OF St. Michael and St. George. 157. Younger Sons of Knights Grand Commander of the Indian Empire. 158. Younger Sons of Knights Commander of the Bath, on the same groimd as No. 136. 159. Younger Sons of Knights Commander of the Star of India. 160. Younger Sons of Knights Commander of St. Michael and St. George, on the same ground as their elder brothers. 161. Younger Sons of Knights Commander OF THE Indian Empire. 162. Younger Sons of Knights Commander OF THE Royal Victorian Order. 163. Younger Sons of Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order. 164. Younger Sons of Knights Bachelor, on the same ground as No. 147. 165. Doctors in Divinity, on the groimd of ancient usage. It is by some authorities con- tended that Doctors of Universities rank on a par with knights, and above serjeants-at-law. Queen's coimsel, deans, etc., and to support this it is cit^d that when Queen Elizabeth went in state to St. Paul's, the doctors were accorded this position. 166. Doctors of Laws, on the same ground as No. 165. 167. Doctors of Medicine, on the same gromid as No. 165. 168. Bachelors of Divinity. — The degree of a bachelor in any of the faculties of divinity, law, or medicine is rarely obtained otherwise than as preparatory to the superior degree of doctor ; and in divinity it generally happens that those who take a bachelor's degree are also in priest's orders ; they have, therefore, the prefix of Reverend : but if' that were not the case, they in common with all bachelors of faculties would be described by the affix of Esquire ; this place, therefore, amongst esquires is assigned them on the grotmd of analogy and ancient usage. 169. Bachelors of Laws, on the ground of ancient usage. 170. Bachelors of Medicine, on the same ground as No. 168. 171. Clergy'Men. Few things are more unde- fined than the precedence due to clergymen in general society. Of course it is well known that the precedence of the " faculties " is as follows : 1st, Divinity : 2nd, Law ; 3rd, Medicine ; 4th Music. But there is another consideration that imparts to this profession a temporal dignity, which is, that one member of it takes rank next to the royal family, that another takes precedence of all dukes, and that the twenty-seven senior English bishops are lords of parliament superior to barons. So many circumstances peculiar to individuals modify all general rules of prece- dence, that it is scarcely possible, in the absence of distinct authority from the King, as " the fovmtain of honour," to fix the position of all clergymen otherwise than by analogy. Chap- lams in the Royal Navy, all of whom must be clergymen in connexion with the Church of Eng- land, do not hold any naval rank, but the regulations for that branch of the service enjoin that they " shall retain, when afloat, the position to which their office would entitle them when on shore." On the other hand, a definite jsosition is laid down for chaplains in the Army, who comprise clergymen of the Church of England and of the Presbyterian and Roman Catholic Churches. {See Military Rank and Precedence.) It is not to be supposed that clergymen in general society are to take much lower ground than that accorded to military chaplains, though of course, as the possession of an army commission gives this definite rank, its absence leaves other clergymen to rest only upon analogy when placed in competition for precedence with civilians. 172. King's Counsel are placed above all other barristers in right of their patents. 173. B.^RRISTERS are often stated to be esqiiires by ancient usage as well as by office, but this assertion lacks official recognition ; but accord- ing to the rule of precedence in the profession, they are merely regarded as holding a position in the common law, somewhat analogous to that of the bachelor in the civil law : the serjeant in the one being regarded as of similar rank to the doctor in the other. 174. Subaltern Officers in the Army'. — In the tables of naval and military precedence, the reader will find the relative rank of each officer set forth ; but in a table of general prece- dence this is the proper place of all military and naval officers who are not styled " esquire " in their commissions ; it is, however, to be ob- served, that such of them as are peers, baronets, knights, lords, honourables, doctors, or bachelors of any of the faculties, esquires, members of any order of knighthood, or possessing any rank whatever, do not lose their stations by entering upon the naval or military service of the state. 175. Professional Gentlemen, as solicitors, attorneys, proctors, engineers, architects, medical practitioners, artists, literary men, merchants, master manufacturers, scientific professors, and others, not engaged in manual labour, farming of land, or retail trade, are considered to jsossess some station in society, although the law takes no cognizance of their ranks iiiter se. 176. Yeomen. 177. Tradesmen, being citizens. 178. Tradesmen, being burgesses. 179. Artificers. 180. Labourers. KNIGHTLY PRECEDENCE. The following tables have reference solely to the precedence enjoyed by the different membess of each Order, when assembled in their knightly capacity at chapters, etc., for on such occasions many of the highest dignities fail to give their possessors precedence over a brother knight of an older creation, though in the common inter- course of society the rule be otherwise. knights banneret. Those made by the Sovereign in person taking precedence. the most noble order of the garter. 1. The Sovereign. 2. Lady of the Order, H.il. the Queen. 3. H.M. Queen Alexandra. 4. H.R.H. The Prince of Wales. 5. Members of the Royal Family. 6. Foreign Potentates. 7. Knights-Companions, according to seniority. 8. The' Prelate. 9. The Chancellor. 10. The Registrar. 11. The Garter principal King of Arms. 12. The Usher of the Black Rod. the most ancient and most noble order of the thistle. 1. The Sovereign. 2. The Members of the Royal Family. 3. Knights of the Order according to seniority. 4. The Dean. 5. The Secretary. 6. The Lyon King of Arms.
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