| Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem | |
|---|---|
 Breast star of a Knight of Grace of the Order of St John | |
| Type | Order of chivalry |
| Established | 1888 |
| Motto | Pro Fide Pro Utilitate Hominum[1] |
| Eligibility | Service to the order |
| Status | Extant |
| Sovereign Head | Charles III |
| Grand Prior | The Duke of Gloucester |
| Lord Prior | Mark Compton |
| Grades |
|
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Dependent on State |
| Next (lower) | Dependent on State |
_ribbon_-vector.svg) Ribbon of the order | |
TheMost Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (French:l'Ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem),[n 1] commonly known as theOrder of St John,[3] and also known asSt John International,[4] is anorder of chivalry constituted in 1888 byroyal charter fromQueen Victoria and dedicated toSt John the Baptist.
The order traces its origins back to theKnights Hospitaller in the Middle Ages, the oldest survivingchivalric order which is generally considered to be founded inJerusalem in 1099, which was later known as theOrder of Malta. A faction of them emerged in France in the 1820s and moved to Britain in the early 1830s, where, after operating under a succession ofgrand priors and different names, it became associated with the founding in 1882 of theSt John Ophthalmic Hospital near theold city of Jerusalem and theSt John Ambulance Brigade in 1887.
The order is found throughout theCommonwealth of Nations,[5]Hong Kong, theRepublic of Ireland, and theUnited States of America,[6] with the worldwide mission "to prevent and relieve sickness and injury, and to act to enhance the health and well-being of people anywhere in the world."[6] The order's approximately 25,000 members, known asconfrères,[5] are mostly of theProtestant faith, though those of otherChristiandenominations, as well as adherents of other religions are accepted into the order. Except via appointment to certain government or ecclesiastical offices in somerealms, membership is by invitation only and individuals may not petition for admission.
The Order of St John is perhaps best known for the health organisations it founded and continues to run, includingSt John Ambulance andSt John Eye Hospital Group. As with the order, the memberships and work of these organisations are not constricted by denomination or religion. The order is a constituent member of theAlliance of the Orders of Saint John of Jerusalem. Its headquarters are in London and it is aregistered charity underEnglish law.[7]
In the 1820s, thoseKnights of Malta residing in France granted knighthoods to certain people of various Christian denominations who provided support to the Order in England.[8]
In 1823, the Council of the French Langues—a French state-backed and hosted faction[9] of the Order of Malta (Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta)—sought to raise through private subscription sufficient money to restore a territorial base for the Order of Malta and aid theGreek War of Independence.[9] This was to be achieved by issuing bonds in London to form amercenary army ofdemobilised British soldiers using readily available, cheap war surplus. A deal transferring variousislands to the Order of Malta, includingRhodes when captured, was struck with theGreek rebels,[10] but, ultimately, the attempt to raise money failed when details leaked to the press, theFrench monarchy withdrew its backing of the Council, and the bankers refused the loan.[10]The Council was re-organised and theMarquis de Sainte-Croix du Molay (previously number two of the Council and a former Order of Malta administrator in Spain[9]) became its head. In June 1826, a second attempt was made to raise money to restore a Mediterranean homeland for the Order when Philippe de Castellane, aFrenchKnight of Malta, was appointed by the Council to negotiate with supportive persons in Britain.ScotsmanDonald Currie[11] was in 1827 given the authority to raise £240,000. Anyone who subscribed to the project and all commissionedofficers of the mercenary army were offered the opportunity of being appointed knights of the Order. Few donations were attracted, though, and the Greek War of Independence was won without the help of theknights of the Council of the French Langues. Castellane and Currie were then allowed by the French Council to form the Council of the English Langue, which was inaugurated on 12 January 1831, under the executive control of Alejandro, conde de Mortara, aSpanish aristocrat. It was headquartered at what Mortara called the "Auberge of St John",[12]St John's Gate, Clerkenwell.[13] This was the Old Jerusalem Tavern, apublic house occupying what had once been agatehouse to the ancientClerkenwell Priory,[14][15] themedieval Grand Priory of theKnights Hospitaller, otherwise known as the Knights of Saint John. The creation of thelangue has been regarded either as a revival of the Knights Hospitaller[16] or the establishment of a new order.[17][18][19]
The ReverendSirRobert Peat, the absenteeperpetual curate ofSt Lawrence, Brentford, inMiddlesex, and one of the many formerchaplains toPrince George (Prince Regent and later King George IV), had been recruited by the Council as a member of the society in 1830. On 29 January 1831, in the presence ofPhilip de Castellane and theAgent-General of theFrench Langues, Peat was elected priorad interim.[20] Then, on the grounds that he had been selling knighthoods, Peat and other English members of the organisation expelled Mortara, with the backing of the Council of the French Langues, leading to the existence of two competing English chivalric groups between early 1832 and Mortara's disappearance in 1837. On 24 February 1834, three years after becoming priorad interim, in order to publicly reaffirm his claim to the office of Prior and in the hope of reviving a charter ofQueen Mary I dealing with the original English branch of the Order of Malta, Peat took the oathde fideli administratione in theCourt of the King's Bench, before theLord Chief Justice.[20][21] Peat was thus credited as being the firstGrand Prior of the association, but in January 1919 "W.B.H." wrote to the journalNotes & Queries: "His name is not in the knights' lists, and he was never 'Prior in the Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem': he became an ordinary member of that Order on Nov. 11, 1830."[22]
Sir Robert Peat died in April 1837 andSir Henry Dymoke was appointed Grand Prior and re-established contact with the knights inFrance andGermany, into which the group had by that time expanded.[23] However, until the late 1830s, only the English arm of the organisation had considered itself to be a grand priory and langue of the Order of St John, having never been recognised as such by the established order. Dymoke sought to rectify this by seeking acknowledgement from the headquarters of theRoman CatholicSovereign Military Order of Malta, but its thenLieutenantGrand Master,Philippe de Colloredo-Mansfeld, refused the request. In response to this rebuff, the English body declared itself to be the Sovereign Order of St John in England, under the title The Sovereign and Illustrious Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Anglia,[24] thereby emphasising the order's independence and claim to direct and continuous succession from the Order of St John that was established in the 11th century. This new entity grew its membership over the ensuing three decades and, in 1861,William Montagu, 7th Duke of Manchester, agreed to become its grand prior. Additionally, an associated nationalhospitaller organisation was formed with acorps ofambulances.
In 1871, the Duke of Manchester instituted a new constitution, which again changed the order's name, offering the more modest Order of Saint John of Jerusalem in England, abandoning the pretension to the title of "Sovereign Order".[25] Five years later,Princess Alexandra was appointed aLady of Justice, and this was followed by her husband,Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) becoming a Knight.[26] Two years later,Sir Edmund Lechmere bought St John's Gate as the order's headquarters; the property was initially leased from Lechmere, before the order acquired the freehold in 1887.[14] In 1877, the order established variousSt John Ambulance associations in major railway centres and mining districts, so that railway men and colliers could learn how to treat victims of accidents withfirst aid; in 1882, the Grand Priory founded ahospice andophthalmicdispensary inJerusalem (known today as theSt John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group); and, by 1887, had established theSt John Ambulance Brigade, which undertook practical and life-saving work.
The name given in 1888, when the order was first constituted as the present order of chivalry byQueen Victoria'sroyal charter was Grand Priory of the Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem in England. This was changed by the royal charter of 1926 to the Grand Priory in the British Realm of the Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem and further in 1936 to the Grand Priory in the British Realm of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem.[27] In 1961, it played a role, together with theProtestantContinental branches of the originalOrder of Saint John (the "Johanniter Orders" in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and elsewhere), in the establishment of theAlliance of the Orders of Saint John of Jerusalem and thereafter finally received (through an agreement in 1963) collateral recognition by the Order of Malta. Its most recent royal charter was granted in 1955, with a supplemental charter issued in 1974,[28] recognising the worldwide scope of the organisation by setting its present name. In 1999, the order receivedspecial consultative status from theUnited Nations Economic and Social Council.[6]
_-_1928.jpg)
Charles III is at the apex of the Order of St John as its Sovereign Head,[29] followed by the Grand Prior—since 1975,Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester.[28][30][31] He, along with the four or five other Great Officers—the Lord Prior of St John, who acts as the lieutenant of and deputy to the Grand Prior; thePrelate, who is anAnglican bishop; the Deputy Lord Prior (or more than one depending on the Grand Prior's needs), who acts accordingly as a lieutenant and deputy to the Lord Prior; and the Sub-Prelate, who has interests in the commanderies and associations of the organisation[32]—as well as the Priors and Chancellors of each of the order's eight priories and the Hospitaller make up the Grand Council.[28][33][34] On recommendation of that body, the Grand Prior appoints all the Grand Officers, besides himself,[35] and may also appoint members of either Grade I or Grade II as other officers, known as the Principal Officers,[36] such as theSecretary-General and Honorary Officers, such as theGenealogist,[37] (currentlyPeter O'Donoghue,York Herald) andDirector of Ceremonies, who all hold office for a period not exceeding three years;[38] the latter position currently being held by Alan Cook, a formerEssex Policechief inspector on behalf of Major James Kelly.[39] The Grand Prior may also appoint aSecretary of the Order, who holds office at the pleasure of the Grand Prior or until resignation.[40] A subset of the Grand Council is the Honours and Awards Committee, which considers all recommendations for appointment or promotion into the grade ofBailiff orDame Grand Cross, appointment or promotion into any grade of a person not resident within any priory's territory, and advises the Grand Council in respect of the award of itsLifesavingMedal andService Medal.[41]
Since the Order's Royal Charter of 1888, the Grand Prior has been appointed by the Sovereign Head and has always been a member of theBritish royal family.
From 1888 until 1943, this office was styled "Sub Prior" and from 1943 until 1950 it was named "Prior."[43]
After the officers of the Order follow members, who are divided into sixhierarchical grades, all having accordantpost-nominal letters.[46] Grade I is limited to only the members of the Grand Council plus no more than 21 others,[47] though royalty andheads of state of any country may be appointed as a Bailiff or Dame Grand Cross without counting towards the complement.[48] All Priors, should they not already be in the grade or higher, are appointed Knight or Dame upon their assignment.[49] Knights and Dames of Justice, along with all Bailiffs and Dames Grand Cross, formerly were entitled to nominate two personalEsquires, just as each Knight or Dame of Grace could nominate one personal Esquire, subject to the Grand Council's scrutiny.[50]
| Grades of the Order of St John | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade | Grade I | Grade II | Grade III | Grade IV | Grade V |
| Title (English) | Bailiff/Dame Grand Cross | Knights/Dames of Justice or Grace | Commander/Chaplain | Officer | Member |
| Title (French)[n 1] | Bailli/Dame grand-croix | Chevalier/Dame de justice ou de grâce | Commandeur | Officier | Membre |
| Post-nominal letters | GCStJ | KStJ/DStJ | CStJ/ChStJ | OStJ | MStJ |
Knights and Dames receive theaccolade from the Grand Prior when they are touched on the shoulder with a sword and are given their robes and insignia. However, jurisdiction dependent, post-nominal letters of the order are not used outside the organisation itself, and a Knight and Dame may not use the prefixSir orDame,[51][52][53][54][55] though they may request from their localheraldic authority a personalcoat of arms, should they not already be entitled to use one, and have it adorned with emblems of the Order of St John. Bailiffs and Dames Grand Cross additionally have the right to begrantedheraldic supporters for life. Further, membership only grants precedence within the Order, which is graded as follows:[56]
Precedence within each grade is dictated by date of appointment,[57] save for those in Grade I who are either ahead of state orroyal, in which case they all precede other members in their grade as follows:[56]
Awards are presented within the order: the Priory Vote of Thanks, the St John's Provincial/Territorial Commendation (in Canada), the Life Saving Award (Without Risk) in Silver, and the Service Medal of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem.[58]
Following constitutional changes made in 1999, thePriory of England and The Islands was established (including theCommandery ofArds inNorthern Ireland) alongside the existing Priories ofWales,Scotland,Canada,Australia (including the Commandery ofWestern Australia),New Zealand,South Africa, and theUnited States.[6] In 2013, the Priory ofKenya and in 2014 the Priory ofSingapore were formed. Each is governed by a prior and a priory chapter. Commanderies, governed by a Knight or Dame Commander and a commandery chapter,[59] may exist within or wholly or partly without the territory of a priory, known as Dependent or Independent Commanderies, respectively.[60] Any country without a priory or commandery of its own is assumed into the "home priory" of England and The Islands, many of these being smallerCommonwealth of Nations states in which the order has only a minor presence.[n 2]
The Order of St John is said to have arrived inCanada in 1648, as the secondGovernor of New France,Charles de Montmagny, was a member of the original order, but it was not until 1883 that the first branch of the modern organisation was established in theDominion, atQuebec City, growing to 12 branches by 1892.[61] The Order of St John today constitutes part of theCanadian national honours system and the priory, established in 1946 out of the Commandery of Canada, is the largest outside of the United Kingdom,[62] with some 6,000 members.[63] Thegovernor general, serves as the prior and chief officer in Canada, whilelieutenant governors act as the vice-priors, overseeing the administration of the order in their respectiveprovince.[62] These individuals thus automatically become Knights or Dames of Justice upon their assumingviceregal office.
An American Society of the Order of St John was established in 1957 as a foundation to assist the order with charitable work, after 1961 focusing its efforts specifically on theSt John Ophthalmic Hospital inJerusalem and some other organisations aiding the sick. This branch was successful enough that Queen Elizabeth II in 1996 officially created the Priory of theUnited States of America, the seventh priory at the time, withJohn R. Drexel as the first prior. By late 2000, the US Priory had approximately 1,100 members. As citizens of a country that did not have the sovereignty of the Order of St John vested in its head of state, American inductees who first joined the new priory were specifically asked to only "pay due obedience" to the governing authorities of the order "in all things consistent with your duty to your own country," thus eliminating any question of loyalty to a foreign head of state superseding American postulants' duties as US citizens.
Upon admission into the Order of St John, confrères are presented with appropriateinsignia, each level and office being depicted by different emblems and robes for wear at important occasions for the order. Common for all members of the Order is thebadge, consisting of an eight-pointedMaltese Cross (embellished in the four principal angles alternately with twolions passant guardant and twounicorns passant).[64] That for the Sovereign Head is gold with arms of white enamel and the embellishments rendered ingold, all surmounted by a jewelledSt Edward's Crown, while those for the Officers of the order are the same save for the Grand Prior's having the crown made only of gold; the Lord Prior's having in place of the St Edward's Crown the coronet in gold of Albert, Prince of Wales (laterEdward VII); and the Prelate's having instead a representation of amitre in gold.[65] Thereafter, the badges are prescribed as follows:[66]
| Insignia of the Order of St John | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade | Bailiffs/Dames Grand Cross | Knights/Dames of Justice | Knights/Dames of Grace | Commanders | Officers | Members |
| Insignia |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Diameter | 82.5 millimetres (3.25 in) 57.2 millimetres (2.25 in) suspended | 57.2 millimetres (2.25 in) | 44.4 millimetres (1.75 in) | |||
| Material | Enamel | Silver | ||||
| Backing and embellishments | Gold | Silver | ||||
All Bailiffs and Dames Grand Cross may wear their badges at the left hip on a 101.6 millimetres (4.00 in) (for men) or 82.5 millimetres (3.25 in) (for women) wide, black watered silk ribbon over the right shoulder and from a 16.5 millimetres (0.65 in) wide black band at the collar. Male Knights Justice or Grace and Commanders wear their badges on a 16.5mm wide ribbon at the neck, while Officers and Members have theirs on a 38 millimetres (1.5 in) straight ribbon suspended from a medal bar on the left breast. Females in all grades have the option of wearing their insignia on a ribbon bow pinned at the left shoulder.[67] Bailiffs and Dames Grand Cross, Knights and Dames of Justice or Grace, and chaplains may all also wear a breast star,[68] which appears the same as their badges, only at a diameter of 88.9 millimetres (3.50 in) and without embellishments for those in Grade I and 76 millimetres (3.0 in) for those in Grade II.[69] Further, those in these groups are also given a button for wear on the lapel of non-formal civilian clothing, for events such as business meetings of the order.[70] In general, the insignia of the Order of St John may be worn at all occasions where other decorations are worn, not only those connected with the ceremonies of the order.[71]
All members of the Order are also required to wear specific robes for formal occasions of the society, including amantle, sopra vest, and hat. The mantles of the Sovereign Head and Grand Prior are all of blacksilkvelvet and lined with white silk, the Sovereign Head's mantle is differentiated by an additionaltrain. Bailiffs and Dames Grand Cross and, before 1926, Knights of Justice formerly wore black silk robes with a lining of the same material and colour; these members now wear the same mantle as Commanders and Officers, which are made of black merino wool faced with black silk. The only other unique mantles are those of the Medical Officer of the St John Ophthalmic Hospital, which bears a special pattern,[72] and of chaplains, which is a black silk robe with full sleeves. Each cloak also bears on its left side a rendition of the order's star in white silk: the Sovereign Head, Grand Prior, and those in the first two grades of the order all have a 300 millimetres (12 in) diameter emblem; the Sovereign's and Grand Prior's are of white silk with gold adornments, the former's also surmounted by a St Edward's Crown, while those for Bailiffs and Dames Grand Cross, Knights and Dames of Justice, and Knights and Dames of Grace are rendered in white linen, the first two groups having embellishments in gold silk, the latter in white silk. Similarly, the star for Commanders and Officers is of white linen with white silk ornamentation, though they are only 228.6 millimetres (9.00 in) and 152.4 millimetres (6.00 in) in diameter, respectively. The secretaries of the order, the priors and the commanders also wear the badge superimposed upon twogoose quill pens embroideredsaltire-wise in white silk.[72]
Thesopra (or supra) vest is a long drape of thin, black cloth that buttons close down the neck and to one side, falling to the ankles and cut so as to entirely cover the body. It is similar to acassock, though it is actually derived from the supra vesta—a black surcoat worn in the mid-13th century by the Knights of St John. Confrères in Grade I have a plain, white, 300mm diameter Maltese Cross on their sopra vests, while members of Grades II and III, plus chaplains, have a plain garment, though the wearer's Order of St John insignia is displayed outside the vest, 152mm below the collar. Clerical inductees of the order may, when officiating, wear over their cassock and surplice amozzetta of black with red lining, edging, and buttons, a 76mm wide star worn on the left breast and the accordant badge suspended at the neck.[73] When full mantles and sopra vests are worn a black velvetTudor-style hat is included.[74]
The Sovereign Head confirms all appointments to the order as he, in his absolute discretion, shall think fit,[75] though the constitution does impose certain limitations: the maximum number of members is set at 35,000,[76] and appointees may not be under the age of 18.[77] Recommendations are made by the Grand Council and those selected have generally acted in such a manner as to strengthen the spirit of mankind—as reflected in the order's first motto,Pro Fide—and to encourage and promote humanitarian and charitable work aiding those in sickness, suffering, and/or danger—as reflected in the order's other motto,Pro Utilitate Hominum.[78][79]
To be inducted, new members must recite the organisation's declaration:
I do solemnly declare that I will be faithful and obedient to The Order of St John and its Sovereign Head as far as it is consistent with my duty to my [sovereign/president] and to my country; that I will do everything in my power to uphold its dignity and support its charitable works; and that I will endeavour always to uphold the aims of this Christian order and to conduct myself as a person of honour.[80]
Those who are Christians additionally recite the following:
I solemnly declare that I personally profess the Christian faith and accordingly that I believe in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.[81]
Notwithstanding the order's promotion ofChristian values of charity and its official stance that the order has a "Christian character", its Grand Council has since 1999 affirmed that "profession of the Christian Faith should not be a condition of membership of the Order." The issue of the order's Christian character and the issue of "inclusive membership" was dealt with in the Grand Council'sPro Fide Report in 2005, wherein it was said that the order's life is shaped by Christian faith and values, but that "[r]ather than the emphasis being primarily upon 'spiritual beliefs or doctrine' it is on works of mercy rendered through St John". Therefore, while the Great Officers are required to profess the Christian faith, the same is "not an essential condition of membership" and "[t]he onus is on the man or woman who is invited to the privilege of membership to decide whether he or she can with a good conscience promise to be faithful to the stated aims and purposes of this Christian lay order of chivalry." On the subject of inclusive membership, the report stated "Christian hospitality is a criterion which can be applied to the Order's relationships to persons of other religious faiths", and "the Order needs to be characterized by a hospitable disposition towards other faith traditions while holding fast to its own origins and foundational identity in Christian faith."[82]
Admission to or promotion within the Order of St John does "not confer any rank, style, title, dignity, appellation or social precedence whatsoever".[83] Its place in the order of wear varies from country to country. Unlike those of other hierarchical orders, all grades of the Order of St Johnrank between the order's predecessor and successor. Some examples follow:
| Country | Preceding | Following |
|---|---|---|
 Australia(Order of Wearing) | Medal of the Order of Australia(OAM) | Distinguished Conduct Medal(DCM) (if awarded prior to 6 October 1992)[n 3] Conspicuous Service Medal(CSM)[n 4] |
 Canada(Order of wear) | Member of the Royal Victorian Order(MVO) | Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec(GOQ) |
 New Zealand(Order of wear) | Royal Red Cross (Class II)(ARRC) | Distinguished Conduct Medal(DCM)[85][86] |
 United Kingdom |
The Order of St John, now known as St John International
In the 1820s the Knights of Malta living in France offered knighthoods to specific people supporting the Order in Great Britain, irrespective of their Christian denomination.
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