Order of Merit
Order of Merit | |
---|---|
File:Order of Merit Dorothy Hodgkin (cropped).jpg | |
Insignia of the Order of Merit presented to Dorothy Hodgkin, displayed in the Royal Society in London | |
Awarded by the File:Personal flag of Queen Elizabeth II.svg sovereign of the Commonwealth realms | |
Type | Dynastic order |
Royal house | House of Windsor |
Motto | FOR MERIT |
Eligibility | All living citizens of the Commonwealth realms |
Awarded for | At the monarch's pleasure |
Status | Currently awarded |
Sovereign | Charles III |
Grades (w/ post-nominals) | Member (OM) |
Established | 1902 |
Precedence | |
Next (higher) | Dependent on state |
Next (lower) | Dependent on state |
File:Sovereign of the Order of Merit ribbon.svg | |
Ribbon of the Order of Merit |
The Order of Merit (French: Ordre du Mérite)[n 1] is an award, for notable work in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. The order was set up in 1902, by Edward VII. Membership of the order is a personal gift of its Sovereign (the monarch does not take advice from politicians about who should be a member). The sovereign of the order is the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms. The award is limited to 24 living recipients at any one time from these countries, plus a small number of honorary members.[1]
Whilst all members can use the post-nominal letters OM and a medallion for life,[2] the Order of Merit's precedence, amongst other honours, differs between Commonwealth realms.
History[change]
The award filled a gap in the honour system under Queen Victoria. It was only possible to reward people who held official positions. So, for example, T.H. Huxley could be rewarded because he had sat on Royal Commissions, but Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace held no official positions. Without question their work was as important as Huxley's, or more so. This kind of problem was known by Edward VII, and when he eventually became king, he drew up this new award which had no such limitations. The idea had been discussed before.
The first mention of a possible Order of Merit was made after the Battle of Trafalgar, in 1805. It was discussed in letters between the First Lord of the Admiralty, Lord Barham and Prime Minister William Pitt. Nothing came from the idea.[3] Later, Queen Victoria, her courtiers, and politicians,[4] all thought that a new order, based on the Prussian order Pour le Mérite, would make up for the insufficient recognition offered by the established honours system to achievement outside of public service, in realms such as art, music, literature, industry, and science.[3] Victoria's husband, Albert, Prince Consort, took an interest in the matter; he wrote in his diary that he met on 16 January 1844 with Robert Peel to discuss the "idea of institution of a civil Order of Merit" and three days later he talked with the Queen on the subject.[5] The concept did not wither and, on 5 January 1888, British prime minister the Marquess of Salisbury submitted to the Queen a draft constitution for an Order of Merit in Science and Art, consisting of one grade split into two branches of knighthood: the Order of Scientific Merit - for Knights of Merit in Science, with the post-nominal letters KMS— and the Order of Artistic Merit - for Knights of Merit in Art, with the post-nominal letters KMA. However, Sir Frederic Leighton, President of the Royal Academy, advised against the new order, primarily because of its selection process.[6]
It was Victoria's son, Edward VII, who eventually founded the Order of Merit, on 26 June 1902— the date for which his coronation had been originally planned[7]— as a means to acknowledge "exceptionally meritorious service in Our Navy and Our Army, or who may have rendered exceptionally meritorious service towards the advancement of Art, Literature and Science";[8] all modern aspects of the order were established under his direction, including the division for military figures.[2] From the outset, prime ministers attempted to propose candidates or lobbied to influence the monarch's decision on appointments, but the Royal Household adamantly guarded information about potential names.[2] After 1931, when the Commonwealth of Nations came into being and the former Dominions of the British Empire became independent states, equal in status to the UK,[9][10] the Order of Merit remained an honour open to all the King's realms; thus, as with the monarch who conferred it, the order ceased to be purely British.[1][11]
From the start, the order has been open to women, Florence Nightingale being the first woman to receive the honour, in 1907. Several people have not taken the honour, such as Rudyard Kipling, A. E. Housman, and George Bernard Shaw. To date, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, remains the youngest person ever inducted into the Order of Merit, having been admitted by Queen Elizabeth II, in 1968, when he was 47 years of age.[2]
Eligibility and appointment[change]
All citizens of the Commonwealth realms are able to be given the Order of Merit. There can only be 24 living people in the order at any given time, not including honorary appointees, and new members are personally selected by the reigning monarch of the 16 realms, presently Queen Elizabeth II, with the help of her private secretaries;[2] the order has thus been described as "quite possibly, the most prestigious honour one can receive on planet Earth."[12] Within the limited membership is a designated military division, with its own unique insignia; though it has not been abolished, it is currently unused, the Earl Mountbatten of Burma having been the last person so honoured.[2] Honorary members form another group, to which there is no limit, though such appointments are rare; individuals from countries in the Commonwealth of Nations that are not headed by Elizabeth II are considered foreigners, and thus are granted only honorary admissions, such as Nelson Mandela (South Africa) and Mother Teresa (India).[1]
On admission into the Order of Merit, members can use the post-nominal letters OM, and have the badge of the order, consisting of a golden crown from which is suspended a red enamelled cross, itself centred by a disk of blue enamel, surrounded by a gold laurel wreath, and bearing in gold lettering the words FOR MERIT;[13] the insignia for the military grouping has a pair of crossed swords behind the central disk. The ribbon of the Order of Merit is divided into two stripes of red and blue; men wear their badges on a neck ribbon, while women carry theirs on a ribbon bow pinned to the left shoulder, and aides-de-camp may wear the insignia on their aiguillettes.[13] Since 1991, the insignia is to be given back upon the recipient's death.[14]
Current members[change]
- Sovereign: King Charles III
- Members
- United Kingdom The Lord Foster of Thames Bank OM appointed 25 November 1997 [15]
- United Kingdom Sir Roger Penrose OM FRS appointed 9 May 2000 [15]
- United Kingdom Sir Tom Stoppard OM CBE FRSL appointed 9 May 2000 [15]
- United Kingdom The Lord Rothschild OM GBE CVO appointed 28 October 2002 [15]
- United Kingdom Sir David Attenborough OM CH CVO CBE FRS FSA appointed 10 June 2005 [15]
- United Kingdom The Lord Eames OM appointed 13 June 2007 [15]
- United Kingdom Sir Tim Berners-Lee OM KBE FRS FREng appointed 13 June 2007 [15]
- United Kingdom The Lord Rees of Ludlow OM FRS FMedSci FREng appointed 13 June 2007[15]
- Canada Jean Chrétien OM CC PC QC appointed 13 July 2009 [16]
- United Kingdom Neil MacGregor OM AO FSA appointed 4 November 2010 [17]
- United Kingdom David Hockney OM CH appointed 1 January 2012 [18]
- Australia John Howard OM AC appointed 1 January 2012 [18]
- United Kingdom Sir Simon Rattle OM CBE appointed 1 January 2014 [19]
- United Kingdom Sir Magdi Yacoub OM FRS appointed 1 January 2014 [19]
- United Kingdom The Lord Darzi of Denham OM KBE PC FRS FMedSci FRCS FREng appointed 31 December 2015 [20]
- United Kingdom Dame Ann Dowling OM DBE FRS FREng appointed 31 December 2015 [20]
- United Kingdom Sir James Dyson OM CBE FRS FREng appointed 31 December 2015 [20]
- United Kingdom Sir David Adjaye OM OBE appointed 11 November 2022[21]
- United Kingdom Dame Elizabeth Anionwu OM DBE appointed 11 November 2022[21]
- United Kingdom The Baroness Benjamin OM DBE appointed 11 November 2022[21]
- Canada Margaret MacMillan OM CC CH appointed 11 November 2022[21]
- United Kingdom Sir Paul Nurse OM CH FRS appointed 11 November 2022[21]
- United KingdomUnited States Venkatraman Ramakrishnan OM FRS appointed 11 November 2022[21]
- Vacant[22]
- Honorary members
(none)
Precedence in each realm[change]
As the Order of Merit is open to the citizens of sixteen different countries, each with their own system of orders, decorations, and medals, the order's place of precedence varies from country to country. While in the United Kingdom, members rank below Knights and Dames Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, it has been claimed by Stanley Martin, in his book The Order of Merit 1902-2002: One Hundred Years of Matchless Honour, that the Order of Merit is actually the pinnacle of the British honours system.[23] Similarly, though it was not listed in the Canadian order of precedence for honours, decorations, and medals until December 2010,[24] except relating to those who were appointed to the order prior to 1 June 1972,[25] both Christopher McCreery, an expert on Canadian honours and secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, and Rafal Heydel-Mankoo, an editor of Burke's Peerage, stated that the Order of Merit was the highest civilian award for merit a Canadian could receive.[26][27][28]
Some orders of precedence are as follows:
Past members[change]
Substantive members[change]
Honorary members[change]
Countries[30] | Name | Date of appointment | Date of death | |
19. | Japan | Prince Yamagata Aritomo | 21 February 1906 | 1 February 1922 |
20. | Japan | Prince Ōyama Iwao | 21 February 1906 | 10 December 1916 |
21. | Japan | Marquess Tōgō Heihachirō | 21 February 1906 | 30 May 1934 |
40. | France | Ferdinand Foch | 29 November 1918 | 20 March 1929 |
43. | France | Joseph Jacques Césaire Joffre | 26 June 1919 | 3 January 1931 |
81. | United States | Dwight David Eisenhower | 12 June 1945 | 28 March 1969 |
88. | United States | John Gilbert Winant | 1 January 1947 | 3 November 1947 |
99. | France | Albert Schweitzer | 25 February 1955 | 4 September 1965 |
111. | India | Sir Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan | 12 June 1963 | 17 April 1975 |
149. | Albania/India | Agnesë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu | 18 November 1983 | 5 September 1997 |
Notes[change]
References[change]
- ↑ Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Royal Household. "The Queen and the UK > Queen and Honours > Order of Merit". Queen's Printer. Archived from the original on 18 July 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
- ↑ Jump up to: 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Jackson, Michael D. (2007). "The Order of Merit 1902-2002: One Hundred Years of Matchless Honour" (PDF). Canadian Monarchist News. Toronto: Monarchist League of Canada. p. 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 June 2008. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
- ↑ Jump up to: 3.0 3.1 Martin 2007, p. 11
- ↑ Martin 2007, p. 12
- ↑ Martin 2007, p. 13
- ↑ Martin 2007, pp. 18–20
- ↑ Martin 2007, p. 1
- ↑ Mountbatten, Philip (2007). "Foreword". Written at London. In Martin, Stanley (ed.). The Order of Merit: One Hundred Years of Matchless Honour. New York: I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd. pp. xvii. ISBN 978-1-86064-848-9. Archived from the original on 25 November 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2009.
- ↑ Arthur, Balfour (November 1926). Imperial Conference 1926: Inter-Imperial Relations Committee Report (PDF). London: King's Printer. p. 1. E (I.R./26) Series. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
- ↑ George V (11 December 1931). "The Statute of Westminster, 1931". 2.2. Westminster: King's Printer. Archived from the original on 12 May 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
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(help) - ↑ "Chrétien says Order of Merit 'humbling experience'". CTV. 14 July 2009. Archived from the original on 31 July 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
- ↑ Editorial Board (15 July 2009). "Order Worthy?". National Post. Retrieved 29 July 2009. [dead link]
- ↑ Jump up to: 13.0 13.1 Clarence House. "For Children > Medals and Uniforms > Medals > Picture 4: The Order of Merit". Queen's Printer. Archived from the original on 1 March 2009. Retrieved 29 July 2009.
- ↑ Martin 2007, p. 56
- ↑ Jump up to: 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 The Royal Household. "The Queen and the UK > Queen and Honours > Order of Merit > List of current members". Queen's Printer. Archived from the original on 16 July 2009. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
- ↑ "Queen gives Chrétien Order of Merit". CBC. 13 July 2009. Archived from the original on 17 July 2009. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
- ↑ Buckingham Palace. "Mr Neil MacGregor appointed to the Order of Merit, 4 November 2010". The Royal Household. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
- ↑ Jump up to: 18.0 18.1 "Appointments to the Order of Merit". Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
- ↑ Jump up to: 19.0 19.1 "New Year Honours 2013: The Full List". The Guardian. 30 December 2013. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
- ↑ Jump up to: 20.0 20.1 20.2 "New Year's Honours 2016". 30 December 2015. Archived from the original on 30 December 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
- ↑ Jump up to: 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5 Dunn, Charlotte (2022-11-11). "New Appointments to the Order of Merit". The Royal Family. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
- ↑ "Baroness Boothroyd, first female Speaker of the House of Commons, has died aged 93". Sky News. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
- ↑ Martin, Stanley (2007). "The Order of Merit 1902-2002: One Hundred Years of Matchless Honour". Written at London and New York. In Jackson, Michael D. (ed.). The Order of Merit 1902-2002: One Hundred Years of Matchless Honour (PDF). Vol. Summer 2007. Toronto: Monarchist League of Canada. p. 15. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 June 2008. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
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ignored (help) - ↑ Government of Canada (8 December 2010), "Order of Merit (O.M.) Order", Canada Gazette, 144 (25), Queen's Printer for Canada, SI/2010-88, archived from the original on 19 December 2010, retrieved 10 December 2010
- ↑ Office of the Governor General of Canada. "Honours > Order of Precedence". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 9 October 2006. Retrieved 24 July 2009.
- ↑ McCreery, Christopher (2005). The Order of Canada: Its Origins, History and Development. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-3940-5.
- ↑ Taber, Jane (15 July 2009). "Chrétien 'thrilled' by rare honour from Queen". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 17 July 2009. Retrieved 24 July 2009.
- ↑ Heydel-Mankoo, Rafal (2009). "Letter". In The Monarchist (ed.). A Letter from Burke's Peerage and Gentry. London: The Monarchist (published 25 July 2009). Archived from the original on 7 August 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2009.
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:|periodical=
ignored (help) - ↑ New Zealand Defence Force. "Medals Home > general medals information > order of wear". Queen's Printer for New Zealand. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2009.
- ↑ name=Flags
References[change]
- Martin, Stanley (2007). The Order of Merit: One Hundred Years of Matchless Honour. New York: I.B. Tauris & Co. Ltd. ISBN 978-1-86064-848-9.