Garter

[Fr. jarretière - jarret, ham, hough; W.gar das, gardys, from gar, the leg; Gael. gart an, a garter; Armor. går, or garr, the leg.] A band, string, or ligament used to tie a stocking to the leg, so as to prevent it from slipping down. "Handsome garters at your knees." Swift . -The badge of the highest order of knighthood in Great Britain, called the Order of the Garter; also, the order itself; as, the blue ribbon of the Garter . "Now by my George, my Garter." - Shaks. (Her.) The half of a bend. -v. a. To bind or fasten with a garter. "He being in love, could not see to garter his hose."-Shaks. -To invest with the Order of the Garter. SOIT QUI SINOH d. MAL of Windsor are also considered as adjunct to the Order of the Garter. The officers of the order are, firstly, the Prelate, which dignity was first filled by William de Edyngton, bishop of Winchester, and which is now vested in the bishop of Winchester for the time being; the office enabling him to take his seat in parliament next to the bishop of Durham The next officer is the Chancellor , who, until the year 1837, was the bishop of Salisbury (for the time being), but since the see of Oxford has included Berks hire (and consequently the town of Windsor), the chancellor is always the bishop of Oxford. The Registrar , who is the Dean of Windsor, is the next official, and after these come the Garter King-at- Arms , and the Usher of the Black Rod . All these officers are bound to CHON SOIT-OU AL-Y PENSE Fig . 1124. ORDER OF THE GARTER. (Star, Collar, Badge, and Garter.) attend the chapters of the order held in St. George's Chapel, Windsor, on St. George's Day, where the installations of knights are held, and they are sworn to adhere to all the institutes of the order, and to promote its well-being to the best of their ability. The peculiar dre which distinguished the Order of the Garter from other similar institutions, at its first establishment, was a mantle , tunic , and hood of blue cloth lined with ermine, that of the sovereign differing from the knights by the fur of the lining being of miniver instead of ermine. All these three garments were embroidered with garters of blue and gold; and the garter itself was worn under the left knee, and was composed of dark blue velvet edged with gold, with the motto "Honi so it qui mal y pense" inscribed upon it in letters of gold; the buckle and pendant were likewise of the same precious metal. Henry VIII. added a collar, composed of pieces of gold worked in the fashion of garters, the centres of each being alternately white and red (alluding to the junction of the York and Lancaster families in the House of Tudor), and these links, or garters, were exactly 26 in number, typical of the strength of the order. He also added the greater and le er "Georges," which consist of gold medallions with the figures of St. George and the Dragon worked in relief. Charles II. made the last alterations, substituting crimson for the surcoat and hood, and a lining of white taffeta instead of ermine. The ribbon by which the medallion of St. George is suspended over the left shoulder is of blue - whence the expre ion "receiving the blue ribbon ," employed sometimes to denote the being installed a member of the Order of the Garter. Down to the reign of Edward IV., some ladies, as the queens, ., were admitted to share in the honors of this noble order; and the splendid appearance of Queen Philippa, clad in the habiliments of the Garter, is mentioned by Froi art as being very imposing. The dre and ceremonies are at present exactly as they were when first instituted, with the exception of the alterations above mentioned; and the Garter is still held to be, and will no doubt continue to hold its fame of being, the first knightly order in Europe.