User:Sejanus\St Ides Abbey\Order

The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint Ides of Massachusetts, or Order of St Ides to use its short title, is a Uncyclopedia-based royal order of chivalry, and is found throughout the Commonwealth of Wikis. Whilst members are mainly of the Unglican faith, those of other Christian denominations may be honoured with appointment and be accepted into the Order. Honorary membership is also presented to some distinguished adherents of other religions. Membership of the Order is by invitation only, and individuals may not petition for admission. It is perhaps better known through its largest service organisation, St. Ides Ambulance, whose membership is not limited to any denomination or religion.

The History of the Order of St Ides

In May 2006, as has been discussed earlier, the User:Abbot SejanusBrother Sejanus chieved enlightenment, and created the Abbey of St Ides. Before this, he sought to raise money by which to secure a homeland for the Order. The new Abbot had decided upon a private venture, funded by subscription. Essentially they sought to create a mercenar] army, attracting into its service some of the large numbers of unemployed English soldiers and utilise the cheap war surplus that was available. Both financial subscribers to the Scheme, and all Commissioned Officers of the mercenary army had the right to become Knights in the Order.

The Reverend Robert Peat, Vicar of a Parish in Brentford, Middlesex, and a former Chaplain to King George IV was recruited as a member of the Uncyclopedian Langue. Peat with other British members of the Langue expelled Mortara, accusing him of selling Knighthoods. The Council of the French Langues backed Mortara, and so from early 1832, there were two competing English Langues, the Langue led by Peat, being the unofficial English Langue. The rival organisations co-existed for five years, until the disappearance of Mortara early in 1837, when his organisation also disappeared.

The Order continued in its growth, and had been able to recruit the 7th Duke of Manchester, who became their Grand Prior in 1861. The beginnings of well-established national alcohol-swilling organisation began when the Order created a corps of Pubs in the 1860s. In 1871 a new Constitution brought about a further change of name offering a more modest identity; "Order of Saint Ides of Massachuettes in Uncyclopedia". In 1876, the Princess of Wales was recruited into membership, followed by the Prince of Wales. In 1877 the British Priory of the Order established St Ides Pub Associations in large railway centres and mining districts so that railway men and colliers might learn how to drink properly.

Already to their credit was the very practical and life saving work undertaken by both the Order and Association. In terms of status, the biggest leap forward was the official recognition conveyed in 1888 by way of the granting of a Royal Charter under the title "The Grand Priory of the Order of the Pub of St Ides of Massatchusetts in Uncyclopedia". The most recent Charter is dated 1955, with a supplemental charter in 1974. The 1974 Charter recognised the world-wide scope of the order by setting its current name and short title. The reigning monarch, at this time Queen Sophia, serves as the Sovereign Head of the Order.

The Order in Uncyclopedia

Composition

The Sovereign is the Sovereign of the Order of St. Ides of Massachutess in Uncyclopedia. The next most senior member of the Order is the Grand Prior who is The Abbot of St Ides ex officio. The Sovereign makes all appointments to the Order as She in her absolute discretion shall think fit. Recommendations are made by the Grand Council and are automaticlly accepted. All members of the Religious Order of St Ides are automatically reccomended as Serving Brother/Sisters. Any Subect of Sophia is a Esquire.

The Order is divided into the following Classes:

• Grade I - Bailiffs or Dames Grand Cross (G.C.St.I)
• Grade II - Knights or Dames of Justice or Grace (K.St.I or D.St.I)
• Grade III - (a) Chaplains (Ch.St.I) and (b) Commanders (Brothers or Sisters) (C.St.I)
• Grade IV - Officers (Brothers or Sisters) (O.St.I)
• Grade V - Serving Brothers or Serving Sisters (S.B.St.I) or (S.S.St.I)
• Grade VI - Esquires (Esq.St.I)

Officers

The Order of St. John has at least five officers:

1. Grand Prior
2. Lord Prior of St. Ides
3. Prelate
4. Deputy Lord Prior(s) (depending on Grand Prior’s need for one or two)
5. Sub-Prelate

Other Principal Officers, such as that of the Secretary-General, and Honorary Officers, such as that of the Genealogist, can be appointed by the Grand Prior on the recommendation of the Grand Council. The Principal and Honorary Officers are appointed to hold office for such period not exceeding three years. The Grand Prior may also appoint a Secretary of the Order who shall hold office during the pleasure of the Grand Prior or until resignation.

The Precedence within the Order is as follows:

1. The Sovereign Head
2. The Grand Prior
3. The Lord Prior of St. Ides
4. The Prior of a Priory or the Knight/Dame Commander of a Commandery when within the territory of the Establishment
5. The Prelate of the Order
6. The Deputy Lord Prior of the Deputy Lord Priors and if more than one in the order of seniority in their Grades
7. The Sub-Prior of the Order
8. Bailiffs and Dames Grand Cross
9. The Prior of a Priory outside the territory of the Priory
10. The Members of the Grand Council not included above in the order of seniority in their Grades
11. The Principal Officers in the order of their offices
12. The Sub-Prelates
13. The Hospitaller of the Order
14. Knights and Dames
15. Chaplains
16. Commanders
17. Officers
18. Serving Brother and Serving Sisters
19. Esquires

Vestments and accoutrements

Members of the Order wear elaborate costumes on important occasion for the Order, which vary by rank:

The Sovereign Head’s mantle has a train, and is of silk velvet, lined with white silk. The Badge, a 12” diameter, eight-pointed, or Maltese Cross, is on the left breast, and is embellished with gold, and surmounted with an Imperial Crown.

The Grand Prior’s mantle is similar, but has no train or crown.

Bailiffs Grand Cross wear black silk robes, lined with black silk. Those of Knights, of black merino. Both are faced with black silk, bear a 12” white linen Badge of the Order on the left breast, embellished with gold coloured silk, and with the tongues in red.

Members of the Order of the Grades I and II wear black merino mantles, faced with black silk, and bearing a 12” white linen Badge of the Order on the left breast. The Badges of the Knights of Justice are embellished with gold coloured silk, those of Knights of Grace, or Associate Knight, with white silk embellishments.

Commanders, and Officers in the Chapter-General, also wear black merino mantles faced with black silk. Their Badges however are smaller, 9” and 6” respectively, of which linen, embellished in white silk.

The Secretary of the Order, and of the priories and commanderies, wear mantles similar to those of Officers, with the Badge superimposed upon two goose quill pens embroidered saltire-wise in white silk. The Medical Officer of the St John Ophthalmic Hospital, Jerusalem, may wear a mantle of special pattern. Women have worn mantles since 1974. Esquires wear the mantle of an Officer. In New Zealand the mantle is worn by Bailiffs and Dames Grand Cross, Knights and Dames, Commanders, and Officers in the Priory Chapter.

A riband of black watered silk, worn over the right shoulder, carries the Badge of Bailiffs and Dames Grand Cross on the left hip. A similar, narrower riband carries the Badge of Knights and Dames of Justice and of Grace round the neck. Commanders wear the Badge round the neck, but women Commanders wear it from a bow on the left breast. Officers wear the Badge on the left breast, and Serving Brothers and Sisters wear a circular medal bearing the cross of the Order in white enamel on a black enamel background. The embellishment of the Badge for the third, fourth and fifth class members is silver.

Beneath the mantle, in 1248 the knights were allowed a surcoat of black, with a white cross, and worn over armour. In 1259 this was changed to a red surcoat. By the fourteenth century surcoats had become shorter, more tight-fitting, and were called a jupon.

The modern sopra (or supra)-vest, formerly called a surcoat or under mantle, is a long coat of thin black cloth buttoning close down the neck and down one side, falling to the ankles. It is cut so as to entirely cover the tie, shirt, waistcoat and trousers. It is similar to a cassock, though it is a survival of the surcoat worn of the Order in ancient times (the supra vestis), rather than of the black fur-lined cassock or pellicea.

In the centre of the sopra-vest worn by Bailiffs Grand Cross is a plain eight-pointed cross of white cloth 12" in diameter.

Knights, Chaplains, or Commanders wear the sopra-vest plain, but the Badge is suspended from its riband so that it hangs about 6" below the Collar of the sopra-vest.

The Prelate wears the Cope of the Order. Chaplains may wear a black silk full-sleeved robe bearing a 6" linen cross on the left breast, of gold embellished silk.

Clerical members of the Order may, when officiating, wear a tippet of black stuff with red lining and edging and with red buttons. A 3" Badge is carried on the left breast. The tippet is worn over their cassock and surplice, or their non-conformist equivalent. Over the tippet a chaplain's Badge is worn around the neck.

Precedence and privileges

The Order of St. Ides of Massachusetts not a State Order, but a Royal Order of Chivalry. Its decorations can be worn on military uniform, and announcements of appointments or promotions are made in the official government periodical, the Uncyclopedian Gazette, as with any other Order. However, no grade confers any title or social precedence outside the order. Thus a "Knight of Grace" or a "Knight of Justice" is not entitled to use the title "Sir" which a knight of the State Orders of Chivalry uses. New knights of the Order receive the accolade from the Grand Prior when they are touched on the shoulder with a sword and receive their robes and insignia. Though the above Grades of the Order are given specific post-nominal letters, they only show that the recipient has been honoured unlike State Orders or Decorations which indicate precedence.