| No. 440.— The Victoria Cross. | No. 441.— The Albert Medal. |
The Albert Medal, No. 441, which was instituted also by Queen Victoria, dates from March 13, 1866, and is to distinguish those who save, or who at the peril of their own lives endeavour to save, life or perform other meritorious acts of bravery. The Coronet is that of H.R.H. the late Prince Consort; and the Monogram consists of the Initials V. A., with an anchor. This Medal is executed in Silver and Bronze for two classes of recipients. The anchor in the Badge is omitted when awarded for land services.
Other Decorations are “The Royal Order of Victoria and Albert” (of four classes) and the Imperial Order of the Crown of India (of one class), both confined to ladies, the Kaisar-i-Hind Medal, the Volunteer Officers’ Decoration, the Territorial Decoration, the Edward Medal, the King’s Police Medal, the Royal Red Cross, and the Order of Mercy; whilst the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem in England receives official recognition.
[8.] The Arms of the Inner Temple of the present day are—Azure, a pegasus (or winged horse) argent, or sometimes or. This Coat is derived from the early Badge, the two horsemen having been mistaken in later times for wings. The Arms of the Middle Temple are—Argent, on a cross gules, the Agnus Dei.
[CHAPTER XX]
PRECEDENCE. GENEALOGIES
“Orders and Degrees
Jar not with Liberty, but well consist.”
—Paradise Lost, Book V.
“The use of Arms was closely connected with the Study of Genealogy.” —Dallaway, Science of Heraldry (A.D. 1793).
When James I. succeeded to the Crown of England while he was actually the King regnant of Scotland, and accordingly became Sovereign of the two Realms, he found it necessary to produce a “Union Flag” for the whole of Great Britain, in consequence of the serious disputes for Precedence that arose between the natives of South and North Britain. Before the time of the peace-loving son of Mary Stuart, a Sovereign of another mould, Henry VIII., had felt the necessity of framing and establishing some definite system of Precedence amongst the various degrees, orders, and ranks of his subjects: and, in 1539, a statute to that effect was enacted. Other statutes afterwards were added; and, from time to time, Royal Letters Patent on the same subject have been issued; and thus the Precedence now recognised and in use amongst us has been established.