This Deferring, or Prorogation of the Election, was no new thing, tho’ not indulged by the Statutes, or declared Law, before this 21 Jac. I. as is evident by the Letter of Summons sent after the Death of Sir Robert D’Umfrevil, Knight Companion, temp. H. 4. wherein Notice is taken of the Limitation given by the Statutes, after Certificate of Death, viz. Six Weeks, within the Space whereof a new Election was to commence; yet where a Chapter for Election could not conveniently be summoned within that limited Time, it was sufficient if the Soveraign declared as he did in the said Placart and entered in the Black Book, That being then involved in other Business, he could not well attend this Affair, and therefore deferr’d the time for Election, unto the Eve of St. George next following.

But of later Date, this formal Way of Summons by Letter, hath been discontinued, and only remained to such as are remote, and warned only by a verbal Message. For the Chancellor of the Order having consulted the Soveraign’s Pleasure, as to the Day and Place, usually acquaints Garter therewith, who thereupon goes immediately to the Knights Companions then at Court, and desires their Attendance at the Chapter, according to the Soveraign’s Designation.

And here it is to be remarked, that no Knight Elect ought to be summoned to a Chapter of Election, or are rendered sufficient of giving their Votes therein, until they be compleatly installed, either in Person, or by Proxy. Nor indeed did any Necessity intervene, or require it till the late rebellious times, when the Castle of Windsor being Garrison’d by the Parliament’s Forces, it was not possible for the Duke of York and Prince Rupert, to take Possession of their Stalls, as the Law of the Order enjoined. Therefore the then Soveraign, whose Right it is, did, 17 Jan. 1644, dispense with their Installations in St. George’s Chapel, for the present, and invested them with the Privileges of the Order, among which the Power of voting in Chapter, was one: Provided those Princes should first take the Oath given at Installations, and afterwards perform the accustomed Ceremonies, so soon as it should be thought convenient, and the Castle was restored to the Possession of his Majesty. In compliance to which Proviso they both then took the Oath, and on the Eve of the first Feast of St. George after the Restoration, the Duke was installed; and on the Eve of the second Feast, 15 Car. 2. by the Earls of Northumberland and Berk-shire; and the Prince by the Duke of Albemarle and Earl of Lindsey.

§. 2. The Place of Election.] But at what time soever the Ceremony of Election is purposed, the same ought to be Celebrated in Chapter, (for so is the Assembly of the Sovereign and Knights-Companions call’d, where or whensoever conven’d) whether at the Solemnity of St. George’s Feast, the ordinary or most accustom’d Time, or on other Days specially set apart by the Sovereign; and when the Sovereign thinks fitting in the Interval of Feasts, to elect any Foreign Prince or other Person, Stranger or Subject, he often transacts it in peculiar Chapters called to that purpose, and then appoints both Day and Place, having that Prerogative. Some few Examples both of pristine, and of late Time, make it manifest and apparent.

Place. Day and Year. Knights elected.
1.Sign of the Lion in Brentford July 11. 24 H. 6. Alb. de Vasques Dalmadea, E. of Averentia.
Lord Beauchamp.
Lord Hoo.
2.Sov. Bed-Chamber at Westminster Nov. 27. 25 H. 6. Sir Francis Surreyne.
3.London, within the Bishops Palace. Feb. 8th 39 H. 6. Richard E. of Warwick.
Lord Bonvile.
Sir Thomas Kyriel.
Sir John Wenlock.
4.Tower of London. August 8. 14 Ed. 4. G. Ubaldus, D. of Urbin.
H. Percy, E. of North.
5.Star-Chamber. May 15th. 15 Ed. 4. Edward Pr. of Wales.
Richard Duke of York.
T. Grey, Mar. of Dorset.
6.Sovereign’s Bed-Chamber in the Wardrobe, London. Febr. 10. 19 E. 4. Ferdinand, K. of Spain.
Hercules, D. of Ferrara.
7.Greenwich, July 14. 15 H. 8. Lord Ferrers.
8.Calais. Oct. 27th. 24 H. 8. A. Montmor. E. Beamon.
P. Chabot, E. of Newbl.
9.Hampton-Court. Jan. 9th. 32 H. 8. Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford.
10.Windsor. Aug. 6. 1 & 2 Ph. & Mar. Emanuel Duke of Savoy.
11.Whitehall. Feb. 8th. 20 Eliz. John Casimire, Count Palatine of the Rhine.
12.York. Sept. 12. 16 Car. I. Thomas Earl of Strafford.

But for the most Part since the Beginning of Queen Elizabeth’s Reign, Whitehall, the Sovereign’s almost constant Court and Abode, hath been the usual Place whereunto all the Knights Companions have been specially Summon’d, and peculiar Chapters assembl’d for Election in the Intervals between the Vacancy and St. George’s Feast. However, while King Charles II. was in Exile, and wanted the compleat Number of Knights to constitute a full Chapter, he was necessitated not only to dispence with the Ceremony of Election in Chapter, but also in supplying the Defect of a Scrutiny, by making his own Election; yet after his Restoration, Whitehall recover’d her wonted Honour, and April the 1st. 13 Car. II. at a Chapter call’d and held in the Bed-Chamber there, the Duke of Richmond, the Earls of Lindsey, Manchester, and Strafford were elected.

§. 3. In the next Place we are to consider what Number of Knights-Companions ought to be assembl’d to make up a compleat Chapter of Election.

By the Statutes, there should be Six in Number at the least, besides the Sovereign or his Deputy; the due observance of which hath been so strict formerly, that Elections have been deferr’d where Chapters have been deficient in that Number; for Proof of which, the Duke of Gloucester, Ann. 9 Hen. VI. then Deputy to the Sovereign (at that Time in France) for Celebrating the Feast of St. George at Windsor, forbore to proceed to Election, because the Number of Knights-Companions there assembled was less than the Statutes requir’d. And Ann. 10 Hen. V. no Election was Solemniz’d, tho’ one Stall was void by the Death of the Lord Clifford, and probably for that reason; for the Earl of Bedford, then the Sovereign’s Deputy, had but three Knights present with him, Ann. 22, or rather 23. Humphry Duke of Bucks being deputed to celebrate the Feast of St. George at Windsor, altho’ there was at that Time four Stalls vacant, yet did no Nomination pass; one reason, because there was not present a sufficient Number to compleat the Election. So when the same King celebrated the Grand Feast personally at Windsor, Anno 31. Regni sui, having but three Knights attending him thereat, the Election was Prorogu’d for the very same Reason; in like manner 32, 33 and 34 Hen. VI. the Elections were retarded, for at the first of them there were present but two Knights-Companions, besides the Sovereign’s Deputy; and at the Two last but four, besides the Sovereign, tho’ the Registrum Cartaceum, Ann. 33. names five by adding the Duke of Somerset. At the Feast of St. George celebrated at Windsor, A. D. 1471. Temp. Edw. IV. the Sovereign fully resolving to Constitute an Election, and having but five Knights-Companions present, Calys, Pursuivant at Arms, was dispatch’d to London for Sir John Astley to repair thither and compleat the Chapter, rather than violate the Laws of the Order. January the 31st. 21 Car. II. being design’d for the Election of Christopher Duke of Albemarle, and there being Conven’d but five Knights at the Chapter, the Election was put off ’till the Third of February following, at which Time a proportionable Number of Knights being present, his Election receiv’d their Approbation.

§. 4. Yet in cases of Necessity only, and to illustrate the Power and Prerogative of the Sovereigns, where the Exigency requires it, tho’ not to be made use of where there is a possibility to perform the Rules and Injunctions of the Statutes, the Sovereigns for divers Reasons, have been induced to dispence with this Branch of the Statute for want of a plenary Number to compleat a Chapter. And the first Liberty observ’d herein, was made use of by King Henry VIII. Ann. 26. Regni sui, who upon the Death of the Lord Montjoy, very speedily assembl’d a Chapter at Whitehall, where no more than five Knights-Companions being present, the Absence of the rest were excus’d by special Grace and Favour, and the Injunction of the Statute (as the Annals subjoin) concerning the Number of Nominators, were by the same Clemency dispenc’d with, because of the Exigency of the Time and Place, and immediately upon taking a Scrutiny, James V. King of Scotland was elected into the Fellowship of this illustrious Order, but from that Time to the Rebellion, there occurs not any thing of this Nature; but the Wickedness of those Days created new Exigencies and Projections, which occasion’d, or rather inforc’d the Sovereign, King Charles I, most unwillingly to awaken and rouse up this dormant Prerogative, which he put in Execution at a Chapter purposely assembl’d for the Election of Thomas Earl of Strafford, held at the City of York the 12th of September, 16 Car. I. where at that Time and Place he dispenc’d with the Defect of Number of Six Knights-Companions, having then with him Four only, some of the rest being engag’d in his Service against the Scots.

Afterwards when several of the Knights-Companions so much adhered to the Long Parliament, that all Summons were ineffectual to draw them to their Attendance upon their Sovereign, tho’ but to celebrate the Grand Festival of their Patron (much less to the compleating Chapters of Election) to which they were obliged by the Oath taken at their Installment, the Sovereign was constrain’d to extend further his Supreme Authority; and thereupon at the Feast of St. George, celebrated at York, the 18th, 19th and 20th of April, Ann. 18. Regni sui, in a Chapter held on the Eve of the said Feast by himself and but four other Knights Companions, It was Order’d, That Letters of Dispensation should be drawn up for the insufficient Number (as wanting Six Knights) to hold a Chapter of Election, and for Authorizing the Knights then present to deliver in their Votes according to Custom in other Scrutinies, that so the Sovereign might proceed to the Election design’d. By vertue of which Dispensation, the Duke of York and Prince Rupert were elected Fellows of this noble Society.