Group    From 27/4/1908 

Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor

An exclusive club which only knights can join.  Founded in 1908 to enable a joint opposition to the Walker Trustees who were enforcing their entitlement to collect monies from newly created Knights.

More details: The Office of Usher of the White Rod which has existed since at least 1393, was an attendant of the Parliament of Scotland and an hereditary office.  In 1758 it became a commodity which could be bought and sold.  From The Edge: "Eventually it was purchased by William Walker, an Edinburgh lawyer, for his son Sir Patrick. As well as the income, Patrick was keen on the ceremonial side and he appeared at the Coronation of King George IV, and at George IV's famous visit to Edinburgh in 1822, dressed up in his specially designed pantaloons and uniform."  The Walker family then set up a Trust and in 1877, by Act of Parliament, all newly created Knights Bachelor became liable to pay certain fees to the Walker Trustees in perpetuity.  The Knights objected.  It's not clear why they had not objected before but possibly the fees had not previously been collected efficiently, or at all.  Hence they needed a body (the ISKB) with which to fight the court case, which went to appeal but they did win.  The amount which no longer had to be paid was, per Knight Bachelor, £3 6s 8d. From the rate sheet at ISKB we see that a Duke was the most expensive at over £21.  We think that White Rod lost all this income so goodness knows how he affords the panteloons now.

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor

Commemorated ati

Imperial Society

On this site the Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor was founded on 27th Apr...

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Other Subjects

Peter Warlock Society

Peter Warlock Society

The address of the Society is given as Schenectady, NY.

Group, Community / Clubs, Music / songs, USA

1 memorial
Martin A. Buckmaster

Martin A. Buckmaster

Elected to membership of the Arts Club in 1897. Still a member in 1920 when The Arts Club and its Members, our source for this information, was published. The oldest member of the club, aged 94 yea...

Person, Art, Community / Clubs

1 memorial
Dolphin pub

Dolphin pub

We found the building on Google Street View dated 2012 but by 2014 it was gone. From the design of the building and the dolphin relief we'd guess it was built c1930-40. It appears on a 1950 map. T...

Building, Community / Clubs, Food & Drink

1 memorial
Robert Aickman

Robert Aickman

Author and conservationist. Born at 77 Fellows Road, Hampstead. One of the founders of the Inland Waterways Association, where he met and collaborated rather too closely with the author Elizabeth J...

Person, Community / Clubs, Literature, Paranormal

1 memorial