United Kingdom. An Order of the Bath, G.C.B. (Civil) Knight Grand Cross

Instituted 1725. Civil Division. Type II (1815-) A Mid to Late 19th Century example presented as an oval badge in 18K Gold, presenting the tricrown intertwined with the thistle, flower and clover designs, surrounded by the embossed inscription on a pebbled field TRIA JUNCTA IN UNO (Three Joined In One), a fine set of hallmarks on the obverse denoting London manufacture from 1798 and 18 karat Gold, makers mark identifying Richard Gosling manufacture, measuring 43.37mm (w) x 60.62mm (h – inclusive of integral decorative suspension loop), weighs 14.9 grams, light contact marks, extremely fine condition. Footnote: The Most Honourable Order of the Bath was established by King George I in 1725 on the advice of the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Robert Walpole. The Order derives its name from the ceremonial bath that Knights performed as part of a series of purification rites before they were admitted into knighthood during the medieval era. These rites were continued as part of the tradition until 1815 when the Order was entirely restructured. It has since been the members themselves who have invested the Order with its prestige, and not its thinly veiled connections to traditions of the past. Membership was originally limited to 36 Knight Companions, but participation in the Napoleonic Wars necessitated an increase in membership to reward military achievement. In 1815, the Order was expanded from a single class into a three-class system with a military and civil division, although the civil division was not formalized until 1847.