Royal Warrant - Consolidated Statutes of the Order of Merit [1987-04-14]

ELIZABETH R.

ELIZABETH THE SECOND, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, and Sovereign of the Order of Merit, to all to whom these Presents shall come:

Greeting!

Recites Letters Patent of 23rd June, 1902.

WHEREAS Our Royal Great Grandfather, His Late Majesty King Edward the Seventh, by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom, bearing date at Westminster the Twenty-third day of June, One thousand nine hundred and two, in the Second year of His Reign, id institute, erect, constitute, and create an Order, to be called and known for ever thereafter by the name, style and designation of The Order of Merit whereof His said Majesty, His heirs and successors for ever should be Sovereigns, and did by the said Letters Patent ordain and declare that the said Order should be governed by Statutes and Ordinances to be established by the Sovereign and sealed by and with the Seal of the said Order:

AND WHEREAS the Statutes of the said Order have from time to time been amended and re-enacted by Our Royal Predecessors and by Us:

WE DEEM it now expedient to assemble the said Statutes and to make such alterations to appear to Us necessary for the proper government of the Order:

Repeals all former Statutes:

NOW KNOW YE that, in pursuance and exercise of the power vested in Us by the said Letters Patent, We have abrogated and annulled and do hereby abrogate and repeal all and every of the said Statutes and Ordinances so far as they are repugnant to or inconsistent with the following Statutes;

AND FURTHER Know all Ye to whom these Presents shall come that in substitution thereof We have made, ordained and established and by these Presents sealed with the Seal of the Order, do make, ordain and establish, the following Statutes and Ordinances, which shall from henceforth be inviolably observed and kept within the same, namely:

Style and Designation of the Order.

I.—It is ordained and enjoined that the Order shall be styled and designated in all acts, proceedings and pleadings, "The Order of Merit," as directed in the Letters Patent of the Second year of the Reign of Our Royal Predecessor King Edward the Seventh, and by no other designation.

Constitution of the Order.

II.—It is ordained that the said Order shall consist of the Sovereign and Members, Ordinary and Honorary.

Sovereigns of the Order.

III.—It is ordained that We, Our heirs and successors, Kings and Queens Regnant of these Our Realms, are, and for ever shall be, Sovereigns of the Order, to whom doth and shall belong all power of annulling, interpreting, explaining, or augmenting these and every part of these Statutes.

Ordinary Members not to exceed 24 in number.

IV.—It is ordained that the Ordinary Members of the Order shall not exceed twenty-four in number.

Qualifications for admission to the Order.

V.—It is ordained that the persons to be admitted as Ordinary Members of this Order shall be such persons, subjects of Our Crown, as may have rendered exceptionally meritorious service in Our Crown Services, or towards the advancement of the Arts, Learning, Literature and Science, or such other exceptional service as We see fit to recognise.

Honorary Members.

VI.—It is ordained that the persons to be admitted as Honorary Members of the Order shall be such persons, who are not subjects of Our Crown, upon whom We may think fit to confer the honour of being received into the Order, and that the number of such Honorary Members may consist of as many persons as We, Our heirs and successors shall think fit to appoint.

Manner of Appointment.

VII.—It is ordained that when We, Our heirs and successors, shall be pleased to nominate and appoint any person to be a Member of this Order, such appointment shall be made by Warrant under Our Royal Sign Manual, and sealed with the Seal of the Order.

Insignia of the Sovereign.

VIII.—It is ordained that the Insignia of the Sovereign of the said Order shall be of the material and fashion as are hereinafter appointed for the Members of the Order.

Badge of the Order.

IX.—It is ordained that the Members of this Order shall wear the Badge of the Order, which shall consist of a Cross of red and blue enamel of eight points, having, within a laurel wreath upon a centre of blue enamel, the motto of the Order, that is to say: "For Merit", in letters of gold; on the reverse, within a laurel wreath, upon a centre of blue enamel, Our Royal Cypher in gold, the whole being surmounted by Our Imperial Crown enamelled in proper colours. Members who are men shall suspend the Badge from a parti-coloured riband of Garter blue and crimson, round the neck. Members who are women shall attach the Badge to a similar riband tied in a bow on the left shoulder. Members appointed for distinguished and meritorious services in Our Armed Forces shall wear a like Badge with the addition of two silver swords with gold hilts, placed saltirewise between the angles of the Cross.

Investiture.

X.—It is ordained that upon the nomination of any person to be a Member of this Order, he, or she, shall be invested with the Insignia of his, or her, dignity in the Order by Us, Our heirs and successors, and that on the day of the investiture the person to be invested shall be introduced into the presence of the Sovereign by the Officer of the Order in attendance bearing the proper Insignia of the Order, when the Sovereign shall proceed to invest him, or her, with the Ensigns of the said Order with the Riband and Badge.

The Sovereign may delegate powers as to investiture. 

XI.—It is further ordained that it shall be competent for Us, Our heirs and successors, by a Warrant or Warrants under Our Sign Manual, and sealed with the Seal of this Order, to authorise some distinguished Officer in Our service, or other person to perform in Our name, and on Our behalf the ceremony of investing Members with the Insignia of their dignity, or to permit the ceremony of investiture to be dispensed with.

As to dispensing with Investiture.

And We reserve to Ourselves, Our heirs and successors, by Our or their Warrant or Warrants, as aforesaid, to permit and authorise the person or persons not invested by Us to wear the Insignia, and enjoy the privileges appertaining to their dignity.

Members may suspend Badge from their Armorial Bearings.

XII.—It is ordained that for the greater honour and dignity of the Members of this Order, it shall be lawful for the Members of this Order to suspend a representation of their Riband and Badge from the bottom of the escutcheon containing their armorial bearings.

Seal of the Order.

XIII.—It is ordained that the Seal of this Order shall have engraved thereon as follows, that is to say: upon a white field, a representation of the Badge of the Order proper, impaled with Our Royal Arms, with the following circumscription, "The Seal of the Order of Merit", and that the Statutes of the said Order shall be sealed by and with the same.

Anniversary of the Order.

XIV.—It is ordained that the Twenty-sixth day of June every year shall be taken and deemed to be the anniversary of the institution of this Order.

Officer of the Order.

XV.—It is ordained that the following Officer shall be appointed to this Order, that is to say, a Secretary and Registrar.

Secretary and Registrar of the Order. 

XVI.—It is ordained that the Secretary and Registrar of the said Order shall be appointed from time to time by a Warrant under the Sign Manual of Us, Our heirs and successors, and shall hold the said Office during the pleasure of Us, Our heirs and successors.

His Insignia.

It is further ordained that he shall wear around his neck pendant to a chain of gold a like Badge to that appointed for Members of the Order, with the addition of two silver pens, saltirewise between the angles of the Cross.

His Duties.

To his custody shall be confided the Seal of the said Order, which he shall affix, or cause to be affixed, to all Statutes and other documents or instruments connected therewith. He shall, moreover, perform such duties as may be directed by the Sovereign or by these Statutes. He shall keep full lists of the Members of the Order. He shall carefully record all proceedings relative to the said Order that may take place, and he shall faithfully enter such proceedings in the Register of the Order, as well as all documents which may be transmitted to him for that purpose. We are further pleased to ordain that the Chancery of the said Order, wherein a record of all proceedings connected therewith shall be deposited and preserved, shall be in the Central Chancery of Our Orders of Knighthood.

Statutes to be observed.

XVII.—We do hereby command and enjoin that these Statutes shall be of such and the same force, virtue and effect in every respect as if they had been duly made, and the said acts, deeds, matters and things had been duly done, on the Twenty-third day of June, One thousand nine hundred and two.

Power reserved to alter Statutes.

XVIII.—Lastly, We reserve to Ourselves, Our heirs and successors, full power of annulling, altering, abrogating, augmenting, interpreting, or dispensing with these Statutes and Regulations, or any part thereof, by a Notification under the Sign Manual of the Sovereign of the Order.

GIVEN under the Seal of the aforesaid Order of Merit at Our Court at Saint James's, this Fourteenth day of April, One thousand nine hundred and eighty-seven, in the Thirty-sixth year of Our Reign.

BY HER MAJESTY'S COMMAND,

EDWARD FORD
Secretary and Registrar.