The Military Knights of Windsor, originally the Alms Knights and informally the Poor Knights, are retired military officers who receive a

pension A pension (, from Latin ''pensiō'', "payment") is a fund into which a sum of money is added during an employee's employment years and from which payments are drawn to support the person's retirement from work in the form of periodic payments ...

and accommodation at

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original cast ...

, and who provide support for the

Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the George C ...

and for the services of St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. They are commanded by a senior retired officer as Governor of the Military Knights of Windsor.

History

The Alms Knights of St. George's Chapel were constituted by

King Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring ro ...

following the

Battle of Crécy The Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 in northern France between a French army commanded by King PhilipVI and an English army led by King EdwardIII. The French attacked the English while they were traversing northern France du ...

(1346), when many knights captured by the French were forced to liquidate their estates to raise

ransom Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or the sum of money involved in such a practice. When ransom means "payment", the word comes via Old French ''rançon'' from Latin ''red ...

money in order to secure their release. At the original establishment of the

and its chapel at Windsor (1348), veteran warriors were called to "serve God continually in prayer". In the statutes of the

College A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

of St. George's, a community of twenty-six

bedesmen Bedesman, or beadsman (Med. Eng. ''bede'', prayer, from O. Eng. ''biddan'', to pray; literally "a man of prayer"; and from Anglo Saxon "bed"), was generally a pensioner or almsman whose duty was to pray for his benefactor. Function A Bedesman ( ...

, called Alms Knights or Poor Knights, were appointed. Their duties included attending four services per day and praying for the sovereign and the knights of the Order of the Garter and rooms.St. George's Chapel Archives and Chapter Library, "Military Knights", Research Guide No.

/ref> The Alms Knights were a

chantry A chantry is an ecclesiastical term that may have either of two related meanings: # a chantry service, a Christian liturgy of prayers for the dead, which historically was an obiit, or # a chantry chapel, a building on private land, or an area in ...

, a religious foundation organized to pray for its patron. Poor Knights were originally impoverished

military veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that h ...

s. They were required to pray daily for the

Sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title which can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin , meaning 'above'. The roles of a sovereign vary from monarch, ruler or ...

and Knights Companions of the Order of the Garter; in return, they received 12d per day and 40s per year, and were lodged in Windsor Castle. Poverty was an important attribute of bedesmen, and indeed if any Poor Knight were to acquire assets with annual income of £20 or more, he would be removed from the college. King

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

halved their number to thirteen, Elizabeth I re-founded the order in 1559. At his restoration, King Charles II increased the number to eighteen. King

William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...

renamed them the Military Knights of Windsor in 1833. Today, the Military Knights, who are no longer necessarily poor, but are still military pensioners, participate in the Order's processions, escorting the Knights and Ladies of the Garter, and attend the daily services in St. George's Chapel. They are not members of the Order itself, nor are they automatically a knight of any

chivalric order An order of chivalry, order of knighthood, chivalric order, or equestrian order is an order of knights, typically founded during or inspired by the original Catholic military orders of the Crusades ( 1099–1291) and paired with medieval concep ...

Governor

The office of Governor of the Military Knights of Windsor is part of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, and dates from the mid-sixteenth century. From 1905 it has been controlled by the

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

, having formerly been responsible to the

Dean of Windsor The Dean of Windsor is the spiritual head of the canons of St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, England. The dean chairs meetings of the Chapter of Canons as ''primus inter pares''. The post of Dean of Wolverhampton was assimilated to the deane ...

. Since 1906 the Governor has always been a senior retired officer.

List of governors of the Military Knights of Windsor

*c.1583: John Moulsworth (Mowlesworth) of Helpston, co Northants: will dated 7 August 1583, Proved PCC 18 July 1584. Buried at St John the Baptist, New Windsor 2 September 1583 *to 1771: Sir William Wittewronge *c.1820: Colonel Thomas Bassett *1842: Captain John Jonstone Cumming *1843: Major Charles Moore *1843-1844: Captain Thomas Fernyhough, who died after 6mths in office. He was the first person to be buried in the catacombs beneath St George's Chapel. (Ref: 9/1/1844 and 16/1/1844 in the London Standard, The Colburn’s United Service Magazine 1844 ) *1867: Major Sir John Paul Hopkins *1892:

His Grace His Grace or Her Grace is an English Style (manner of address), style used for various high-ranking personages. It was the style used to address English monarchs until Henry VIII and the Scottish monarchs up to the Act of Union (1707), Act of Unio ...

The

Duke of Argyll Duke of Argyll ( gd, Diùc Earraghàidheil) is a title created in the peerage of Scotland in 1701 and in the peerage of the United Kingdom in 1892. The earls, marquesses, and dukes of Argyll were for several centuries among the most powerful ...

, KT

GCMG The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

GCVO The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

PC 1892–1906 *1906: Major-General Edward Henry Courtney *1913: Major-General Walter Carteret Carey *1932:

Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Sir

Charles Kavanagh Lieutenant General Sir Charles Toler MacMorrough Kavanagh, (25 March 1864 – 11 October 1950) was a British Army officer who commanded the Cavalry Corps at the Battle of Amiens. Military career Born the son of Arthur MacMorrough Kavanagh, ...

, KCB

KCMG KCMG may refer to * KC Motorgroup, based in Hong Kong, China * Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, British honour * KCMG-LP, radio station in New Mexico, USA * KCMG, callsign 1997-2001 of Los Angeles radio station KKLQ (FM) ...

CVO DSO *1951: Major-General Sir

Edmund Hakewill-Smith Major General Sir Edmund Hakewill-Smith, (17 March 1896 – 15 April 1986) was a senior British Army officer who served in both the First and Second World Wars. Early life and First World War Hakewill-Smith was born in Kimberley, Cape Colony, ...

, KCVO CB CBE MC *1978: Major-General Sir

Peter Gillett Major-General Sir Peter Bernard Gillett, (8 December 1913 – 4 July 1989) was a British Army officer. Military career Gillett was commissioned into the Royal Artillery on 1 February 1934. After serving in the rank of captain in the Second Wor ...

, KCVO CB CBE *1989: Major-General Sir Peter Downward, KCVO CB DSO DFC *2000:

Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Sir Michael Hobbs, KCVO

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

*2012: Lieutenant-General Peter Pearson CB CBE

External links

History from St. George's Chapel
*The Military Knights of Windsor, 1352-1944.

Historical monographs relating to St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle The historical monographs relating to St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle are a series of scholarly publications supported by the Dean and Canons of Windsor. Much of the scholarship is based on the material held in the archives at St. George’s C ...

Volume 4.

Edmund Fellowes Edmund Horace Fellowes (11 November 1870 – 21 December 1951), was a Church of England clergyman and musical scholar who became well known for his work in promoting the revival of sixteenth and seventeenth century English music. Life and work ...

(1944)

References

{{coord, 51, 29, 0, N, 0, 36, 28, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Windsor Castle Ceremonial officers in the United Kingdom