The History of the Knights of Saint Patrick
The Order of the Knights of Saint Patrick was established by King George III in 1783 as a National Order for Ireland, consisting of the Sovereign and twenty-two Knights-Companions. The Order was seen to be one of the highest accomplishments and was a means of promoting faithfulness to the Crown in Ireland. The insignia of the Order consisted of the eight-pointed star, the collar, and the badge. The star consists of a green-enamelled trefoil to the centre, and each leaf has a gold and enamelled crown sitting on an enamelled cross of Saint Patrick on a faceted silver ground. The motto sits on light blue ground with chased gold borders. The collar is composed of alternating harps and roses interlinked with knots of gold. The badge depicts a shamrock bearing crowns on each of its three leaves, which are encircled by the order’s motto, ‘Quis separabit?’, meaning ‘Who shall separate us?’, and ‘1783’ in Roman numerals.
Members tended to hold noble or royal titles and were generally Anglo-Irish peers and members of the royal family. Originally, the order was limited to the Sovereign (the British monarch) and fifteen knights; this was increased by George IV who raised the number to twenty-one knights. Eventually, William IV formally limited the number to twenty-two. The Order of Saint Patrick continued until the establishment of Ireland as the Irish Free State in 1922. Although the Order technically still exists, no knight of St Patrick has been created since 1936, and the last surviving knight, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, died in 1974.
