HARDY FORUM ARCHIVE H03043 5/24/03 "HARDY'S ORDER OF MERIT QUESTION"
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From: "BRIAN DEVONALD" <BRIAN@devonaldspace.freeserve.co.uk>
Subject: THOMAS HARDY QUESTIONS
Date: Sat, 24 May 2003 14:32:41 +0100


I have thought of some valid questions to ask about Thomas Hardy that others may wish to ponder upon: 1 Why did Hardy never have children? 2 What would Hardy have thought of his huge literary reputation in 2003? 3 Hardy had a long lifespan:therefore is it known what he thought of D.H.Lawrence and T.S.Eliot? 4 Was there anything that he wrote that he,later in life, thought rubbish? 5 Was he ever offered the British Poet Laureate position and refused it? 6 Why did he decline a British Knighthood (Sir) yet accept the British Order Of Merit (O.M.)? 7Just before he died there is a photograph of him with a little smile.Are there any photographs of him laughing? 8 What would he have thought of this Thomas Hardy Internet Discussion/Book Club? 9 Are there unknown voice recordings of Hardy speaking? 10 Are there any people,still alive,who actually met and talked with him? Of course one could ask questions forever about Hardy - and every other person and subject also,but those are a few of my Hardy ones. Brian Devonald

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From: "RDKnight" <ronald@knight339.fsnet.co.uk>
Subject: Re: THOMAS HARDY QUESTIONS
Date: Sun, 25 May 2003 09:08:35 +0100

I stand to be corrected, but in some respects the Order of Merit has a
higher standing than some knighthoods. For example, the OM is restricted to
just 24 members, whereas many of the ordinary knighthoods (as different from
say Knight of the Bath) dished out at New Year and on the Queen's Birthday
have no such such restriction of numbers. In these circumstances holders of
the OM would have a precedence.
Ronald Knight

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From: Charles.Anesi@wellsfargo.com
Subject: RE: THOMAS HARDY QUESTIONS
Date: Sun, 25 May 2003 10:40:58 -0500
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This appears to be correct. The number is fixed at 24 for British members,
with the addition of such foreign persons as the Sovereign shall appoint.
The order is mentioned with approbation in the article "Knighthood" in the
11th edition of the Britannica (1910-11) (as belonging to "...the class of
orders without the titular appellation 'knight' ") and given as much ink as
the Order of the Bath. It is not mentioned specifically in the "Precedence"
article, however, but then it was fairly new at the time. I rely on a
British member of the society definitively to resolve the precedence
question, but from what I can see looking at various precedence web sites,
it is probably something close to this (for those persons not otherwise
distinguished, of course).

Knights of Thistle & St Patrick if Commoners
Knights Grand Cross of the Bath
Members of the Order of Merit
Knights Grand Commanders of the Star of India
Knights Grand Cross of St. Michael & St. George
Knights Grand Commanders of the Indian Empire
Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
Knights Grand Cross of the British Empire
Companions of Honour
Knights Commanders of the above Orders
Knights Bachelor

http://freespace.virgin.net/guy.etchells/prec.htm

http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page493.asp

http://www.medals.com/Precedence/ (order of wear)


Chuck Anesi
Charles.Anesi@wellsfargo.com
office 612-667-9518
pager 888-278-6532
cell 612-940-3345

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