1902 Coronation Honours facts for kids

The 1902 Coronation Honours were special awards given out on June 26, 1902. This was the day King Edward VII was supposed to have his coronation ceremony. However, the King became very ill just two days before, so the coronation had to be postponed. Even though the big event was delayed, the King decided that the list of honours should still be announced on that day.

These honours included appointments to various important orders and awards in the United Kingdom and British India. The King also created two brand new awards:

• The Order of Merit
• The Imperial Service Order

The very first people to receive the Imperial Service Order were actually announced later that year, in November. The list also included some promotions and new roles within the British Army. News about these honours was shared in newspapers like The Times. The official announcements were then published over several months in the London Gazette. On the same day, another list of honours was released for people who served during the Second Boer War in South Africa.

Important Royal Orders

These are some of the oldest and most respected awards given by the British monarch.

Order of the Garter

Order of the Garter ribbon

The Order of the Garter is the highest award of chivalry in the United Kingdom. It's a very old order, created in the 1300s.

• The Duke of Wellington
• The Duke of Sutherland

Order of the Thistle

Order of the Thistle ribbon

The Order of the Thistle is the highest award of chivalry in Scotland. It's similar to the Order of the Garter but for Scottish people.

• The Duke of Roxburghe
• The Earl of Haddington

Order of St Patrick

Order of St Patrick ribbon

The Order of St Patrick was the highest award of chivalry in Ireland.

• The Earl of Enniskillen
• Lord de Ros

New Titles for Important People

The King also granted new peerages, which are special titles like Marquess, Viscount, or Baron. These titles often come with a seat in the House of Lords, part of the UK Parliament.

Marquess

A Marquess is a very high rank in the peerage, just below a Duke.

• The Earl of Hopetoun, who was the first Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, was made Marquess of Linlithgow.

Viscount

A Viscount is a rank below a Marquess and above a Baron.

• Lord Colville of Culross became Viscount Colville of Culross.
• Lord Churchill became Viscount Churchill.
• Lord Milner became Viscount Milner.

Baron

A Baron is the lowest rank of the peerage.

• The Lord Justice-General of Scotland (a top judge) became Baron Kinross.
• Sir Ughtred Kay-Shuttleworth, a Member of Parliament, became Baron Shuttleworth.
• General Sir Francis Grenfell, a military leader, became Baron Grenfell.

Privy Council Appointments

The Privy Council is a group of senior advisors to the King. Being appointed means you are a trusted advisor.

• The Earl of Minto, who was the Governor-General of Canada.
• Lord Kelvin, a famous scientist.
• Lord Lister, a pioneering surgeon.
• Sir Edward Grey, a Member of Parliament who later became a very important politician.

Baronets and Knights

These are titles of honour, but they are not part of the peerage.

Baronets

A Baronet is a hereditary title, meaning it can be passed down in the family.

• Sir Joseph Dimsdale, who was the Lord Mayor of the City of London.
• Sir Frederick Treves, a famous surgeon who treated the King.
• Sir Hubert Parry, a well-known composer.
• Sir Edward Poynter, the President of the Royal Academy of Arts.

Knights Bachelor

A Knight Bachelor is a personal honour given to men for their achievements, but the title cannot be passed down.

• Arthur Conan Doyle, the famous author who created Sherlock Holmes.
• William Emerson, President of the Royal Society of British Architects.
• Oliver Lodge, a famous physicist.
• Charles Wyndham, a well-known actor.

Many people from the British Empire and Ireland were also knighted, including:

• C. Paul Chater from Hong Kong.
• Henri Taschereau, a judge from Canada.
• Edward Albert Stone, the Chief Justice of Western Australia.
• Thomas Myles, President of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.

The New Order of Merit

Order of Merit ribbon

The King created a brand new award called the Order of Merit. This special order is given to people who have done amazing things in the military, science, art, or literature. The King himself chooses who receives this honour.

Some of the first people to receive the Order of Merit were:

• Field Marshal Lord Roberts, a very famous military leader.
• Field Marshal Lord Wolseley, another top military commander.
• Lord Kelvin, a brilliant scientist.
• Lord Lister, the surgeon who introduced antiseptic surgery.
• Sir William Huggins, a famous astronomer.
• George Frederic Watts, a renowned painter.

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath

Order of the Bath ribbon

The Order of the Bath is a very old and important British order of chivalry. It is given for excellent service, especially in the military or civil service.

Knight Grand Cross (GCB)

This is the highest rank in the Order of the Bath.

• Admiral Lord Walter Talbot Kerr
• General Sir Richard Chambre Hayes Taylor
• The Earl of Clarendon, who was the Lord Chamberlain (a senior official in the Royal Household).

Knights Commander (KCB)

This is the second highest rank.

• Vice-Admiral Arthur Knyvet Wilson, a brave naval officer who received the Victoria Cross.
• Sir William Selby Church, President of the Royal College of Physicians.
• Lord Esher, Secretary to the King's Office of Works.
• Professor William Ramsay, a famous chemist who discovered noble gases.

Companions (CB)

This is the lowest rank in the Order of the Bath.

• Captain Christopher Cradock of the Royal Navy.
• Colonel O'Moore Creagh, a military officer who received the Victoria Cross.
• William Patrick Byrne from the Home Office.
• Ronald Ross, a doctor and scientist famous for his work on malaria.
• John Thornycroft, a pioneering ship designer.

Order of the Star of India

Order of the Star of India ribbon

The Order of the Star of India was created to honour people who served the British Empire in India.

Knight Commander (KCSI)

• Lieutenant-Colonel David William Keith Barr, a British officer living in Hyderabad, India.
• Henry John Stedman Cotton, a British civil servant who was the Chief Commissioner of Assam.

Companion (CSI)

• Thomas Raleigh, a member of the Governor-General's Council in India.
• Joseph Bampfylde Fuller, who was acting as Chief Commissioner in Assam.

Order of Saint Michael and Saint George

Order of St Michael and St George ribbon

The Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is given to people who have done great service to the British Empire, especially in foreign affairs or in the colonies.

Knight Grand Cross (GCMG)

• Sir John Gordon Sprigg, the Prime Minister of the Cape of Good Hope (in South Africa).
• Edmund Barton, the first Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia.
• Sir Ernest Mason Satow, the British Minister in Peking (now Beijing), China.

Knight Commander (KCMG)

• Major Matthew Nathan, the Governor of the Gold Coast Colony (now Ghana).
• Neil Elliot Lewis, the Prime Minister of Tasmania, Australia.
• Frederick William Borden, the Minister of Militia and Defence of Canada.
• Michael Henry Herbert, the British Ambassador to the United States.

Companion (CMG)

• Robert Armitage Sterndale, the Governor of St Helena.
• Brevet Colonel Sir John Grenfell Maxwell, for his service as Military Governor of Pretoria during the Boer War.
• William Hepworth Mercer, for his work on the Pacific Cable Committees.
• Ho Kai, an important unofficial member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong.

Order of the Indian Empire

Order of the Indian Empire Ribbon

This order, like the Star of India, was for service to the British Empire in India.

Knights Grand Commander (GCIE)

• His Highness Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah, Aga Khan, an important leader from Bombay.
• Sir Henry Waterfield, a senior official in the India Office.

Knights Commander (KCIE)

• Maharaja Rameshwar Singh Bahadur of Darbhanga.
• Colonel Samuel Swinton Jacob, an engineer in Jaipur.

Companion (CIE)

• Thomas Elwood Lindsay Bate, from the Indian Medical Service.
• Stuart Mitford Fraser, from the Indian Civil Service.

Kaisar-i-Hind Medal

Kaisar-i-Hind Medal ribbon

The Kaisar-i-Hind Medal was awarded for public service in India.

• Raja Bhagwan Bakhsh Singh of Amethi.
• Captain Thomas William Archer Fullerton, from the Indian Medical Service.
• Taw Sein Ko, a government archaeologist in Burma.

Imperial Service Order

Imperial Service Order ribbon

The King created the Imperial Service Order to recognize members of the Civil Service who had given long and excellent service.

Changes in the Army

The honours list also included some important promotions and appointments within the British Army.

Field Marshals

This is the highest rank in the British Army.

• General Sir Henry Wylie Norman, Governor of the Royal Hospital Chelsea.
• General His Royal Highness Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, who was commanding the forces in Ireland.

General

• His Royal Highness George Frederick Ernest Albert, Prince of Wales, who would later become King George V.

Aides-de-camp to the King

These are personal assistants to the King, often high-ranking military officers.

• Lieutenant-Colonel The Earl of Scarbrough
• Lieutenant-Colonel The Marquess of Hertford
• Lieutenant-Colonel The Earl of Stradbroke