The Noble Order of the Unicorn is the honorific 'Order of Chivalry' of the Royal House of Newland. An Order of Chivalry is basically an exclusive club of elite people that have achieved a notable scale of excellence and thus have been awarded the honour of titled membership.
THE ORDER OF THE UNICORN!
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| Noble Titles Available! |
- BRONZE AWARD - A Princehood or Princesshood. (Minor Prince or Minor Princess) Title: Master or Maid/Matron. Post nominal letters: M.U. (Master/Maid/Matron of the Unicorn).
- SILVER AWARD - A Knighthood. (Knight or Lady) Title: Sir or Dame. Post nominal letters: K.U./L.U. (Knight/Lady of the Unicorn).
- GOLD AWARD - A Grand Knighthood. (Grand Knight or Grand Lady) Title: Sir or Dame. Post nominal letters: G.K.U./G.L.U. (Grand Knight/Grand Lady of the Unicorn).
The order's emblem is a unicorn, (our national animal see Our Emblems page); the animal being the centerpiece of the order's emblazonment: a shield 'Sable' (couché for males) exhibiting a unicorn 'couchant', above a fleur-de-lis 'or'. A border of either, 'Tenné', 'Argent' or, 'Or' (Bronze, Silver, Gold) servers to distinguish between the three levels of achievement while other various surmounted heraldic elements; crowns and helmets etc define distinction between the ranks and sexes. The order's motto: 'iustitia et libertas' (Latin: Justice and Freedom) is proudly displayed in 'Sable' lettering upon a 'Argent' and 'Or' scrolled ribbon below the emblazonment. (Not shown in the pictures above).
- ITS HERALDIC MEANING: The Order of the Unicorn emblazonment basically represents the historic love story between the heir of the throne of Scotland, Prince John, the Master of Sutherland, and his lowly English bride, the Lily Maid Mabella. The outcome of their marriage meant Prince John lost the throne, but hence began the Sovereign Royal House of Newland. A unicorn in heraldry means: 'extreme courage'; virtue and strength. A 'couchant unicorn' (unicorn lying down with its head up and alert) has the added meaning of: 'being in a different land'. This state of being in a different or new land refers to when Prince John, The Master of Sutherland, changed his name to William Newland and became the 1st Independent Sovereign Lord Newland; a king and kingdom in his own right, meaning the land and the king are one of the same; thus the unicorn represents Prince John. The fleur-de-lis (the symbol below the unicorn on the shield, or to the left of the unicorn on the Banner of Arms) was featured on the English Plantagenet coat of arms and is a heraldic symbol of France. A fleur-de-lis in heraldry represents a Lily flower and means 'purity'. On the Order of the Unicorn emblazonment it represents the Lily Maid Mabella. The sable field (the shields black background) has the heraldic meanings: 'grief' and 'constancy'. This double meaning is a reference to Prince John's mortification; the controlling restraint that denied him the throne of Scotland. It also refers to the young couple's constant love and devotion. Read Our History to learn more about this remarkable royal love story.
Members of the Order of the Unicorn are not granted a personal armorial bearings (Coat of Arms) with the honour, instead they all share the order's armorial emblazonment associated with their awarded distinction; featured upon their official certificated letters patent; authenticated by the signature of Lord Newland and accompanied by his personal Sovereign seal.
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| Order of the Unicorn Banner of Arms. |
The Order of the Unicorn Banner of Arms measures 100x70cm and is perfect for flying and is ideal for wall mountable flagpoles! It's only available exclusively to titled members of the Order of the Unicorn, priced at £24.99 each, plus postage and packaging.(UK and USA only). If you live in the UK or USA and currently hold a Order of the Unicorn title and wish to order the Order of the Unicorn Banner of Arms please contact us via the contact form for a fully priced quote etc.
ACQUIRING A TITLE OF THE ORDER OF THE UNICORN.
BECOME A PRINCESS OR A PRINCE; A LADY OR A KNIGHT OF THE ORDER OF THE UNICORN. CHOOSE OPTIONS.
YOU WILL GET.
- A "16.5x22cm" unique reference numbered, certificated letters patent stating your honour of achievement, signed by H.R.H. Lord Robert Newland, The Sovereign Lord of Scotland, accompanied by his royal embossed seal. The certificate is perfect to proudly display!
- You may style yourself with your chosen title: Master/Maid/Matron/Sir/Dame (of the Order of the Unicorn)
- Use the customary post-nominal letters associated with your title after your name.
- You may use the orders armorial emblazonment associated with your title (for personal use only).
- You may fly the Order of the Unicorn Banner of Arms.
- Your title is yours for life. (Exceptions may apply).
HOW TO ORDER
1: To order your noble title use the easy drop-down box below and select the title you wish to choose by clicking on the down arrow displayed to the right of the price.
3: Click the 'Buy Now' button which will take you to the PayPal payment processes and follow payment instructions.
We use the PayPal secure payment system so you can be confident your details are safe!
**ERRORS: We always make sure that the recipient's title holders name, their chosen title, and your postal address are correct before we ship. We cannot be held responsible for spelling errors made by the customer, so please double-check that the recipient title holders name is spelled correctly before clicking the 'Buy Now' button. Only if we have made a mistake with your order, we will send you a new replacement Letters Patent Certificate at no extra cost.
***SHIPPING: Certificates are printed to order by a professional printers, before being signed, sealed, checked and logged into our roll of honours. Only after this process has been completed will your certificated letters patent of achievement be shipped to you. This process may typically take 9-18 working days before we are ready to ship. PLEASE NOTE: This may take longer during the Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic, depending on various restrictions outside our control. We will send you a email when we have shipped your certificate. Please allow 28 days from shipment date for your order to arrive. Thank you.
LEGAL REFERENCE:
Our titles are based on a historic noble order of chivalry which supports the legal right to use the honorific title: Master/Maid/Matron/Sir/Dame. Please note that we do not guarantee honorific title changes for government documents which do not display any title such as all passports (and in some jurisdictions drivers licences) cannot be updated. The Order of the Unicorn titles have no connection to the established United Kingdom honours system i.e. The Order of the Garter, The Order of the Bath, etc. Our titles are of the of the Royal Sovereign House (Kingdom) of Newland, and are legally granted on the grounds that H.R.H. Lord Robert Newland, the Sovereign Lord of Scotland, as an independent sovereign (Free Royalty), the Head (Chief) of the ancient dynastic Royal House of Newland, (a-non-reigning Royal family of Scotland, though reigning over itself and the caput regnum, otherwise known as the geo-kingdom of Newland), has legally reaffirmed his independent sovereignty conforming to British nobiliary law; therefore possessing the ancient inherent legal right to grant such honours. Within most legal jurisdictions, should you wish to change your usual title, Mr,/Mrs/Ms etc, to your awarded style, (Master/Maid/Matron/Sir/Dame), then you can usually change this at any time, provided you do not intend to deceive or defraud another person.
WHY CHOOSE OUR TITLES:
There are various websites out there that claim to offer genuine titles for sale, usually 'gentry titles' i.e. Lordships or Laird-ships that customary come with a small souvenir plot of land, which they claim, anyone possessing ownership can therefore claim use of the said Lordship or Laird-ship title associated with the said estate. 'The College of Arms' of England, Wales and Northern Ireland; and the 'Court of Lord Lyon' of Scotland; both of which are the British authorities of heraldry and the granting of arms and titles etc, state that the purchasing and use of such 'souvenir plot titles' is incorrect and fraudulent, as there can only really be one true Lord/Lady or Laird/Lady of that particular estate, whether it be a Lord of the Manor in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or a Laird of a Laird-ship in Scotland. Therefore such purchases of token Lordship or Laird-ship titles have no real status and should only be considered for their novelty value. The Royal House of Newland on the other-hand does not offer token plots of land with any of its titles, so no such titles associated with actual landed estates or place names, e.g. Lordships or Laird-ships, are available, neither are other landed noble ranks, i.e. Barons, Earls, Dukes etc where likewise the 'one title, one person', rule applies. The Royal House of Newland only offers legally correct titles associated with its 'Order of the Unicorn' honours system. The Order of the Unicorn is an order of chivalry and therefore our titles are of the Knightage out ranking titles of the gentry or their equivalent. Whats-more our titles are conferred by a true Independent Sovereign of Royal Scots lineage; H.R.H. Lord Robert Newland, the Sovereign Lord of Scotland, who by virtue of his pedigree, Instrument of Creation and Letters Patent, (which was declared legally genuine by Her Majesty's (Queen Elizabeth II) Lancaster Herald in 1986, and which has now been reaffirmed, demonstrated 'unlocked') has the legal right of fons honorum as the direct descendant and heir of Sovereign Lord William Newland, formally known as John the Master of Sutherland, who was created 'Free Royalty', i.e. a hereditary sovereign king and sovereign kingdom in his own right; a sovereign entity. (Read Our History for the full account). H.R.H. Lord Robert Newland therefore with his historic authority, as the 'Fountain of Honour' (fons honorum) has the Sovereign discretionary, exclusive right to grant titles and honours, which alone is enough reason to make our titles credible, legal, and proper and therefore authentic.
WHO's WHO! - Some of our title holders!
ILLUSTRIOUS HONOURS OF THE ORDER OF THE UNICORN
The bestowing of awards of honour has long been an established tradition of Orders of Chivalry, each having their own distinct associated awards and decorations of honour; medals, ribbons, insignia and the like that are graded to distinguish different degrees of achievement, merit and service. The Order of the Unicorn is no exception to this tradition and has its own official awards which honoured members may bear according to the various criteria met. These awards are known collectively as 'the honours' and include: Honour Ribbon, Honor Sash, and various Honour badges of rank and merit. Though the Order of the Unicorn's honours do not match the same luxurious extravagance as the shinny medals and emblems bestowed by other prominent chivalric orders, they do however hold the same level of significance and degree of honour and therefore they should be worn with great pride. If you are an honoured member of the Order of the Unicorn and would like to order your awarded badges of honour, contact us.
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| The Honours of Chivalry. |
HONOUR RIBBON OF THE ORDER OF THE UNICORN
HONOUR SASH OF CHIVALRY
The Honour Sash ( Or kötél) is a braided corded belt with tassels, which represents High Honour and signifies that the bearer belongs to an Order of Chivalry. All honoured members may bear the honour sash which forms part of the formal dress of honour. It should be tied around the bearer's waist and knotted at the left hip with the tassels hanging down. All honoured members are required to wear the honour sash for official occasions and performing duties of office.
ALLEGIANCE BADGE OF HONOUR
GRAND KNIGHT BADGE OF HONOUR
GRAND LADY BADGE OF HONOUR
KNIGHT BADGE OF HONOUR
LADY BADGE OF HONOUR
PRINCE BADGE OF HONOUR
PRINCESS BADGE OF HONOUR
UNICORN OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE HONOUR BADGE
The Unicorn Operations Executive officer's honour badge depicts an Argent unicorn, passant sinister, within a Or kötél circlet, which signifies that the bearer is a member of an order of chivalry; upon a Glues field, bordered with Or text on Sable: 'Unicorn Operations Executive', and the Order's motto in Latin, 'Iustitia et Libertas'. (Justice and Freedom). The Unicorn Operations Executive badge is only awarded to honoured members who have been specially commissioned to carry out an official assignment of duty on behalf of either the Order or the House of Newland. It should be correctly pinned to the bearer's right side, suspended from the hip.
COLOUR COMMANDER HIGH HONOUR BADGE
KNIGHT COMMANDER HIGH HONOUR BADGE
STANDARD BEARER OFFICER HIGH HONOUR BADGE
UNICORN OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE
The Unicorn Operations Executive (UOE) is the official body of elite members, that have been granted the authority by H.R.H. Sovereign Lord Newland, - the Supreme Grand Knight of the Order of the Unicorn, to officially administer duties of office and or assignments to represent the Order. Any honoured member of the Order can apply to become an officer of the UOE, but only a select few may be chosen for a commission and have the honour to wear the UOE honour badge. UOE officers may be required to wear the official 'Dress of Honour' for some duties and assignments. The Order of the Unicorn's Dress of Honour is unlike the rich extravagant robes of other Chivalric Orders, but instead has a contemporary, smart and appealing 'uniform look', which includes the UOE and other awarded honour badges, as well as the gold and black 'Ribbon of Honour' and the gold braided 'Sash of Chivalry'. It was essentially chosen because of its affordable off the peg design, thereby making it easily available to all members. If you are an honoured member of the Order of the Unicorn and would like to become an officer of the UOE to carry out potentially fun and interesting and rewarding assignments on a voluntary Ad hoc basis, then do contact us and let us know.
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| The Formal Dress of Honour for a Maiden Princess of the Order of the Unicorn. |
MORE ABOUT TITLES
Understanding your title and where it fits within the order
of precedence is important to know. The Order of the Unicorn is an order of
chivalry and therefore our titles are classified as 'Knightage' and rank among
the numerous grades within the 'Ranks of Chivalric Orders'. There are many
different orders of chivalry within the British honours system, and indeed
world wide. Some well known British orders are: The Order of the Garter, The
Order of
What title one has depends upon ones rank and where it ranks within the order of precedence. At the top are the Royalty, i.e. King, Queen, Prince, Princess, followed by the ranks of nobility who hold a Peerage, collectively known as ‘Peers’, i.e. Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount, Baron, Lord of Parliament. The appellation 'Lord' is a general title for a sovereign or prince or for a feudal superior (especially a feudal tenant who holds directly from the king, i.e. a feudal baron, or Lord of the Manor). The appellation can also denote certain persons who are entitled to courtesy titles such as the sons of Peers.
Minor Nobility comprises of all ranks that are noble but not Peers, i.e. the sons and daughters of Peers, who style as Honourable unless they are the heir apparent who styles Master or Mistress in Scotland; or Lord or Lady elsewhere in the United Kingdom; of the associated peerage to which they will inherit. Scottish Minor Baron or Baroness is an hereditary feudal title which is not of the Peerage, but being a hereditary dignity it therefore ranks above non-hereditary feudal titles and knights.
Below the Minor Nobility are the distinguished Commoners which by definition comprises of all non-hereditary titles except Life Peers, but including Baronet. The highest rank that a commoner can achieve without marrying into the nobility or becoming a distinguished member of parliament is a Knight. Hereditary knights called Baronets rank above all knights except knights of the Order of the Garter, Order of the Thistle and the dormant Order of St. Patrick. A Baronet or Baronetess is the holder of a Baronetcy, which unlike a Peerage does not give the holder the right to sit in the House of Lords. The practice of awarding baronetcies was originally introduced in England in the 14th century and was used by James I of England in 1611 as a means of raising funds. Below knights but above bachelor knights are the chivalric Masters (Minor/Master Princes) Maids and Matrons (Minor/Maiden Princesses) of the Order of the Unicorn. The practice of awarding minor princehoods and minor princesshoods of chivalry was first introduced in 2020 by H.R.H. Lord Robert Newland, the Sovereign Lord of Scotland, as a honourary rank of the Royal House of Newland's noble order of chivalry the Order of the Unicorn.
The Gentry generally refers to the majority of the land-owning social class who are typically armigerous (having a coat of arms), but do not have a peerage. The non-hereditary titles Laird (Lord) of a Laird-ship in Scotland and Lord of the Manor in England, Wales and Northern Ireland date back to federal times and include the associated name of the estate or mansion house to which the title belongs. i.e. Laird/Lord/Lady [of Laird-ship name or Manor name]. In the past Lairds and Lords of the Manor had great power and privilege but now-a-days may only hold certain ancient rights of the associated estate like fishing or game shooting etc.
The lowest British rank is a Gentleman or Gentlewoman which by definition comprises of the younger sons and daughters of the younger sons and daughters of Peers that are not in direct line of succession to the peerage; also the sons and daughters of all the Ranks of Knightage and the titled Gentry including Esquire. An Esquire is a general title more like an English Lord of the Manor but generally ranked lower if the title holder or landowner does not hold a manorial title. However, these days both Esquire and Esquiress and also Gentleman and Gentlewoman are used as general courtesy titles for any man or woman in a formal setting especially upon letters and documents as the abbreviated post-nominal letters 'Esq' or 'Gent', but the use of the title does not make one of the Gentry and therefore they have no ‘true’ right to a personal coat of arms.
LIST OF BRITISH RANKS IN ORDER OF PRECEDENCE
ORDER OF THE UNICORN TITLES EXPLAINED FURTHER.
Title: SIR - Knight/Grand Knight of the Unicorn. (Knighthood).
According to legend knights in shining armour are notorious
for rescuing young maidens from towers and sacrificial damsels from the
clutches of dragons and other monstrous creatures. Yet, in truth knights came
in many historical forms. There were the Mongols, the Moors, the Templars, the
Hospitaliers, the Teutonic, the Lakota and the Centurions just to name a very
few. In
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| Medieval depiction of knights in battle. |
The noble and Chivalric Order of the Unicorn has two grades
of knighthood for men; Knight, and the higher, Grand Knight. Both are styled
with the title Sir used as a prefix with his name or full name but never his
surname alone. i.e. Sir [Forename], or Sir [Forename] [Surname]; both followed
by: Knight/Grand Knight of the Unicorn, or Knight/Grand Knight of the Order of
the Unicorn, or he may abbreviate after his name with the post-nominal letters
K.U. for a Knight of the Unicorn, or G.K.U. for a Grand Knight of the Unicorn. Wives
of knights traditionally style as a 'true' Esquiress but do not use the customary
post-nominal letters Esq instead she uses the prefix title Lady before her
name, but never with her surname alone: i.e. Lady [Name] or Lady [Forename]
[Surname]. By tradition only the wives of knights style this way as there is no
special alternative prefix title for a husband of a Dame (female knight). If a
knight divorces his wife she loses the title Lady and reverts to her original
prefix style. Blood related children may use:
NOTE: The Knightly Sir title is not to be confused with the general courtesy Sir used as a polite form of address for a man, i.e. as a shop worker might address a male customer, or as school children might address their male teacher, etc.
Title: DAME - Lady/Grand Lady of the Unicorn. (Knighthood).
Knights and damsels always seem to go together. Damsel is from the French 'demoiselle' meaning 'young lady' especially applied to a maiden of noble or gentle birth, hence 'Dame' is the French for 'Lady', which itself is derived from 'dominus' the Latin for 'master'. Domina, in old English Law, was a title formerly given to noble ladies who held a barony in their own right. It is also a title of honour in
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| Joan of Arc. |
A female conferred with an order of knighthood is given the title 'Dame' which is used as a prefix to her name, and hence she becomes a Lady of the associated order to which she belongs. However, the idea of female knights actually engaging in medieval combat and participating in tournaments might seem unlikely especially with the popular notions of the 'damsel in distress', yet contrary to popular belief there were some female knights who did. Joan of Arc the Maid of Orléans, famously wore a suit of armour into battle. Another was the Duchess Gaita of
One lady knight was Joane Agnes Hotot (born about 1378) who became infamous for her skillful jousting. According to Arthur Collins writing in 1741, an unspecified chronicler recorded that Joane took her father's place in a duel after he fell ill, disguising herself as a man, and only revealed her true identity after knocking her opponent off his horse. In fact history is scattered with female knights and warriors, most just commanded the troops, or like Joane Hotot only took part in tournaments, but some bravely took up the sword or battle axe to fight, some even became members of official orders of chivalry.
The Order of the Ermine, founded by John V, Duke of Brittany in 1381, was the first order of chivalry to accept women. Though the Spanish Order of Hatchet founded in 1149 was solely an order of chivalry for female combatants. Today every order of chivalry in the world worth its weight accepts women, including the Order of the Unicorn. The Noble and Chivalric Order of the Unicorn has two grades of knighthood for women; ‘Lady’, and the higher, ‘Grand Lady’. Both are styled with the title Dame used as a prefix with her name or full name but never her surname alone. i.e. Dame [Forename], or Dame [Forename] [Surname]; both followed by: Lady/Grand Lady of the Unicorn, or Lady/Grand Lady of the Order of the Unicorn, or she may abbreviate after her name with the post-nominal letters L.U. for a Lady of the Unicorn, or G.L.U. for a Grand Lady of the Unicorn. The husband of either a Lady, or Grand Lady of the Order of the Unicorn may style as a ‘true’ Esquire with the customary post-nominal letters Esq after his surname; their blood related children may add:
NOTE: The knightly Dame title is not to be confused with a Pantomime Dame who is a principal female character of a British Christmas play traditionally played by a male actor. Neither should it to be confused by the informal term Dame, used in American slang meaning woman.
Title: MASTER - Prince of the Unicorn. (Minor Princehood).
The boy or man conferred with a Princehood of the Order of the Unicorn becomes a Minor Prince otherwise called a Master Prince and therefore he may style himself with the title: Master.
The word ‘Master’ is from the Old English ‘magister’, which is derived from the Latin; ‘magis’ meaning: more, to a greater extent. It is often applied to professional people of academic, science, manual skills, and some sports qualified to the highest degree in their profession or sport. Master is also generally used as a prefix form of address for a young boy usually under the age of thirteen.
Although Master is widely regarded today as a form of courtesy title, in
The title Master of the Unicorn is a non-royal, non-hereditary title; the lowest title in precedence of ranks of orders of chivalry, ranking below that of Chivalric Knight but above that of Bachelor Knight and also ranks above the Gentry ranks. (Exceptions apply when the title is a subsidiary title held by a person of noble or royal birth). Like the Scottish heir’s courtesy Master of the Associated Peerage title, the Chvalric Master title is formally placed at the end of his name along with the associated order to which he belongs: i.e. Mr [Forename] [Surname] Master of the Unicorn; or he may style without the prefix: i.e. [Forename] [Surname] Master of the Order of the Unicorn; or he may abbreviate with post-nominal letters: M.U. after his name. The wife of a Master of the Order of the Unicorn may style as a ‘true’ Esquiress with the customary post-nominal letters Esq after her surname; their blood related children may add:
NOTE: The title Master of the Unicorn should not be confused with that of a Grand Master of chivalric orders such as military orders and dynastic orders of knighthood. Neither should it be confused with that of a Grand Master of a principal lodge of a fraternal order such as Freemasonry.
Title: MAID or MATRON - Princess of the Unicorn. (Minor Princesshood).
The girl or young woman conferred with a Princesshood of the Order of the Unicorn becomes a Minor Princess otherwise called a Maiden Princess and therefore she should style herself with the title: Maid. A married or mature woman, or a woman who has given birth, should style Matron instead of Maid.
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| Lerwick Town Hall stained glass window depicting: Margaret the Maid of Norway; Queen of Scotland. |
These days, the Maid title is exclusive to
The title Maid of the Unicorn is a non-royal, non-hereditary title; the lowest title in precedence of ranks of orders of chivalry, ranking below that of Chivalric Knight but above that of Bachelor Knight and also ranks above the Gentry ranks including Maid of a Lairdship. (Exceptions apply when the title is a subsidiary title held by a person of noble or royal birth). Like the Maid of a Lairdship, the chivalric Maid title is formally placed at the end of her name along with the associated order to which she belongs: i.e. Miss [Forename] [Surname] Maid of the Unicorn; or she may style without the prefix: i.e. [Forename] [Surname] Maid of the Order of the Unicorn; or she may abbreviate with post-nominal letters: M.U. after her name. Matron styles the same, omitting Maid with Matron. The word 'Matron' is Anglo-French, from the Latin 'matrona' meaning 'The Lady', and 'mater' meaning 'Mother'; and is respectfully used to mean a married woman marked by dignified maturity or social distinction. The husband of a Matron of the Order of the Unicorn may style as a ‘true’ Esquire with the customary post-nominal letters Esq after his surname; their blood related children may add:
NOTE: Both the chivalric Maid of the Unicorn and the lower courtesy Maid of a Lairdship or other territorial designation titles should not to be confused with that of the non-honorific descriptive maid prefix, used with or without a characteristic distinguishing: i.e. Maid Marion or The Lily Maid Mabella. Likewise they should not be confused by a maid of a job title typically applied to female staff, styled with a prefix of her designated work role; Housemaid, Barmaid, Chambermaid etc. Likewise the Chivalric Matron of the Unicorn should not to be confused by the Matron of a job title, respectively employed in nursing, the police, prisons and schools etc. The Chivalric Maid and Matron titles should also not be confused with the courtesy titles 'Maid of Honour' and ‘Matron of Honour’ respectively given to the principle bridesmaid who attends on the bride at her wedding; and also for a lady servant who personally attends a Queen or Princess.
CHIVALRY - What does it mean?
The Order of the Unicorn is an Order of Chivalry but what does that mean? Chivalry is a romanticized word often associated with noble
knights of old rescuing damsels in distress; and also with the gentlemanly
trait of well mannered etiquette like opening the door for a lady or paying the
bill for a dinner date. Yet in truth chivalry is much more than this perceived
heroic or gentlemanly notion. Chivalry grew out of
A knight was a position of high honour and prestige, inextricably linked with horsemanship; in fact the word 'chivalry' comes from the French ‘Cheval’ meaning horse, and 'chevalerie' meaning ‘horseman’, therefore Chivalry can be translated as 'Horse Soldiery', thus chivalry meant what a knight did; fighting from horseback. Overtime chivalry grew to mean the good qualities what a knight possessed i.e. bravery, loyalty, nobility, showing mercy and treating a lady with respect etc, but there was no one written code of chivalry as most Lords to which the knights served had a version of chivalry unique to their particular interests, and therefore chivalry meant different things to different knights. Yet each individual version of chivalry was just as valid as another because chivalry fundamentally is a word that encapsulated the ideals that a specific social class or individual Lord hoped his knights would live by even if those chivalrous values contradicted each other.
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| Knights Jousting. |
To one knight chivalry might have meant being loyal and brave in battle fighting with honour yet to another knight chivalry may have meant jousting in tournaments to win a lady’s favour. Another knight's chivalry might have meant the ideal of courtly love, fighting for the honour of oppressed ladies or rescuing victimised maidens and damsels in distress as in the legend of George and the Dragon, and popular fairytales like Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel, hence giving rise to the romantic notion of the knight errant; while another knight’s interpretation of chivalry might of meant going on holy quests for lost Christian relics like the ‘True Cross’ of Christ’s crucifixion, the bones of Christian martyrs or the Holy Grail as in the legend of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. All very different interpretations of chivalry, but all are correct. Chivalry therefore fundamentally represents the qualities of a knight that makes him good at his job, which originally meant being a good horse solider but evolved to include all the good qualities of being a good knight. Today chivalry is regarded more as a concept to inspire and bring out the best qualities of a person i.e. to make honourable choices and to do the right things, for the right reasons.
The Order of the Unicorn is uniquely different to other chivalric orders whereby it not only has knights but also minor princes and minor princesses, but all ranks are expected to follow the Order of the Unicorn’s Code of Chivalry, which by Royal Proclamation of H.R.H Lord Robert Newland, the Sovereign Lord of Scotland, was duly indoctrinated and certified as the Order's official written code of honour, upon 9th April 2020 (National Unicorn Day). Every member of the Order of the Unicorn is expected to be good citizens of their country and to practice: courtesy, honesty, honour, generosity, excellence, courage, loyalty, patience and wisdom and to uphold the order’s motto: 'iustitia et libertas' which means: Justice and Freedom.
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| The Chivalric Code of the Order of the Unicorn as indoctrinated by Royal Proclamation of Lord Newland upon National Unicorn Day 2020. |
RULES AND REGULATIONS
1. All members of the Order of the Unicorn are obliged to adhere to the Order's Noble Code of Chivalry especially if appointed as officers of the Unicorn Operations Executive (UOE), or granted a commission to represent or perform duties on behalf of the Order.
2. All commissioned members and appointed officers of the Unicorn Operations Executive (UOE) are expected to carryout their appointed duties with impeccable excellence and professionalism.
3. All commissioned members and appointed officers of the Unicorn Operations Executive (UOE) must be of a clean, neat and tidy appearance and be appropriately dressed at all times when performing assignments or duties of office. If members are required to wear full Honour Dress they must also correctly bear their awarded honour badges, honour ribbon and honour cord.
4. All members of the Order of the Unicorn are obliged to consider and be respectful and courteous to the Chief of the House of Newland, H.R.H. Lord Robert Newland, the Supreme Grand Knight of the Order of the Unicorn (S.G.K.U). Any member displaying dishonourable conduct or inappropriate behavior towards the chief, H.R.H. Lord Newland S.G.K.U. will by protocol be struck off the roll of honours without prior notice or compensation, resulting in their awarded honours and title becoming void, thereupon their membership of the Order will be terminated.
5. All members of the Order of the Unicorn are obliged to be respectful and courteous to all the members of the Royal Newland Household, the Royal Newland Court and its court offices. Any member displaying dishonourable conduct or inappropriate behavior to any member of the Royal Household, the Royal Court or any of its court officers will by protocol, be struck off the roll of honours without prior notice or compensation, resulting in their awarded honours and title becoming void, thereupon their membership of the Order will be terminated.
6. All members of the Order of the Unicorn are obliged to be respectful with regard to the House of Newland, its history, its emblems etc. Any member displaying dishonourable conduct or inappropriate behavior towards the House of Newland will by protocol be struck off the roll of honours without prior notice or compensation, resulting in their awarded honours and title becoming void, thereupon their membership of the Order will be terminated.
7. All members of the Order of the Unicorn are obliged to be respectful and courteous to all other fellow members of the Order of the Unicorn. Any member displaying dishonourable conduct or inappropriate behavior to any other member of the Order will by protocol be struck off the roll of honours without prior notice or compensation, resulting in their awarded honours and title becoming void, thereupon their membership of the Order will be terminated.
8. All members of Order of the Unicorn are obliged to correctly use their awarded honours and title to the conventions of heraldic etiquette and protocol. Members must not commit any unlawful or fraudulent acts, abuse, or incorrectly use, miss use, or give away, sell, lend or lease their awarded honours or title, or use their honours and title for corrupt, unethical and dishonest purposes. Any member that does or who brings the honour system into disrepute will be struck off the roll of honours without prior notice or compensation, resulting in their awarded honours and title becoming void, thereupon their membership of the Order will be terminated.
9. All members of the Order of the Unicorn who choose to display the Order's Banner of Arms must fly it in accordance to proper flag protocol.
