Order Rank
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB)
The highest rank within the Order of the Bath, recognising exceptional service.
GCB
Awarded over time
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) appointments by year.
honoria.co.ukTopics
All topicsThe topics most recognised among Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) recipients, sized by number of people. Click a tile to explore.
Topics by number of recipients
Every topic recognised among Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) recipients, by number of people. Scroll for the full list.
Honours rounds
Rounds that included this award - open one to see the recipients.
| Year | Honours list | Recipients |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 3 | |
| 2019 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 2 | |
| 2016 | 2 | |
| 2015 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 2 |
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior military officers or senior civil servants, and the monarch awards it on the advice of His Majesty's Government. The name derives from an elaborate medieval ceremony for preparing a candidate to receive his knighthood, of which ritual bathing was an element. While not all knights went through such an elaborate ceremony, knights so created were known as "knights of the Bath".
Background from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
At a glance
- Established
- 1725 by King George I
- Awarding body
- The British Crown
- Rank
- Knight Grand Cross (GCB)
- Formal title
- Sir
Overview
Recognises exceptional military or civil service
Eligibility
Senior military officers and civil servants
- National leadership
- Military or civil excellence
National
Rank & Precedence
Knight Grand Cross (GCB) - Highest rank in Order of the Bath
- Above: Knight Commander (KCB)
- Below: None
Entitlements
- Post-nominal letters
- GCB
- Formal title
- Sir
- Insignia
- Grand Cross badge, sash, star
Award Process
- Government nomination
- Honours committee
- Approved by the Sovereign
Announced: New Year Honours and King's Birthday Honours
Royal ceremony
Significance
Exceptional national service
- Leadership
- Service
- Excellence
Sources & further reading
- Honours: overview - GOV.UK
- Awards and accreditation - The Gazette
- Order of the Bath - Wikipedia
Honoria is an independent reference. Awards are described from public sources; it is not an official or royal body.
Linked data
The highest grade of the Order of the Bath (Knight or Dame Grand Cross); recipients are styled Sir or Dame and use the post-nominal GCB.
- Post-nominal
- GCB
- Wikidata
- Q12177451
- The Gazette ontology
- gaz:DameGrandCrossOrderOfBathgaz:KnightGrandCrossOrderOfBath
From the Honoria honours vocabulary (SKOS). exactMatch = Wikidata; closeMatch = The Gazette honours ontology (official but a 2008–2015 beta).
Related honours
- Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)CBE
- Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO)CVO
- Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG)CMG
- Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB)CB
- Companion of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH)CH
- Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (DCMG)DCMG