Honours vocabulary
Controlled vocabulary of UK honours award types, with mappings to Wikidata and The Gazette honours ontology.
Honoria honours
skos:closeMatch targets are classes in The Gazette honours.owl, a beta ontology (created 2008, last modified 2015, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 UK). Treat those links as official-but-low-confidence until verified per-link and promoted to skos:exactMatch. The Gazette ontology was authored under Queen Elizabeth II (before the 2022 accession of King Charles III), so its naming reflects that reign; monarch-named awards therefore align to the Queen's-reign variant.
Order of precedence. The orders of chivalry carry honoria:orderSeniority (1 = most senior): Garter, Thistle, Bath, Order of Merit, St Michael and St George, Royal Victorian Order, Order of the British Empire, Order of the Companions of Honour. Within a multi-grade order the grades carry honoria:gradeRank (1 = most senior): Grand Cross, Knight/Dame Commander, Commander/Companion, Lieutenant/Officer, Member, Medal. The Victoria Cross and George Cross are gallantry decorations that precede all orders of chivalry. Sources: the UK order of wear published in The Gazette (11 January 2019, notice content/103440) and the Cabinet Office 'Orders, Decorations and Medals' reference. These are intrinsic ordinal facts about the honours system; the total order of precedence between individuals (compose grade then order then date of appointment) is a rule for consumers to apply, not part of the vocabulary.
Scope: UK honours - the orders of chivalry and their grades, gallantry and service decorations, and medals - as they appear in the published honours lists, together with the principal awards modelled in The Gazette honours ontology. Both the King's and Queen's forms of monarch-named awards are included, because the formal name and post-nominal change with the reigning Sovereign. Excluded: peerages and personal appointments (such as Privy Counsellor or Aide-de-Camp), and foreign or other Commonwealth honours systems (such as the Order of Australia). Historic and obsolete honours are included where they appear in the data. Honours are recommended through independent honours committees and conferred by the Sovereign; Honoria is an independent reference, not an official body.
The Order of the British Empire
A British order of chivalry established in 1917 by King George V to recognise distinguished service in the arts and sciences, public life, and charitable and welfare work. Its grades, in descending order, are GBE, KBE/DBE, CBE, OBE and MBE, together with the associated British Empire Medal.
Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
The highest grade of the Order of the British Empire, conferred for pre-eminent service; recipients are styled Sir or Dame and use the post-nominal GBE.
Grand Cross
1.2.0: split from hon:knight-grand-cross-order-of-the-british-empire, which now denotes the Knight form; the Dame form is hon:dame-grand-cross-order-of-the-british-empire.
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
The highest grade of the Order of the British Empire, as conferred on men; recipients are styled Sir and use the post-nominal GBE.
Knight Grand Cross
Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
The highest grade of the Order of the British Empire, as conferred on women; recipients are styled Dame and use the post-nominal GBE.
Dame Grand Cross
Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The second grade of the Order of the British Empire for men, conferring a knighthood; recipients are styled Sir and use the post-nominal KBE. Women receive the equivalent grade of Dame Commander (DBE).
Knight Commander
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The second grade of the Order of the British Empire for women, conferring a damehood; recipients are styled Dame and use the post-nominal DBE. Men receive the equivalent grade of Knight Commander (KBE).
Dame Commander
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The third grade of the Order of the British Empire, conferred for a distinguished national role or a leading regional contribution; post-nominal CBE.
Commander
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
The fourth grade of the Order of the British Empire, conferred for distinguished local or national service; post-nominal OBE.
Officer
Member of the Order of the British Empire
The fifth grade of the Order of the British Empire, conferred for outstanding achievement or service to the community; post-nominal MBE.
Member
British Empire Medal
A medal associated with the Order of the British Empire, awarded for meritorious hands-on service to the community; post-nominal BEM. Discontinued in the United Kingdom in 1993 and revived in 2012.
No Gazette honours.owl class exists for the BEM (gap in the source ontology).
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath
A British order of chivalry founded in 1725 by King George I, with military and civil divisions, awarded principally - though not exclusively - to senior officers of the armed forces and senior civil servants. Its grades are GCB, KCB/DCB and CB.
Order of the Bath
Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
The highest grade of the Order of the Bath, conferred for distinguished service; recipients are styled Sir or Dame and use the post-nominal GCB.
1.2.0: split from hon:knight-grand-cross-order-of-bath, which now denotes the Knight form; the Dame form is hon:dame-grand-cross-order-of-bath.
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
The highest grade of the Order of the Bath, as conferred on men; recipients are styled Sir and use the post-nominal GCB.
1.2.0: narrowed to the Knight form; the combined concept is hon:grand-cross-order-of-bath.
Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
The highest grade of the Order of the Bath, as conferred on women; recipients are styled Dame and use the post-nominal GCB.
1.2.0: added; previously conflated with hon:knight-grand-cross-order-of-bath.
Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Knight Commander, the second grade of the Order of the Bath for men; recipients are styled Sir and use the post-nominal KCB.
"Commander" is the correct spelling and is canonical here. The Gazette honours.owl class gaz:KnightCommmanderOrderOfBath misspells it as "Commmander" (triple m); the closeMatch target is kept verbatim because it is the Gazette's actual class URI.
Dame Commander of the Order of the Bath
Dame Commander, the second grade of the Order of the Bath for women; recipients are styled Dame and use the post-nominal DCB.
"Commander" is the correct spelling and is canonical here. The Gazette honours.owl class gaz:DameCommmanderOrderOfBath misspells it as "Commmander" (triple m); the closeMatch target is kept verbatim because it is the Gazette's actual class URI.
Companion of the Order of the Bath
Companion, the third grade of the Order of the Bath; post-nominal CB.
Companion
The Order of St Michael and St George
Order of Saint Michael and Saint George
Order of St Michael and St George
A British order of chivalry founded in 1818, awarded chiefly for service in foreign affairs, diplomacy and the Commonwealth. Its grades are GCMG, KCMG/DCMG and CMG.
Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
The highest grade of the Order of St Michael and St George, conferred for distinguished service overseas or in foreign affairs; recipients are styled Sir or Dame and use the post-nominal GCMG.
1.2.0: split from hon:knight-grand-cross-order-of-st-michael-and-st-george, which now denotes the Knight form; the Dame form is hon:dame-grand-cross-order-of-st-michael-and-st-george.
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
The highest grade of the Order of St Michael and St George, as conferred on men; recipients are styled Sir and use the post-nominal GCMG.
1.2.0: narrowed to the Knight form; the combined concept is hon:grand-cross-order-of-st-michael-and-st-george.
Dame Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
The highest grade of the Order of St Michael and St George, as conferred on women; recipients are styled Dame and use the post-nominal GCMG.
1.2.0: added; previously conflated with hon:knight-grand-cross-order-of-st-michael-and-st-george.
Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Knight Commander, the second grade of the Order of St Michael and St George for men; styled Sir; post-nominal KCMG.
Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Dame Commander, the second grade of the Order of St Michael and St George for women; styled Dame; post-nominal DCMG.
Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
Companion, the third grade of the Order of St Michael and St George; post-nominal CMG.
The Royal Victorian Order
An order of chivalry founded in 1896 by Queen Victoria, in the personal gift of the sovereign, rewarding distinguished personal service to the monarch. Its grades are GCVO, KCVO/DCVO, CVO, LVO and MVO, with the associated Royal Victorian Medal.
Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
The highest grade of the Royal Victorian Order (Knight or Dame Grand Cross); post-nominal GCVO.
1.2.0: split from hon:knight-grand-cross-victorian-order, which now denotes the Knight form; the Dame form is hon:dame-grand-cross-victorian-order.
Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
The highest grade of the Royal Victorian Order, as conferred on men; recipients are styled Sir and use the post-nominal GCVO.
Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
The highest grade of the Royal Victorian Order, as conferred on women; recipients are styled Dame and use the post-nominal GCVO.
Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order; styled Sir; post-nominal KCVO.
Dame Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
Dame Commander of the Royal Victorian Order; styled Dame; post-nominal DCVO.
Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
Commander of the Royal Victorian Order; post-nominal CVO.
No Gazette honours.owl class exists for Commander RVO (gap in the source ontology).
Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order
Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order; post-nominal LVO.
Lieutenant
Member of the Royal Victorian Order
Member of the Royal Victorian Order; post-nominal MVO.
Royal Victorian Medal
A medal associated with the Royal Victorian Order, awarded in gold, silver and bronze for personal service to the sovereign; post-nominal RVM.
Royal Victorian Medal (Gold)
The gold class of the Royal Victorian Medal, the highest of its three classes; post-nominal RVM.
Royal Victorian Medal (Silver)
The silver class of the Royal Victorian Medal; post-nominal RVM.
Royal Victorian Medal (Bronze)
The bronze class of the Royal Victorian Medal; post-nominal RVM.
Bar to the Royal Victorian Medal
A bar added to the ribbon of the Royal Victorian Medal to denote a second conferral of the medal. It marks a repeat award rather than a further class of the medal.
award modifier
Typed dct:type "award modifier" (not a class of the medal) for the same reason as hon:bar, and carries no honours:gradeRank: a bar is an augmentation, not a grade. It is kept as a concept in its own right because The Gazette gazettes it as a distinct notice type (1126), so the notice code needs a term to join to.
No Wikidata item for the bar as such (the medal is wd:Q640996); left unmapped rather than pointing at the medal, which would be a different thing.
Order of the Companions of Honour
An order founded in 1917, limited to 65 members at any one time, recognising outstanding achievement in the arts, science, medicine, politics, industry or religion; post-nominal CH.
Companion of Honour
Royal Red Cross
A military decoration founded in 1883 by Queen Victoria for exceptional service in military nursing. It has two classes: Member (RRC) and Associate (ARRC).
Member of the Royal Red Cross
The first class of the Royal Red Cross, awarded for exceptional service in military nursing; post-nominal RRC.
Associate of the Royal Red Cross
The second class of the Royal Red Cross, awarded for service in military nursing; post-nominal ARRC.
Knight Bachelor
Knights Bachelor
The oldest and most basic form of British knighthood, not attached to any order of chivalry; recipients are styled Sir but use no post-nominal letters.
"Knight Bachelor" is the correct spelling and is canonical here. The Gazette honours.owl class gaz:KnightBatchelor misspells it as "Batchelor"; the closeMatch target is kept verbatim because it is the Gazette's actual (misspelled) class URI.
Bar
Clasp
A bar (or clasp) added to the ribbon of a decoration to denote a further conferral of the same honour - for example a Bar to the Distinguished Flying Cross signifies the DFC awarded a second time. It marks a repeat award rather than being a separate grade.
Typed dct:type "award modifier" (not an award grade) so consumers iterating award types can filter it out. A bar is an augmentation - a repeat conferral of an existing decoration - and in the data layer is best expressed as an ordinal / award-count qualifier on the Honour statement rather than as an award in its own right; it is kept here as a Concept only so messy source rows naming a bar can still be reconciled.
Police Medal
A medal awarded to police officers for conspicuous gallantry or distinguished service. Its formal name tracks the reigning monarch - the King's Police Medal under a king, the Queen's Police Medal under a queen.
King's Police Medal
The form of the Police Medal used during a King's reign; post-nominal KPM.
Form used during a King's reign.
Queen's Police Medal
The form of the Police Medal used during a Queen's reign; post-nominal QPM. The form The Gazette honours.owl reflects.
Form used during a Queen's reign; the variant The Gazette honours.owl reflects.
Fire Service Medal
A medal awarded to fire service personnel for conspicuous gallantry or distinguished service. Its formal name tracks the reigning monarch - the King's or Queen's Fire Service Medal.
King's Fire Service Medal
The form of the Fire Service Medal used during a King's reign; post-nominal KFSM.
Queen's Fire Service Medal
The form of the Fire Service Medal used during a Queen's reign; post-nominal QFSM. The form The Gazette honours.owl reflects.
Ambulance Service Medal
A medal awarded to ambulance service personnel for distinguished service. Its formal name tracks the reigning monarch - the King's or Queen's Ambulance Service Medal.
King's Ambulance Service Medal
The form of the Ambulance Service Medal used during a King's reign; post-nominal KAM.
Queen's Ambulance Service Medal
The form of the Ambulance Service Medal used during a Queen's reign; post-nominal QAM. The form The Gazette honours.owl reflects.
Volunteer Reserves Service Medal
A medal awarded for long and meritorious service in the volunteer reserve forces. Its formal name tracks the reigning monarch - the King's or Queen's Volunteer Reserves Medal.
King's Volunteer Reserves Medal
The form of the Volunteer Reserves Medal used during a King's reign; post-nominal KVRM.
Queen's Volunteer Reserves Medal
The form of the Volunteer Reserves Medal used during a Queen's reign; post-nominal QVRM. The form The Gazette honours.owl reflects.
Award for Voluntary Service
The highest award given to local volunteer groups across the United Kingdom, regarded as the group equivalent of an MBE. Its formal name tracks the reigning monarch - the King's or Queen's Award for Voluntary Service.
King's Award for Voluntary Service
The form of the Award for Voluntary Service used during a King's reign; post-nominal KAVS.
Queen's Award for Voluntary Service
The form of the Award for Voluntary Service used during a Queen's reign; post-nominal QAVS. The form The Gazette honours.owl reflects.
Overseas Territories Police and Fire Service Medal
A medal recognising distinguished or gallant service by police and fire service personnel in the British Overseas Territories.
Order of Merit
An order founded in 1902 by King Edward VII, in the personal gift of the sovereign and limited to 24 members, recognising exceptional distinction in the arts, learning, sciences and other fields; post-nominal OM.
The Most Noble Order of the Garter
The most senior order of chivalry in the United Kingdom, founded around 1348 by King Edward III and in the personal gift of the sovereign; members are styled Knight Companion (KG) or Lady Companion (LG).
The Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle
The senior order of chivalry of Scotland, revived in 1687 and in the personal gift of the sovereign; members are styled Knight (KT) or Lady (LT).
Distinguished Service Order
A military decoration founded in 1886, awarded to officers for distinguished service during active operations; post-nominal DSO.
Imperial Service Order
An order founded in 1902 recognising long and meritorious service by civil servants; post-nominal ISO. Discontinued for new United Kingdom appointments in 1993.
Order of St John
The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem
A British royal order of chivalry constituted in 1888 by Queen Victoria, recognising service to the Order's charitable foundations - principally St John Ambulance and the St John Ophthalmic Hospital. It is graded (Bailiff or Dame Grand Cross, Knight or Dame, Commander, Officer, Member, and the Serving Brother and Sister ranks); the grades are not yet modelled in this scheme.
Carries no honours:orderSeniority: appointments to the Order are made by the Sovereign as Head of the Order rather than through the honours lists, and it sits outside the numbered order-of-wear seniority this vocabulary records for the eight principal orders. Typed as a plain concept for that reason, following hon:imperial-service-order.
Victoria Cross
The highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces, instituted in 1856; post-nominal VC.
George Cross
The highest award for gallantry not in the face of the enemy, and the civilian counterpart of the Victoria Cross, instituted in 1940; post-nominal GC.
George Medal
An award for conspicuous gallantry not in the face of the enemy, ranking immediately below the George Cross, instituted in 1940; post-nominal GM.
Conspicuous Gallantry Cross
A military decoration instituted in 1993 for conspicuous gallantry during active operations, ranking immediately below the Victoria Cross; post-nominal CGC.
Military Cross
A military decoration awarded for gallantry during active operations on land, instituted in 1914; post-nominal MC.
Distinguished Service Cross
A naval decoration awarded for gallantry during active operations at sea; post-nominal DSC.
Distinguished Flying Cross
A Royal Air Force decoration awarded for valour or gallantry while flying on active operations, instituted in 1918; post-nominal DFC.
Air Force Cross
A Royal Air Force decoration awarded for gallantry or devotion to duty while flying, though not on active operations against the enemy, instituted in 1918; post-nominal AFC.
Gallantry Medal
A United Kingdom decoration for exemplary acts of bravery, ranking below the George Medal. Its formal name tracks the reigning monarch - the King's or Queen's Gallantry Medal.
King's Gallantry Medal
The form of the Gallantry Medal used during a King's reign; post-nominal KGM.
Queen's Gallantry Medal
The form of the Gallantry Medal used during a Queen's reign; post-nominal QGM.
Form used during a Queen's reign.
Commendation for Bravery
A United Kingdom commendation for an act of bravery, ranking below the Gallantry Medal. Its formal name tracks the reigning monarch - the King's or Queen's Commendation for Bravery. It carries no post-nominal letters.
Unusually among UK gallantry awards it is not constituted by royal warrant; it succeeded the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct (1994).
King's Commendation for Bravery
The form of the Commendation for Bravery used during a King's reign; carries no post-nominal letters.
Queen's Commendation for Bravery
The form of the Commendation for Bravery used during a Queen's reign; carries no post-nominal letters.