Order of the Garter the Prime Minister Clement Attlee and the Leader of the Opposition Winston Churchill, membership of the United Kingdom's highest ranking orders of chivalry (the Order of the Garter, the Order of the Thistle and the dormant Order of St. Patrick) became a personal gift of the Sovereign once again. Thus, the Sovereign personally selects Knights and Ladies Companion of the Garter, and need not act on or solicit the advice of His or Her Government. In addition, the Order includes supernumerary members, who do not count towards the limit of 24 companions. Several supernumerary members, known as "Royal Knights and
Order of the Hatchet their own." No other members were admitted to the order, and it is presumed that the order went defunct when the last member died. Toton, Sir Edward III. Modern Chivalry (2013) "The Order of the Hatchet". Retrieved December 14, 2013. Velde, Francois. "Women Knights of the Middle Ages". Retrieved December 14, 2013. Zoltack, Nicole. "Female Knights and the Order of the Hatchet". Retrieved December 14, 2013. Order of the Hatchet The Order of the Hatchet (Cat. "Orde de l'Atxa"; Sp. "Orden del Hacha") is a female honorific order supposedly founded in 1149, bestowed upon the women of the town of