List of people who have declined a British honour
The following is a partial list of people who have declined a British honour, such as a knighthood or other grade of honour. In recent times most refusals have been for appointment to the Order of the British Empire.[1]
In most cases, the offer of an honour was rejected privately; others were rejected publicly, or accepted and then returned later based upon future events, as with John Lennon and Rabindranath Tagore. Nowadays, potential recipients are contacted by government officials, well before any public announcement is made, to confirm in writing whether they wish to be put forward for an honour, thereby avoiding friction or controversy. However, some let it be known the offer was declined, and there are also occasional leaks from official sources.
Reasons for rejection
People may reject state honours for various reasons, among which are:
- Opposition to specific governmental actions or policy
- Republicanism and anti-monarchism
- Inappropriate due to the nature of the individual's work or position, or would attract unwanted attention
- Personal opinion of pretension
- Anti-imperialism or general unwillingness to be associated with the former British Empire (especially with regards to the Orders of the British Empire, e.g. CBE, OBE, MBE acceptance of which must imply some approval or, at least, neutrality towards. )
- Inadequate recognition of the individual or a spouse, partner, friend or colleague
- The archaic nature of the honour, notably with regards to peerages, knighthoods and baronetcies, or that honours conferring titles are meaningless in a modern society
- Feelings that the honours system both reflects and reinforces social class distinctions, and diminishes the chance of a more equal and fairer society
- Biased nature of the honours system, or feelings that undeserving people have been decorated
- To hide real wealth and business connections from the public realm
Some potential recipients have rejected one honour then accepted another one (such as Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Alfred Hitchcock[2]), or have initially refused an honour then accepted it, or have accepted one honour then declined another (such as actor Robert Morley and actress Vanessa Redgrave[3]), or refused in the hope of another higher distinction (Roald Dahl refused being decorated as Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE),[2] allegedly because he wanted a knighthood so that his wife would be entitled to the title "Lady Dahl").[4]
Since John Key restored the New Zealand Order of Merit to the pre-2000 British system, Richie McCaw has repeatedly declined knighthood after winning the 2011 Rugby World Cup. In December 2011, Prime Minister John Key revealed that he had asked McCaw about the possibility of a knighthood in the 2012 New Year Honours, but that McCaw had turned it down. According to Key, "He made the call that he's still in his playing career and it didn't feel quite right for him, that day where he's no longer on the pitch may be the right time for him." No formal offer was ultimately made. McCaw was appointed a member of New Zealand's highest honour, the Order of New Zealand, which does not bestow a title, in the 2016 New Year Honours. The honour surpassed the knighthood he had previously turned down.[5][6]
Sometimes a potential recipient will refuse a knighthood or peerage, but will accept an honour that does not bestow a title (or precedence), such as the Order of Merit (OM) or the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH): Bertrand Russell, E. M. Forster, Paul Scofield, Doris Lessing, Harold Pinter (although Pinter's widow, Lady Antonia Fraser, was later appointed a DBE),[7] David Hockney, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Augustus John, V. S. Srinivasa Sastri, Francis Crick and Paul Dirac are examples of this last category. The artist Francis Bacon refused all honours, allegedly on the grounds they "were so ageing". The record for refusing the most state honours is held by the artist L. S. Lowry. Some people have also rejected a life peerage.
Identities of those who declined an honour or title
Many modern examples were identified in December 2003 when a confidential document containing the names of more than 300 such people was leaked to The Sunday Times,[8] but many more have become known since then.
Honours declined
Kingdom
- In 1657, Oliver Cromwell, already Head of State and Head of Government, was offered the crown by Parliament as part of a revised constitutional settlement; he had been "instrumental" in abolishing the monarchy after the English Civil War. Cromwell agonised for six weeks over the offer. In a speech on 13 April 1657, he gave his opinion that the office of monarch, once abolished, should stay so: "I would not seek to set up that which Providence hath destroyed and laid in the dust, and I would not build Jericho again."[9]
Dukedom
- Sir Winston Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, PC, PC (Can), FRS, politician and Prime Minister, was offered the Dukedom of London, but declined in order to remain in the House of Commons, and to allow his son Randolph a political career; Randolph died only three years after his father, so the dukedom would have had little time to affect his career as he had already been out of the Commons for ten years. In any case Churchill had a low opinion of the House of Lords and had no interest in being in it.
- Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, KG, PC, FRS, politician and Prime Minister (in 1880; had previously accepted the Earldom of Beaconsfield)[10]
- Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne, KG, PC, FRS, politician (1857)
- Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, KG, GCVO, PC, politician and Prime Minister in 1886[11] and 1892 and possibly in 1901[12] – citing the prohibitive cost of the lifestyle that dukes were expected to maintain. According to Scribner's Magazine in 1900, "It is true that the Marquis of Salisbury might have been a Duke if he had not regarded his marquisate as a prouder title than a new dukedom could furnish."[13]
- Prince Louis of Battenberg in 1917 during the First World War, when he was forced to renounce his German title. Offered a dukedom by George V, but declined as he could not afford the lavish lifestyle expected of a duke; accepted the marquessate of Milford Haven instead.[14]
Marquessate
- Sir Alexander Cambridge, GCB, GCVO, CMG, DSO, formerly Prince Alexander of Teck (in 1917 accepted the Earldom of Athlone instead)
- Henry Lascelles, 5th Earl of Harewood, GCVO (in 1922, as he reportedly held the belief that marquessates tended to die out more quickly than earldoms)
- John Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer, KG, PC, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (in the 1890s).
Earldom
- Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth, PC outgoing Prime Minister (declined the Earldom of Banbury in 1804 as he wished to remain in the Commons; later accepted the viscountcy of Sidmouth)
- Leo Amery, Conservative politician, declined an hereditary peerage in 1945.
- Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman (declined the Earldom of Belmont in 1905 when it was offered to him in a plot to elevate him to the House of Lords and make him an ineffective Prime Minister in the Relugas Compact)[15]
- Arthur Balfour, former Prime Minister (in 1919,[16] accepted the Earldom of Balfour in 1922)
- R. A. Butler, KG, CH, PC, Conservative politician (in 1964; accepted life peerage as Baron Butler of Saffron Walden in 1965)
- Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon, declined the Earldom of Wiltshire on his death bed in 1596
- Neville Chamberlain, after his retirement as Prime Minister in 1940 (also declined appointment as KG, October 1940)
- Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, PC, politician (in 1809)
- Sir Anthony Eden, KG, MC, PC (on his retirement as Prime Minister in 1957; later accepted the Earldom of Avon in 1961)
- William Ewart Gladstone, Prime Minister (in 1885)
- William Legge, had also declined a knighthood; his son was created Baron Dartmouth instead.[17]
- Harold Macmillan, OM, PC, politician and Prime Minister (in 1963; later accepted the Earldom of Stockton in 1984)
- Sir Angus Ogilvy, KCVO, PC (in 1963, upon his marriage to Princess Alexandra of Kent; later accepted a knighthood in 1988)
- Mark Phillips, CVO, PC (in 1973, upon his marriage to Princess Anne)
- R. H. Tawney, economic historian and ethical socialist. Twice declined an earldom, in 1920s and 1940s. Replied to Ramsay MacDonald's offer by asking what harm he had ever done the Labour Party, and to the offer from Clement Attlee he averred that he was surprised that Labour was still interested in such baubles.[18] Attlee himself later accepted an hereditary earldom.
Viscountcy
- Charles Booth, disenchanted with politics, declined Gladstone's overtures; created a Privy Councillor by Balfour in 1904
- John Grigg, 2nd Baron Altrincham, writer, historian and politician
- Arthur Henderson, declined offer of peerage by Ramsay MacDonald in 1931 (MacDonald wanted to remove a rival for Labour Party leadership)
- John Henry Whitley, retiring Speaker of the House of Commons (in 1928).
Barony
- George Macaulay Booth, Director of the Bank of England; declined Lloyd George's offer.
- Leonard Elmhirst, philanthropist, agriculturalist and educationist; declined Clement Attlee's offer in 1946, replying: "My own work, however, as you know, has lain in the main among country people ... in India, the USA and in Devonshire ... acceptance would neither be easy for me to explain nor easy for my friends to comprehend."[19]
- Sir Thomas Holderness, retiring Permanent Under-Secretary of State for India, refused in 1920 on financial grounds, although he accepted a baronetcy.[20]
- Sir Alan Lascelles, Private Secretary to the Sovereign; declined in 1953 as he felt titles to be a show of self-importance.[21]
- T. P. O'Connor, journalist and Irish Nationalist MP 1880–1929, declined the offer from Lloyd George.
- Frank Pick, Chief Executive of London Transport in the 1930s.
- Joseph Strutt, soldier and MP, declined all honours but suggested the offer (of the barony of Rayleigh) be transferred to his wife instead, which was done.
Life peerage (barony)
- Isaiah Berlin, OM, philosopher (in 1980)[2]
- Rodney Bickerstaffe, trade union leader and socialist; General Secretary of UNISON. Declined Blair's offer in 2000, reportedly saying that to accept would betray his socialist beliefs.[22][23]
- Tony Blair, former Prime Minister.[24]
- Albert Booth, Labour MP and Secretary of State for Employment 1974–79, declined peerage on democratic and socialist grounds.
- Gordon Brown, former Prime Minister
- Charles Clarke, Labour MP and Cabinet minister
- John Cleese, film and television actor, comedian (in 1999; stated that he "did not wish to spend winters in England"; and being a peer would be "ridiculous"; had previously declined appointment as CBE in 1996)[25]
- Jean Floud, educational sociologist Nuffield College Oxford; Principal Newnham College, Cambridge, declined a peerage (in 1978)
- Michael Foot, Labour Party leader 1980–83[26]
- John Freeman, Labour MP, journalist, diplomat, business executive.[27]
- Geoffrey Goodman, journalist, industrial correspondent; declined peerage in the mid-1970s[28]
- James Griffiths, Labour MP, Secretary of State for Wales, 1964–66
- Sir Edward Heath, former Prime Minister. Preferred to retain seat as an MP, he personally disapproved of political honours while realizing their usefulness as a source of political patronage
- Arthur Holt, Liberal MP (1951–64), declined offer of a life peerage in 1967
- Thomas Jackson, trade union leader, 1979[29]
- Jack Jones, trade union leader, on several occasions, as he advocated the abolition of the House of Lords[30]
- Ludovic Kennedy, author, journalist and broadcaster, declined offer of life peerage from Liberals in 1967 as he was intending to join the SNP (he later accepted a KBE)
- Sir John Major, KG, CH, outgoing Prime Minister (in 2001 as he thought a seat in the Lords was incompatible with retiring from politics; he later accepted appointment as KG)[31]
- Bruce Millan, MP, Labour Secretary of State for Scotland (1976–79); EU Commissioner for Regional Development
- Jim Mortimer, General Secretary of the Labour Party 1982-85
- Cormac Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor, Roman Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Westminster (in 2009; reportedly on advice from the Holy See for pro-republican sympathies)
- Rupert Murdoch, media mogul in the 1980s
- J. B. Priestley, author (in 1965)[32]
- Norman Willis, General Secretary TUC from 1984–93
- George Woodcock, General Secretary TUC, declined a peerage in 1970 as being incompatible with democratic socialism
As a part of the House of Lords reform in 1999, members of the Royal Family who were peers of the first creation were offered life peerages as a pure formality, which would have given them the right to sit in the House of Lords, but nobody seriously expected them to accept, and all declined.[33] These included:
Baronetcy
- Charles Babbage, FRS, scientist, declined both a knighthood and baronetcy[34]
- Field-Marshal Sir Frederick Haines, declined a baronetcy in 1880 due to his wife's failing health.
- Sir Edwin Plowden, KCB, KBE; later created a Life Peer (in 1959)
- John Grubb Richardson,[35] Irish Quaker industrialist, declined, citing his religious beliefs.
- Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Poet Laureate, declined baronetcy in 1865 and 1868; later accepted peerage - the first for a writer - in 1884 on William Ewart Gladstone's urging.
Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter
- The Right Honourable Charles Vincent Massey, PC, CH, CC, CD, had to refuse the Garter due to the Government of Canada's policy on peerages and knighthoods. Mr. Massey would be offered the Royal Victorian Chain, a high honour from The Queen which did not offer a title.
Knighthood (Knight Bachelor)
- Brian Abel-Smith, Professor of Social Administration LSE, economist, highly influential advisor on social welfare, NHS and the nursing profession
- T. S. Ashton, economic historian, Professor of Economic History, University of London (in 1957)[36]
- Frank Auerbach, artist, declined knighthood in 2003[3][37]
- Peter Benenson, founder of Amnesty International; was offered several times, but refused on each occasion, citing human rights abuses in which the British government was complicit[38][39]
- Alan Bennett, playwright (in 1996; had previously declined appointment as CBE in 1988)[2]
- Arnold Bennett, novelist, declined knighthood offered for service in running the British government's French propaganda department during World War I.[40]
- David Bowie, musician (in 2003)[41]
- Danny Boyle, theatre and film director (in 2013)[42]
- Lester Brain, aviator and airline executive (in late 1960s; later accepted appointment as an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1979)[43]
- Peter Brook, theatre and film director.
- Francis Crick, physicist, co-discoverer of DNA; was offered a CBE in 1963, but did not accept it.[44]
- Hugh Cudlipp (1966) [45]
- Paul Dirac, Nobel Prize winner for physics in 1933, declined a knighthood in 1953, reportedly in part due to his dislike of being addressed by his first name, but probably had egalitarian objections to titles, having lived in the USA for many years;[46] Finally accepted an Order of Merit in 1973 as it was not a title.[47]
- George Henry Doughty (1975), trade unionist, Gen. Sec. of AESD Union, member of TUC General Council
- Lionel Elvin, Director Institute of Education London, 1958–73
- Michael Faraday, scientist: "I must remain plain Michael Faraday to the last".[48][49]
- Harry Ferguson, businessman, engineer and inventor; twice offered and declined knighthood in the last ten years of his life; in response to a letter from Winston Churchill offering to submit his name, Ferguson declined on the ground that knighthoods should be reserved for servicemen and statesmen, whose financial rewards were relatively small, and should not be given to businessmen or industrialists with financial wealth.[50]
- Albert Finney, actor (in 2000; had previously declined CBE in 1980)[2]
- E. M. Forster, author and essayist; declined knighthood in 1949, but accepted a Companion of Honour in the 1953 New Year Honours list and an Order of Merit in 1969.[51][52]
- Michael Frayn, novelist and dramatist; declined a knighthood in the 2003 New Year Honours and a CBE four years previously; Frayn stated: "I haven't done this for reasons of modesty. I like the name 'Michael Frayn'; it's a nice little name to run around with. I've spent 70 years getting used to it and I don't want to change it now."[2]
- John Freeman, politician, journalist, diplomat, business executive. Also declined a peerage.[27]
- John Gallagher, historian of empire and imperialism
- John Galsworthy, playwright, declined knighthood in 1918 New Year Honours[53] but accepted appointment to the Order of Merit in 1929 as it was not a title.
- Calouste Gulbenkian, philanthropist (in 1951)[45]
- Joe Haines, Press Secretary to Prime Minister Harold Wilson
- A. H. Halsey, sociologist, proponent of a fairer and more equal society.
- Richard Hamilton, artist
- Thomas Hardy, novelist (later accepted OM because as it was an honour without a title)
- Herbert Hart, Professor of Jurisprudence, Oxford in 1966, believed state honours should only be given and accepted for public service.
- Stanford G. Haughton, sound recordist/musician (in 1952)[36]
- Stephen Hawking, CH, CBE, physicist, reportedly turned down a knighthood because he "does not like titles."[54]
- Bill Hayden, Governor-General of Australia[55]
- Patrick Heron, artist, declined a knighthood allegedly over the education policy of the government in the 1980's.[56]
- Peter Higgs, CH, physicist, Professor of Theoretical Physics, University of Edinburgh; co-discoverer of the Higgs boson in 1999, because he felt honours are used for political purposes by the government. He later accepted appointment to the Order of the Companions of Honour, because he was (wrongly) assured that it was the personal gift of the Queen, in 2013.[57][58][59]
- Keith Hill, Labour MP; declined knighthood in 2010 Dissolution Honours, stating: "My fundamental reason is that I have never had the least desire to have a title. I don't want to be discourteous, but I find the whole idea a little embarrassing and too much for me."[60]
- David Hockney, CH, RA, artist (in 1990; accepted appointment as CH in 1997, and OM in 2012 because they are not titles)[2]
- Charles Holden, architect, declined twice (1944, 1951)
- John Hughes, Principal Ruskin College, Oxford; Vice Chair, Prices Commission (1977–79)
- Aldous Huxley, author (in 1959)[2]
- Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan; offered a knighthood in 1925, he replied: "I prefer to be plain Mr Jinnah"
- Augustus John, artist
- Gus John, educationalist and campaigner for racial equality
- Rudyard Kipling, soldier, writer, and poet; declined knighthood in 1899 and again in 1903; his wife stated that Kipling felt he could "do his work better without it".[61] Kipling also declined the Order of Merit in 1921 and again in 1924.[62]
- T. E. Lawrence, Arabist, archaeologist, soldier; King George V offered Lawrence a knighthood on 30 October 1918 at a private audience in Buckingham Palace for his services in the Arab Revolt, but he declined.[63][64]
- Essington Lewis, Australian mining magnate[65]
- Edgar Lobel, Romanian-British classicist and papyrologist; (in 1955)
- L. S. Lowry, artist (in 1968; had previously declined appointment as OBE in 1955 and CBE in 1961; later twice declined appointment as CH (1972, 1976); holds the record for the most honours declined)[2]
- Humphrey Lyttelton, jazz musician, broadcaster and author (in 1995)
- Dan McKenzie, Professor of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge (in 2003)
- Arthur Mann, then editor of the Yorkshire Post, declined two knighthoods in the 1920s on the basis that accepting would interfere with his journalism; upon retirement he became a Companion of Honour.[66]
- Kingsley Martin, journalist and editor (in 1965); strongly disapproved of the honours system, certainly for journalists.
- John Loudon McAdam, Scottish road builder[67]
- Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum (in 1999); in 2010 he accepted appointment to the Order of Merit, the personal gift of the British monarch[68]
- Michael Meacher, Labour MP, minister and socialist.
- James Meade, economist; Nobel Prize for Economics winner (in 1969)
- Norman Miscampbell, Conservative MP. Margaret Thatcher recommended his appointment to a knighthood (in 1989), which he declined reportedly because he thought it would prevent him enjoying his retirement from political activity.
- Henry Moore, sculptor (in 1951)
- Stanley Morison (in 1953; also declined CBE)[36]
- Robert Morley, actor (in 1975; accepted CBE in 1957)
- A. G. Norman, scientist (in 1969)[36]
- John Osborne, playwright
- Peter O'Toole, film and stage actor
- William Pember Reeves, New Zealand politician, declined knighthood three times, including GCMG[69]
- Frank Pick, chief executive of London Transport (also declined a peerage).[70]
- Harold Pinter, playwright (later accepted CH)
- John Piper, artist [36]
- Ronald Robinson, historian of imperialism and empire
- Gilbert Ryle, philosopher (in 1965)
- Simon Russell Beale, actor
- Frederick Sanger, British scientist and double Nobel Prize Winner (accepted OM, CH, and CBE)
- B. A. Santamaria, Australian Catholic social campaigner[71]
- Amartya Sen, economist and Nobel Prize winner
- George Bernard Shaw, playwright, critic, and socialist; also declined OM[72]
- Paul Scofield, actor (in 1968)[73]
- Alastair Sim, actor, declined a knighthood as his father had done
- Quentin Skinner, historian; Regius Professor of Modern History, University of Cambridge; republican[74] (in 1996)
- George Stephenson, railway engineer and inventor
- Robert Stephenson railway engineer and entrepreneur, son of George Stephenson
- Adrian Stokes, artist (in 1968)
- W. Strath, civil servant (in 1959)
- Peter Tatchell, human rights campaigner, also declined the OBE. "The honours system is a relic of feudalism. Most of the major gongs are handed out to well-paid time servers, political cronies and big party donors."
- A. J. P. Taylor, eminent British historian. "The Establishment draws its recruits from outside as soon as they are ready to conform to its standards and become respectable. There is nothing more agreeable than to make peace with the Establishment – and nothing more corrupting."
- Ian Taylor, Chairman of Vitoil and Tory Party donor, declined to be considered for a KBE in 2016 after his company was fined £13m in 2007 for illicit payments to the Iraqi state oil company, and in 2012 trading oil with Iran in breach of EU sanctions.
- Peter Townsend, Professor of Social Policy and founder of the Child Poverty Action Group
- Ralph Vaughan Williams, composer
- Sydney Walton, civil servant, secretary of the Consumer Council during World War I (declined knighthood in 1917)
- J. Steven Watson, historian, twice declined the offer a knighthood in 1960 and in 1966 on becoming Principal of University of St Andrews.
- Patrick White, Australian writer, Nobel Prize for Literature (1970)[75]
- John Walpole Willis, colonial judge, barrister and author, refused a knighthood at least twice.[76]
- John Henry Whitley, Liberal MP and Speaker of the House of Commons 1911-21[77]
- Norman Willis, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress; "turned down a knighthood offered to him by John Major, just as he had turned aside a proposal from the Labour leader John Smith that he might consider going into the House of Lords"[78]
- Bill Woodfull, Australian cricketer; turned down offer of a knighthood for services to cricket in 1934, but accepted OBE for services to education in 1963 which he thought was more important.[79]
- Dr Norman Wright, Chief Scientific Officer (Food) Ministry of Agriculture 1947-59
Appointment to the Order of the Bath
As Knight Grand Cross (GCB)
- Admiral George Cranfield Berkeley in 1812, expecting a peerage; he later settled for the KCB in 1813; elevated to GCB in 1815.[80]
As Companion (CB)
- Colonel Allday V. Kerrison (in 1955)
- Bernard O'Brien, scientist (in 1956)
Appointment to the Order of Merit (OM)
- Rudyard Kipling
- A. E. Housman, poet and classical scholar (in 1929)[81]
- George Bernard Shaw, playwright, critic, and polemicist (in 1946; Shaw replied that "merit" in authorship could only be determined by the posthumous verdict of history).[72] Shaw had wanted to decline the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925, but accepted it at his wife's behest as honouring Ireland. He did not reject the monetary award, requesting it be used to finance translation of Swedish books into English.[82]
- H. G. Wells, writer.
Appointment to the Order of the Star of India
As Knight Commander (KCSI)
- V. S. Srinivasa Sastri (in 1928; accepted appointment as a Companion of Honour (CH) in 1930)[83]
Appointment to the Order of St Michael and St George
As Knight Commander (KCMG)
- George Trefgarne, 1st Baron Trefgarne, politician (1951) [84]
As Companion (CMG)
- Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Ceylonese civil servant (1946).
Appointment to the Order of the Indian Empire
As a Companion (CIE)
- Narayan Malhar Joshi (1879–1955), Member of the Bombay Corporation (1919–1922) and Indian Legislative Assembly; delegate to the ILO and Round Table Conferences (refused in 1921, on the grounds he was too poor for the honour)[85][86]
Appointment to the Royal Victorian Order
As a Commander (CVO)
- Craig Murray, former United Kingdom Ambassador to Uzbekistan (had previously declined appointments as LVO and OBE),[87] in 1999, for reasons of Scottish nationalism and republicanism.
Appointment as a Companion of Honour (CH)
- Francis Bacon, artist (in 1977; previously declined appointment as CBE in 1960)[2]
- Robert Graves, poet and novelist (in 1984; had previously declined appointment as CBE in 1957)[2]
- L. S. Lowry RA, artist (in 1972 and 1976; had previously declined appointment as OBE in 1955 and CBE in 1961 and a knighthood in 1968; holds the record for the most honours declined)[2]
- Ben Nicholson, artist (in 1965)
- Philip Noel-Baker, former Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations, 1965 New Year Honours[36] (accepted a life peerage in 1977)
- J. B. Priestley, writer (in 1969)[32] also refused a knighthood and a peerage (accepted OM in 1977).
- Virginia Woolf, writer (in 1930's) - "Nothing would induce me to connive at all that humbug"
- Leonard Woolf, writer/publisher (in 1966)
Appointment to the Order of the British Empire
As a Knight Grand Cross (GBE)
- Charles Wilson, 1st Baron Moran (in 1962) – offered for services as chairman of a government committee but declined, commenting it was "the sort of thing given to civil servants".[88]
- Sir Harry Shackleton (in the 1951 Birthday Honours List).[89]
As a Knight Commander (KBE)
- T. E. Lawrence, Arabist, archaeologist, soldier, aircraftsman, writer (in October 1918)
- Calouste Gulbenkian, philanthropist (in 1951)
- J. H. Penson, botanist (1951 New Year Honours[89])
- David Bowie
As a Dame Commander (DBE)
- Dorothy Hodgkin, scientist, Nobel Prize for Chemistry 1964 (later accepted OM)
- Glenda Jackson, actress and politician
- Doris Lessing, CH, author (declined DBE in 1992, stating it was in the name of a non-existent Empire; also declined appointment as OBE in 1977; accepted appointment as CH as it is does not carry a title, in 2000)[2][90] Nobel Prize for Literature
- Geraldine McEwan, actress (in 2002; had previously declined appointment as OBE in 1986)
- Vanessa Redgrave, actress, accepted CBE in 1967; declined damehood in 1999[2][91]
- Bridget Riley, artist (accepted CH and CBE)
- Dorothy Wedderburn, academic, Principal of Royal Holloway and Bedford College London, 1980–90
As a Commander (CBE)
- Richard Ithamar Aaron, philosopher, Professor of Philosophy, University College of Wales, Aberystwyth (in 1962)[36]
- Ian Albery, theatre producer[3]
- W. Godfrey Allen, architect; Surveyor of the Fabric of Gloucester Cathedral (in 1957)[36]
- Nick Anstee, former Lord Mayor of London (in 2010)
- Francis Bacon, artist (in 1960;[36] later declined appointment as CH in 1977)
- C. H. Bagenal, scientist (in 1966)
- J. G. Ballard, author (in 2003) "the honours system is a Ruritanian charade that helps to prop up the top-heavy monarchy.")[2]
- Julian Barnes, novelist
- Jim Baty[36] trade unionist Gen. Sec of ASLEF 1946-1952 (in 1952)
- Wilfred Beard, General Secretary, United Patternmakers' Association (in 1959)[36]
- Clive Bell, art critic (in 1953)
- Alan Bennett, playwright (in 1988; later declined a knighthood in 1996)
- Michael Billington, drama critic
- Michael Blakemore, playwright; theatre director
- Honor Blackman, actress (in 2002;[2] (she is a republican)[92]
- John Boorman, film director
- David Bowie, musician (in 2000; later declined a knighthood in 2003)[2]
- John Carey, academic and literary critic
- Julie Christie, film actress
- John Cleese, actor/comedian (in 1996; he reportedly thought it was "silly", and later declined a life peerage)[2][25]
- Prunella Clough, painter (in 1979;[36] previously declined OBE in 1968)
- John Cole, journalist, latterly BBC Political Editor (in 1993)[2]
- David Cornwell (uses John le Carré as nom de plume), author
- Francis Crick, scientist, co-discoverer of DNA (in 1963;[36] later also refused a knighthood, but finally accepted appointment as OM in 1991)
- Julian A. Davies, chemist (in 1968)
- L.O. Doughty-Wylie, nursing administrator (in 1958)
- Bernie Ecclestone, owner of Formula One commercial rights (in 1996)[2]
- Brian Eno, musician (in 2007)
- Peter Finch, film and stage actor
- Albert Finney, actor (in 1980; also declined a knighthood in 2000)
- C. S. Forester, novelist (in 1953)
- Michael Frayn novelist and dramatist (in 1989; later declined a knighthood in 2003)
- Stephen Frears, film director
- Lucian Freud, artist (in 1977; later accepted appointment as CH in 1983, and OM in 1993)[2]
- Jack Gallagher, historian, Beit Professor of Commonwealth History, Oxford
- Robert Graves, poet and novelist (in 1957; later declined appointment as CH in 1984)
- Graham Greene, author (in 1956) (later accepted appointment as CH and OM, neither of which are titles granting rank or precedence)
- Trevor Griffiths, playwright
- John Gross, author, literary critic and journalist
- Claude Herbert Grundy, Queen's Remembrancer (in 1964)
- Jocelyn Herbert, stage designer (in 1981)
- Trevor Howard, film and stage actor in 1982[91]
- Elgar Howarth, conductor and composer[3]
- John Ireland, composer (in 1959)
- Leon Kossoff, painter[3]
- Walter Lassally, cinematographer
- T. E. Lawrence, World War I British Army officer, archaeologist, Arabist, RAF aircraftsman, and writer, popularly known as "Lawrence of Arabia"; later declined a knighthood.
- F.R. Leavis, literary critic. Refused in 1966; but later accepted appointment as CH.
- James Lees Milne, writer and expert on English country houses and long-time associate of the National Trust (in 1993)
- C. S. Lewis, author, theologian, Oxford professor (in 1951, declined in order to avoid association with any political issues)[93]
- Ken Livingstone, former Mayor of London, due to be honoured for his services to the 2012 Olympics (turned down an honour in the 2013 New Years Honours due to his belief that politicians should not get such awards)[94]
- L. S. Lowry, artist (in 1961; had previously declined appointment as OBE in 1955; declined a knighthood in 1968, and later appointment as CH in 1972 and 1976; holds the record for the most honours declined)[2]
- Philip MacDonald, author (in 1952); he thought the honours system added to the class-ridden nature of English society.
- Malcolm McDowell, actor (in 1984)
- George Melly, musician, writer, critic, artist and raconteur (in 2001)[2]
- Mary Midgley, philosopher
- Stanley Morison (in 1962; also declined a knighthood)
- Ben Nicholson, artist (in 1955; later declined appointment as CH in 1965)
- Seán O'Casey, playwright (in 1963)
- Gareth Peirce, solicitor[95] (gazetted CBE in 1999, but later she returned its insignia, blaming herself and apologizing to then PM Tony Blair for the misunderstanding)
- Lionel Penrose, Professor of Medical Genetics, University College London, 1945–65 (in 1967)
- Ronald Pickup, actor
- Cedric Price, architect
- Karel Reisz, Czech-born film director
- Tony Richardson, film and theatre director, in 1987
- Andrew Robertson, Professor of Mechanical Engineering University of Bristol (in 1965); reportedly disapproved of the honours system
- R. E. Robinson, historian (in 1953) later Beit Professor of Commonwealth History, Oxford.
- Paul Rogers, actor
- Robert Simpson, composer
- Savenaca Siwatibau, Fijian academic
- David Storey, playwright and novelist
- Frank Swinnerton, novelist and critic (in 1969)
- Sue Townsend novelist and playwright
- Claire Tomalin, writer[3]
- Polly Toynbee, Guardian columnist, in 2000[2]
- Leslie Waddington, art gallery chairman[3]
- Evelyn Waugh, novelist (in 1959, wanted a knighthood)[2]
- Paul Weller, musician (in 2007)
- Garfield Weston, businessman [3]
- Susannah York, stage and screen actress
- Hugo Young, journalist
As an Officer (OBE)
- Peter Alliss, golfer and commentator (in 2002)[2]
- Lindsay Anderson, theatre and film director
- Nancy Banks-Smith, Guardian journalist, declined OBE, 1970.[91]
- Leonard Barden, British chess champion and writer (in 1985)
- Michael Bogdanov, theatre director
- Jim Broadbent, actor (in 2002)[2]
- Eleanor Bron, actress and writer
- Jez Butterworth, playwright, 2016
- Peter Capaldi, actor, director and writer
- Caryl Churchill, playwright
- Prunella Clough, painter (in 1968), later declined CBE in 1979[36]
- Andrew Cruickshank, actor (in 1967)
- Roald Dahl, author (in 1986, wanted a knighthood)[2]
- Eleanor Farjeon, author and poet (in 1959)
- Dawn French, comedian and actress (in 2001)[3]
- Patrick French, author, biographer, academic in 2003
- Pam Gems, dramatist/playwright
- Henry Green, (1960) novelist
- Hughie Green, TV personality, (in 1960)
- Graham Greene, author (in 1956) later also declined the CBE[2]
- Laurence Harbottle, services to theatre[3]
- George Harrison, former Beatle (in 2000), reportedly felt he deserved a knighthood, as his fellow ex-Beatle Paul McCartney had been awarded in 1997[96]
- Tony Harrison, poet and playwright
- Hamish Henderson, poet and folklorist (in 1983, in protest against the Thatcher government's nuclear policies)
- H. F. Hutchinson, art historian (in 1966)
- Hattie Jacques, actress/comedian (in 1974)
- Jonathan Kent, theatre director[3]
- Philip Larkin poet and librarian in 1968[89]
- Nigella Lawson, chef, gourmand, television personality/presenter; cookery writer[3]
- Nicholas Le Prevost, actor
- Doris Lessing, author (in 1977; later declined appointment as DBE in 1992, because it is in the name of a non-existent Empire; accepted appointment as CH in 2000)[90]
- Ken Loach, film director (in 1977): "I turned down the OBE because it's not a club you want to join when you look at the villains who've got it." [97]
- L. S. Lowry, artist (declined OBE in 1955, a CBE in 1961, a knighthood in 1968 and appointment as CH, twice, in 1972 and 1976; holds the record for the most honours declined)[2]
- W. J. M. Mackenzie professor of Political Science (declined OBE in 1951)
- John McCormick, Controller, BBC Scotland[3]
- Ian McDiarmid, actor, theatre director[3]
- Geraldine McEwan, actress in 1986 (later declined DBE in 2002)
- Paul McGuigan, filmmaker
- Kenneth McKellar, tenor[98]
- Ivan Margary, historian (in 1960)
- Hank Marvin, guitarist (The Shadows)
- Doreen Massey, Professor of Geography
- Alan Mattingly, Ramblers' Association[3]
- Stanley Middleton, novelist and educationalist (in 1979)
- Ernest Milton, classical actor (in 1965)
- Craig Murray, former United Kingdom Ambassador to Uzbekistan (had previously declined appointment as LVO; later declined appointment as CVO)
- Max Newman, mathematician and wartime codebreaker (in 1946, in protest against the inadequacy of Alan Turing's OBE)[99]
- I. Newton, pianist (in 1964)
- Bill Nighy, actor
- T. Parry author and librarian (in 1959)
- Iorwerth Peate poet and scholar (in 1963)
- Eric Porter, actor (in 1969)
- Alan Rickman, actor
- T. F. D. Rippingham architect (in 1951)
- Michèle Roberts author (in 2003) [100]
- Michael Rosen author and poet
- V. M. Sabherwall, Birmingham industrialist
- Anthony Sampson, author/journalist
- Jennifer Saunders, comedian and actress (in 2001)
- Nitin Sawhney, musician (in 2007, for ethical reasons) "I wouldn't like anything with the word 'empire' after my name."[101]
- Phil Scraton, professor of criminology (in 2016) "I could not receive an honour on the recommendation of those who remained unresponsive to the determined efforts of bereaved families and survivors to secure truth and justice." "I could not accept an honour tied in name to the ‘British empire’ ".[102]
- Jon Snow, newscaster (after having declined, investigated and presented a Channel 4 documentary, Secrets of the Honours System[103])
- Katherine Whitehorn, journalist, later accepted a CBE after retirement from regular journalism.
- Bransby Williams, actor/monologuist (in 1955)
- Grace Williams, composer
- Kenneth Williams, actor and comedian. "When offered something which obviously isn't worth the price ... we still have the right to say 'No thanks'" (1969)
- Michael Winner, film director (in 2006; saying, "An OBE is what you get if you clean the toilets well at King's Cross station."[104])
- Benjamin Zephaniah, poet (in 2010), stating: "I get angry when I hear the word 'empire'; it reminds me of slavery, it reminds me of thousands of years of brutality, it reminds me of how my foremothers were raped and my forefathers brutalised."[105]
As a Member (MBE)
- Eileen Agar (1959) artist
- John Allen, political adviser to Prime Minister Harold Wilson, declined honour in 1969
- Major Derek Allhusen, Olympic equestrian gold medallist, 1969 New Year Honours (accepted CVO in 1984 as Standard Bearer of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms)[36]
- Marcel Aurousseau, Australian geologist, 1956 New Year Honours[36]
- R. Cade, founder of the Minack Theatre, Cornwall (in 1969)
- Patrick Collins, sports journalist and author[3]
- Joseph Corré, co-founder of Agent Provocateur (in 2007, claiming his belief that then-Prime Minister Tony Blair was "morally corrupt".[106])
- Emer Rose Crangle, aid worker (in 1999)
- Edward Tegla Davies, Wesleyan Methodist minister and a popular Welsh language writer (in 1963)[36]
- John Dunn, broadcaster[3]
- Lynn Faulds Wood, TV presenter (in 2016). "I would love to have an honour if it didn't have the word 'empire' on the end of it. We don't have an empire, in my opinion." [107]
- Howard Gayle, first black footballer to play for Liverpool FC. Declined the MBE in 2016 saying it would be "a betrayal" to Africans who suffered at the hands of the British Empire
- Marjorie Hebden, declined MBE for services to the Malvern Museum[3]
- David Heckels, declined MBE for charitable services to the arts[3]
- Bob Holman, community activist in Easterhouse, 2012 birthday honours.[108]
- Gwendoline Laxon, declined MBE for services to charity[3]
- Susan Loppert, art historian[3]
- John Lydon, musician (formerly known as "Johnny Rotten")
- John Pandit aka Pandit G, musician, 2002, does not believe in the honours system, says acknowledgement should be given by funding projects[3][109]
- Doris Purnell, declined MBE for services to drama[3]
- John Sales, head gardener[3]
- Joan Smith, journalist, declined MBE as it was counter to the views she had spoken about in her career, i.e. atheism, feminism and republicanism.
- T. W. Taylor schoolteacher (in 1957)
- Jonzi D, writer, choreographer and rap artist, declined MBE for services to the arts, saying subsequently: "I am diametrically opposed to the idea of empire. Man, I'm a Star Wars fan – empire is bad."[110]
- Alan Watkins, journalist, political columnist
Renouncing an honour
As no official provision exists for (unilaterally) renouncing an honour, any such act is always unofficial, and the record of the appointment in the London Gazette stands. Nevertheless, the physical insignia can be returned to the Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood — though even this act is purely symbolic, as replacement insignia may be purchased for a nominal sum. Any recipient can also request that the honour not be used officially, e.g. Donald Tsang, ex-Chief Executive of Hong Kong, was knighted in 1997 but has not used the title since the handover to China.[111]
Those who have returned insignia include:
- Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, journalist (returned MBE insignia in 2003 in her view of "a growing spirit of republicanism and partly in protest at the Labour government, particularly its conduct of the war in Iraq")
- Roy Bailey, folk singer (returned MBE insignia in August 2006 in protest at the British Government's foreign policy in Lebanon and Palestine)
- Carla Lane, television writer (appointed OBE in 1989; returned insignia in 2002 in protest at the appointment of CBE of the managing director of Huntingdon Life Sciences due to the company's reputed animal testing)
- John Lennon, musician (returned MBE insignia in 1969; returned with letter that read, "I am returning this MBE in protest against Britain's involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam, and against 'Cold Turkey' slipping down the charts.")
- Gareth Peirce, solicitor (gazetted CBE in 1999, but later she returned its insignia, blaming herself and apologizing to then Prime Minister Tony Blair for the misunderstanding)
- Narindar Saroop, soldier and Tory politician. Returned CBE in 2016 in disgust at the 'Dishonours List of David Cameron "showering peerages, knighthoods and other rewards on friends and party backers."
- Susan Wighton, AIDS worker (returned MBE insignia in 2006 in protest at the British Government's Middle East foreign policies)
Knights who have "renounced" their knighthoods include:
- Maharajkumar of Vizianagram, cricketer (knighted in 1936; renounced knighthood in 1947 upon India's independence)
- Rabindranath Tagore, author and poet and Nobel Prize Winner in Literature, 1913 (knighted in 1915; renounced knighthood in 1919 in protest over the Jallianwala Bagh massacre)
- C. P. Ramaswami Iyer, lawyer, parliamentarian and administrator (knighted in 1926 with the KCIE and again in 1939 with the KCSI; renounced both knighthoods in 1948 following Indian independence)
- Khwaja Nazimuddin, nobleman, administrator and politician who served as the Governor-General of Pakistan from 1948 to 1951 and as the Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1951–53 (knighted in 1934 with the KCIE; renounced knighthood in 1946 due to his personal belief in independence from Britain)
Declining a baronetcy (Bt)
Many offers of baronetcies have been declined from their inception, as this honour was one way, until recent times, for the Crown to raise money from landed gentry families. When a baronetcy becomes vacant on the death of a holder, the heir may choose not to register the proofs of succession, effectively declining the honour. The Official Roll of Baronets is kept at the Home Office by the Registrar of the Baronetage. Anyone who considers that he is entitled to be entered on the Roll may petition the Crown through the Home Secretary. Anyone succeeding to a baronetcy therefore must exhibit proofs of succession to the Home Secretary. A person who is not entered on the Roll will not be addressed or mentioned as a baronet or accorded precedence as a baronet. The baronetcy can be revived at any time on provision of acceptable proofs of succession, by, say, the son of a son who has declined to register the proofs of succession.[112] Around 83 baronetcies are currently listed as awaiting proofs of succession. Notable "refuseniks" include Jonathon Porritt, lately of Friends of the Earth, and journalist Ferdinand Mount.
The Cabinet Office disclosed on 24 January 2012 the refusal of a baronetcy in recent times by Sir Edwin Plowden, KCB, KBE (later created a life peer (1959)).
See also
- Canadian titles debate – Ongoing debate since 1919 over whether or not Canadians can accept British honours
- Black v Chrétien – 2001 legal case that affirmed the power of the Canadian prime minister to block such appointments
References
- ↑ The Committee Office, House of Commons (13 July 2004). "House of Commons – Public Administration – Fifth Report". Publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 "Some who turned the offer down". London: The Guardian. 22 December 2003. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Harvey McGavin (22 December 2003). "Honoured? No thanks, say elite of arts and TV". London: The Independent.
- ↑ Roald Dahl among hundreds who turned down Queen's honours, Walesonline (also published in the Western Mail), 27 January 2012; retrieved 7 January 2013.
- ↑ "Richie McCaw surpasses knighthood, appointed NZ's top honour". One News Now. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
- ↑ Staff, Newstalk ZB. "McCaw joins exclusive club in honours list". www.newstalkzb.co.nz. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
- ↑ Singh, Anita (31 December 2010). "Lady Antonia Fraser leads New Year Honours 2011 list". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
- ↑ Katz, Liane (22 December 2003). "MPs to investigate 'secretive' honours system". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
- ↑ Roots, Ivan (1989). Speeches of Oliver Cromwell. Everyman's Classics. London: Dent. p. 128. ISBN 0-460-01254-1.
- ↑ "Biography of Benjamin Disraeli". National Portrait Gallery. 15 August 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
- ↑ Queen Victoria, a Biographical Companion. Books.google.com. p. 330. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
- ↑ "Dukedom for Salisbury Expected". New York: The New York Times. 3 September 1901. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
- ↑ "The Point of View, 1900, Scribner's Magazine, volume 28, p.124". Babel.hathitrust.org. 23 August 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
- ↑ Hicks, Lady Pamela (2013). Daughter of Empire; my life as a Mountbatten (Book) (1st ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 4. ISBN 978-1-4767-3381-4.
- ↑ Koss, Stephen (1976). Asquith. London: Allen Lane. pp. 66–67.
- ↑ Max Egremont, Balfour: A Life of Arthur James Balfour (Collins, 1980) p. 315
- ↑ The Complete Peerage of Great Britain and Ireland, including titles, deeds and estates that are abeyant, dormant or extinct, St Catherine's Press, London, XIV volumes, 1937–1949
- ↑ R Terrill, R.H Tawney and his Times: Socialism as Fellowship [1974], ISBN 0674743776.
- ↑ Young, Michael (1982). The Elmhirsts of Dartington: the Creation of an Utopian Community. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. p. 344. ISBN 0-07-100905-1.
- ↑ Biography of Thomas Holderness, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ↑ Hardman, Robert (2012). Her Majesty; Queen Elizabeth II and her court (Book) (1st ed.). New York: Pegasus Books. p. 190. ISBN 978-1-60598-361-5.
- ↑ Seddon, Mark (3 October 2017). "Rodney Bickerstaffe obituary". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
- ↑ "UNION CHIEF TURNS DOWN SEAT IN LORDS". Doncaster Free Press. UK. 4 January 2001. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
- ↑ Kite, Melissa (30 December 2007). "Tony Blair spurns honour system". The Daily Telegraph. UK. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
- 1 2 Nikkhah, Roya (17 April 2011). "Lord Cleese of Fawlty Towers: Why John Cleese declined a peerage". Sunday Telegraph. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
- ↑ "Michael Foot: Leftwing fighter who led Labour to poll collapse". The Independent. 2010-03-03. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
- 1 2 "Major John Freeman: Soldier who became an MP, diplomat and broadcaster". The Independent. 2014-12-21. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
- ↑ Mike Molloy. Obituary: Geoffrey Goodman, The Guardian, 6 September 2013
- ↑ "Thomas Jackson (1925–2003)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/90043. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ↑ "Jones, James Larkin [Jack] (1913–2009))". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/101871. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ↑ "Major to turn down Peerage". BBC News. 8 October 2000. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
- 1 2 Hope, Christopher (26 January 2012). "JB Priestley, Roald Dahl, Lucian Freud and LS Lowry among 277 people who turned down honours". London: Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
- ↑ Brown, Colin; Schaefer, Sarah (3 November 1999). "Fury over Blair offer of life peerages to Royals". The Independent. London. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
- ↑ Ioan James (2010). Remarkable Engineers: From Riquet to Shannon. Cambridge University Press. p. 50.
- ↑ "Richardsons in Scotland and Ireland". Richardsonname.com. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 "Cabinet Office list of honours declined by since deceased persons, 1951–1999" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 February 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
- ↑ Auerback, Frank Helmut, in The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History (ed. William D. Rubinstein: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011), p. 41.
- ↑ Obituary: Peter Benenson, Economist, March 3, 2005.
- ↑ Marlene Wagman-Geller, Eureka!: The Surprising Stories Behind the Ideas That Shaped the World (Penguin 2010).
- ↑ Samira Ahmed, Arnold Bennett: The Edwardian David Bowie?, BBC Radio 4 (June 23, 2014).
- ↑ Thompson, Jody (8 January 2007). "Sixty things about David Bowie". BBC News.
- ↑ Merritt, Stephanie (30 December 2012). "Honours list: happy for Sir Wiggo, but Danny Boyle has a point". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
- ↑ Cadigan, Neil (2008). A Man Among Mavericks – Lester Brain: Australia's Greatest Aviator. Sydney: ABC Books. pp. 211–212. ISBN 0-7333-2096-1.
- ↑ Robert Cecil Olby, Francis Crick: Hunter of Life's Secrets (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 2009), p. 434.
- 1 2 Lyall, Sarah (2012-01-26). "Britain Releases Partial List of Those Declining Knighthood". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
- ↑ McKie, Robin (1 February 2009). "Anti-matter and madness". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
- ↑ O'Connor, JJ; Robertson, E.F. "Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac". Retrieved 21 October 2011.
- ↑ " Michael Faraday quote
- ↑ Tyndall, ... I must remain plain Michael Faraday to the last; and let me now tell you, that if accepted the honour which the Royal Society desires to confer upon me, I would not answer for the integrity of my intellect for a single year. - Michael Faraday
- ↑ Distinguished Figures in Mechanism and Machine Science: Their Contributions and Legacies, Part 2 (ed. Marco Ceccarelli: Springer Science & Business Media, 2009), p. 92.
- ↑ Sunil Kumar Sarker, E.M. Forster's A Passage to India (Atlantic, 2007), p. 92.
- ↑ David Bradshaw, ed. (2007). "Chronology". The Cambridge Companion to E. M. Forster. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-83475-9. Retrieved 27 May 2008.
- ↑ "News in Brief: Mr. Galsworthy". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 2 January 1918. p. 7.
- ↑ Peterkin, Tom (2008-06-15). "Stephen Hawking warns Government over 'disastrous' science funding cuts". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
- ↑ Carroll, Brian (2004). Australia's Governors General: From Hopetoun to Jeffery. Rosenberg Publishing Pty, Limited. p. 185. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
- ↑ McNay, By Michael (1999-03-22). "The colour of genius". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/dec/06/peter-higgs-interview-underlying-incompetence%7CThe Guardian
- ↑ "No. 60367". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 2012. p. 28.
- ↑ Rincon, Paul (28 December 2012). "Peter Higgs: honour for physicist who proposed particle". BBC News website. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
- ↑ "Former MP turns down knighthood". London: Streatham Guardian. 18 June 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
- ↑ William B. Dillingham, Rudyard Kipling: Hell and Heroism (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005), p. 51.
- ↑ Jad Adams, Kipling (Haus: 2005), p. 138.
- ↑ Outline chronology: 1918 (Oct–Dec), T.E. Lawrence Studies.
- ↑ Harold Orlans, T.E. Lawrence: Biography of a Broken Hero (McFarland: 2002), p. 7.
- ↑ "Lewis, Essington (1881–1961) Biographical Entry". Adbonline.anu.edu.au. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
- ↑ Wright, E. P., "Mann, Arthur Henry (1876–1972)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, January 2011; accessed 13 February 2013
- ↑ Buchanan, Brenda J. (May 2007). "McAdam, John Loudon". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
- ↑ Buckingham Palace. "Mr Neil MacGregor appointed to the Order of Merit, 4 November 2010". The Royal Household. Retrieved 4 November 2010.
- ↑ "New Zealand Dictionary of National Biography". Dnzb.govt.nz. 15 May 1932. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
- ↑ "Frank Pick profile". Design Museum. Archived from the original on 13 July 2006. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
- ↑ Greg Sheridan, The Australian, 28 January 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2017
- 1 2 Martin, Stanley (2007). "George Bernard Shaw". The Order of Merit: one hundred years of matchless honour. London: Taurus. p. 484. ISBN 978-1-86064-848-9.
- ↑ Paul Scofield declined knighthood
- ↑ Inglis, Fred (14 May 2009). "Bringing off the miracle of resurrection". Times Higher Education Supplement. London. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
- ↑ Marr, David (1991). Patrick White, a life. Milsons Point, NSW: Random House. p. 516. ISBN 0091825857.
- ↑ The Solicitors' Journal and Reporter Vol. 21 (1877) pg. 874
- ↑ "November - Speaker of the House John Bercow delivers J.H. Whitley Lecture - University of Huddersfield". www.hud.ac.uk. Retrieved 2016-10-31.
- ↑ Geoffrey Goodman, Norman Willis obituary, Guardian, June 25, 2014.
- ↑ William Woodfull OBE - Cricket, Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
- ↑ "Berkeley, Hon. George Cranfield (1753–1818)"; retrieved 21 October 2011.
- ↑ Biography of Housman, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ↑ Gibbs, A.M. (2005). Bernard Shaw: A Life (pp. 375–76). Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida. p. 554. ISBN 0-8130-2859-0.
- ↑ Mohan Lal (2006). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature, Volume 5. Sahitya Akademi. p. 4175. ISBN 978-81-260-1221-3.
- ↑ https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/61126/document2012-01-24-075439.pdf
- ↑ Who's Who, 1935, pg 1792
- ↑ Who's Who, 1956, pg 39
- ↑ Craig Murray, "On Being Hurt"; retrieved 21 October 2011.
- ↑ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Volume 59. Oxford University Press. 2004. p. 504. ISBN 0-19-861409-8.
- 1 2 3 "People who snubbed honours from the Queen: in full". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-03-04.
- 1 2 Adams, Stephen (21 October 2008). "Doris Lessing rejected top honour for being 'in the name of a non-existent Empire'". London, UK: The Telegraph. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
- 1 2 3 Some who turned honours down | Politics | The Guardian
- ↑ Gough, Patrick (27 April 2013). "Why Honor Blackman still packs a punch". Bournemouth Echo. Bournemouth.
- ↑ C.S., Lewis (1994). W. H. Lewis, Walter Hooper, ed. Letters of C.S. Lewis. New York: Mariner Books. p. 528. ISBN 0-15-650871-0.
Churchill offered Lewis the investiture following the Conservative Party's return to power in 1951.
- ↑ Hennessy, Patrick (29 December 2012). "Ken Livingstone turned down CBE for Olympic role". London: Telegraph. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
- ↑ Andrew Alderson and Nina Goswami (5 August 2005). "When Sir Ian heard who the lawyer was, it is likely he let out a long, hard sigh". London, UK: The Sunday Telegraph. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
- ↑ Hastings, Chris (21 December 2013). "'He would have felt insulted': Did George Harrison refuse an OBE because he envied Paul McCartney's knighthood?". Daily Mail. London.
- ↑ "ENTERTAINMENT | Director Loach slams TV news". BBC News. 2001-03-13. Retrieved 2018-06-10.
- ↑ Anne Gillies (24 December 2012). "BBC ALBA – Trusadh, Series 3, Kenneth McKellar". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
- ↑ William Newman, "Max Newman – Mathematician, Codebreaker and Computer Pioneer", p. 177 from pp. 176–188 in B. Jack Copeland, ed., Colossus: The Secrets of Bletchley Park's Codebreaking Computers, Oxford University Press, 2006
- ↑ Hello (2012-05-06). "Michèle Roberts: Confessions of a cultural heretic". The Independent. Retrieved 2018-06-10. line feed character in
|author=at position 18 (help) - ↑ The NS Interview: Nitin Sawhney, musician
- ↑ Hillsborough campaigner Prof Phil Scraton turns down OBE | Football | The Guardian
- ↑ Banks-Smith, Nancy. "Reputations: Frankie Howerd". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
- ↑ "Winner shuns 'toilet-cleaner OBE'". BBC News. 28 May 2006. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
- ↑ Demetriou, Danielle (27 November 2003). "Benjamin Zephaniah declines an OBE in protest against colonialism". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 16 June 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
- ↑ "Lingerie firm founder rejects MBE", BBC News, 20 June 2007
- ↑ Former BBC presenter turns down MBE - BBC News
- ↑ "Why I rejected my MBE – Bob Holman". London: theguardian.com. 4 June 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
- ↑ "NME News: Pandit G Turns Down MBE". NME. Retrieved 2008-06-07.
- ↑ "Breaking out of constraints". The Stage. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
- ↑ The Complete Peerage (1911–1949)
- ↑ Whitaker's Almanac, 2005, p. 83, et seq.
External links
- List published by the Cabinet Office's website; this dates only from 1951–82 and is not a full list
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