in general, denotes a person who receives a pension, yearly salary, or allowance. Hence,
The Band of Gentlemen Pensioners, the noblest sort of guard to the king's person, consists of 40 gentlemen, who receive a yearly pension of 100l.
This honourable band was first instituted by King Henry VIII. and their office is to attend the king's person, with their battle-axes, to and from his chapel royal, and to receive him in the presence chamber, or coming out of his privy lodgings; they are also to attend at all great solemnities, as coronations, St George's feast, public audiences of ambassadors, at the sovereign's going to parliament, &c.
They are each obliged to keep three double horses and a servant, and so are properly a troop of horse. They wait half at a time quarterly; but on Christmas-day, Easter-day, Whitunday, &c., and on extraordinary occasions, they are all obliged to give their attendance. They have likewise the honour to carry up the sovereign's dinner on the coronation-day and St George's feast; at which times the king or queen usually confer the honour of knighthood on two such gentlemen of the band as their captain prefers.
Their arms are gilt battle-axes; and their weapons, on horseback, in time of war, are cuirassiers arms, with sword and pistols. Their standard in time of war is, argent, a cross gules. Their captain is always a nobleman, Pensioner, in the university of Cambridge and in that of Dublin, has a very peculiar meaning; for those students, either under graduates or bachelors of arts, are called pensioners who live wholly at their own expense, and who receive no emolument whatever from the college of which they are members. They are divided into two kinds, the greater and the less; the former of which are generally called fellow-commoners, because they eat with the fellows of their college; the latter are always called pensioners, and eat with the scholars, who are those students of the college, either under-graduates or bachelors who are upon the foundation, who receive emoluments from the society, and who are capable of being elected fellows. See Servitor and Sizar.