an ancient order of knights, or feudal lords; who, possessing several large fees, led their vassals to battle under their own flag or banner, when summoned thereto by the king. The word seems formed from banner, "a square flag," or from band, which anciently denoted a flag.—Bannerets are also called in ancient writers milites vexilliferi, and vexillarii bannerarii, bannarii, banderissi, &c.

Anciently there were two kinds of knights, great and little; the first whereof was called bannerets, the second bachelors; the first composed the upper, the second the middle, nobility.

The banneret was a dignity allowed to march under his own flag, whereas the bachelarius eques followed that of another. To be qualified for a banneret, one must be a gentleman of family, and must have a power to raise a certain number of armed men, with estate enough to subsist at least 28 or 30 men. This must have been very considerable in those days; because each man, besides his servant, had two horsemen to wait on him armed, the one with a cross-bow, the other with a bow and hatchet. As he was not allowed to be a baron who had not above 13 knights fees, so he was not admitted to be a banneret if he had less than 10.

Banneret, according to Spelman, was a middle order between a baron and a simple knight; called sometimes also vexillarius minor, to distinguish him from the greater, that is, from the baron, to whom alone properly belonged jus vexilli, or privilege of the square flag. Hence the banneret was also called banneretus, quasi baro minor; a word frequently used by English writers in the same sense as banneret was by the French, though neither of them occur before the time of Edward II.

Some will have bannerets to have originally been persons who had some portion of a barony assigned them; and enjoyed it under the title of baro proximus, and that with the same prerogatives as the baron himself. Some, again, find the origin of bannerets in France, others in Brittany, others in England. These last attribute the institution of bannerets to Conan, lieutenant of Maximus, who commanded the Roman legions in England under the empire of Gratian in 383. This general, say they, revolting, divided England into 40 cantons, and in these cantons distributed 40 knights; to whom he gave a power of assembling, on occasion, under their several banners, as many of the effective men as were found in their respective districts; whence they are called bannerets. However this be, it appears from Froissart, &c. that anciently such of the military men as were rich enough to raise and subsist a company of armed men, and had a right to do so, were called bannerets. Not, however, that these qualifications rendered them knights, but only bannerets; the appellation of knight being only added thereto, because they were simple knights before.

Bannerets were second to none but knights of the Garter. They were reputed the next degree below the nobility; and were allowed to bear arms with supporters, which none else may under the degree of a baron. In France, it is said, the dignity was hereditary; but in England it died with the person that gained BANQUETING room or house. See Saloon.

The ancient Romans supped in the atrium, or vestibule, of their houses; but, in after times, magnificent saloons, or banqueting-rooms, were built, for the more commodious and splendid entertainment of their guests. Lucullus had several of these, each distinguished by the name of some god; and there was a particular rate of expense appropriated to each. Plutarch relates with what magnificence he entertained Cicero and Pompey, who went with a design to surprise him, by only telling a slave who waited, that the cloth should be laid in the Apollo. The emperor Claudius, among others, had a splendid banqueting-room named Mercury. But every thing of this kind was outdone by the lustre of that celebrated banqueting-house of Nero, called domus aurea; which, by the circular motion of its partitions Banqueting and ceilings, imitated the revolution of the heavens, and represented the different seasons of the year, which changed at every service, and showered down flowers, essences, and perfumes, on the guests.