...are the three little words that come to mind when reviewing the Order of the Ermine. Chas has generally covered the point, although there are a variety of "orders" that are fully valid that do not fit his broadly drawn definition.

Insofar as the "International Commission on Orders of Chivalry" is concerned, it is a self appointed (some might say "self annointed") group who set themselves up as the arbiters of what is, and is not, a valid order of chivalry. It appears to be on its third incarnation-- originally established by the late Col. Gayre of Gayre and Nigg (to validate and enhance the status of the then rather suspect Military and Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem) it was moribund by the time of Gayre's death. Terrance McCarthy (the shady character masquerading as the McCarthy Mor) then revived the ICOC, with himself at its head, and filled it with "placemen" to validate the selling of his worthless titles and to promote his fake "chivalric" order of the (sic) "Niad Nask". After McCarthy and his pal Davidson were publicly stripped of their arms, and titles (causing them to flee to Tangier to avoid legal prosecution), the ICOC was AGAIN revived-- this time by several members of McCarthy's ICOC group--- and it is in this present form that it publishes its list of "valid" orders.

The bottom line is this: Both real and bogus orders do maintain a web presence. Both real and bogus orders provide on-line contact points for those who want to know more about their activities. Bogus orders inevitably provide a "click-pay-join" service to those who want to to be styled as a knight or dame.

Real orders do not accept "on-line" applications, nor do they "recruit" via the internet.