The OM was founded in 1902 to reward exceptionally meritorious service in the Crown Services or in the arts, learning, literature and science. The Order comprises only 24 living members and as such is quite rare.
I have only seen one warrant and so it is difficult to extrapolate too much from a single example. The warrant is hand written. It is not unreasonable to suppose that the warrants are usually hand written, given the small number issued.
Seal
The seal of the Order is described in the statutes as: upon a white background, a representation of the Badge of the Order proper, impaled with Our Royal Arms, with the following circumscription, “The Seal of the Order of Merit.” The badge that is depicted below has crossed pens and is the badge of the Secretary and Registrar of the Order. More recently this has been replaced with a badge which has crossed swords, as used by the military division of the Order
Other Signatures
Warrants are countersigned by the Secretary and Registrar of the Order.
Case Study – Sir Frederick William Mallandaine Ashton, OM, CH, CBE
Ashton was a ballet dancer and choreographer. He was awarded the OM in 1977. The warrant is written completely by hand.
