BANKURA  , a

town and district of British India, within the Burdwan division of Bengal . The town has a population of 20,737 The district has an area of 2621 sq. m., and in 1901 its population was 1,116,411, showing an increase of 4% in the decade . It is bounded on the N. and E. by Burdwan district; bannerets obtained a place in the feudal hierarchy between t r barons and knights bachelors, which has given rise to the idea that they are the origin of King James I.'s order of baronets . Selden, indeed, points out that " the old stories" often have baronetti for bannereti, and he points out that in France the title had become hereditary; but he himself is careful to say (p . 68o) that banneret " hath no relation to this later title." The title of knight banneret, with the right to display the private banner, came to be granted for distinguished service in the field . " No knight banneret," says Selden, of the English custom, " can be created but in the field, and that, when either the king is present, or at least his royal standard is displayed . But the creation is almost the self-same with that in the old French ceremonies by the solemn delivery of a banner charged with the arms of him that is to be created, and the cutting of the end of the pennon or streamer to make it a square or into the shape of a banner in case that he which is to be created had in the field his arms on a streamer before the creation." The creation of bannerets is traceable, according to Selden, to the time of Edward I . " Under these bannerets," he adds, " divers knights bachelors and esquires usually served; and according to the number of them, the bannerets received wages." The last authentic instance of the creation of a knight banneret was that of John Smith, created banneret at the battle of Edgehill by Charles I. for rescuing the royal standard from the enemy . See Selden, Titles of Honor (3rd ed., London, 1672), p . 656; Du Cange, Glossarium (Niort, 1883), s.v .