Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knight, but lower than a viscount or count. Often, barons hold their fief – their lands and income – directly from the monarch. Barons are less often the vassals of other nobles. In many kingdoms, they were entitled to wear a smaller form of a crown called a coronet.
In Scotland, "baron" or "baroness" is a rank of the ancient nobility of the Baronage of Scotland, a hereditary title of honour, and refers to the holder of a barony, formerly a feudal superiority or prescriptive barony attached to land erected into a free barony by Crown Charter, this being the status of a minor baron, recognised by the crown as noble, but not a peer.
A feudal baron is a vassal holding a heritable fief called a barony, comprising a specific portion of land, granted by an overlord in return for allegiance and service. Following the end of European feudalism, feudal baronies have largely been superseded by baronies held as a rank of nobility, without any attachment to a fief.
Clan Houston is a Scottish clan. The clan does not have a chief; therefore, it is considered an armigerous clan.
Clan Broun, also known as Clan Brown, is a Scottish clan.
Lord of Pittenweem or Baron of Pittenweem is a title of nobility in the Baronage of Scotland.
Polnoon Castle was a 14th-century fortification located on a motte beside the Polnoon Water in Millhall, in the Parish of Eaglesham, East Renfrewshire, Scotland.
An Earl/Marquis/Duke in the Baronage of Scotland is an ancient title of nobility that is held en baroneum, which means that its holder, who is a earl/marquis/duke in the Baronage of Scotland, is also always a baron. The holder may or may not be a Lord of Regality, which meant that the holder was appointed by the Crown and had the power of "pit and gallows", meaning the power to authorise the death sentence.
Baron of Cragie is a title of nobility in the Baronage of Scotland.
Andrew Stewart, 1st Baron Castle Stuart (1560–1629) was a Scottish nobleman, soldier, courtier to King James VI and I and one of the chief undertakers in the Ulster Plantation. Stuart resigned his title "Lord Ochiltree" and was made "Baron Castle Stuart".
Blackhall Manor is a tower house in Paisley in Renfrewshire, in the western central Lowlands of Scotland. It dates to the sixteenth century, although parts may be older, and formerly belonged to the Stewart or Shaw-Stewart family. It was designated as a Category B listed building in 1971.
Carruthers, a Scottish Lowland clan and family from Annandale in Dumfriesshire.
Baron of Stobo is a title of nobility in the Baronage of Scotland which takes its name from Stobo in the Scottish Borders.
Baron of Prestoungrange is one of the oldest aristocratic titles in the country, a title of nobility in the Baronage of Scotland associated with the lands of Prestoungrange, located near Prestonpans, East Lothian, Scotland.
Baron of Lochnaw is a title of nobility in the Baronage of Scotland associated with the historic Lochnaw Castle in Wigtownshire, Scotland. The title was created in 1699 for the Agnew family, who held the hereditary sheriffship of Galloway for many generations.
Baron of Dolphinstoun is a title of nobility in the Baronage of Scotland associated with the lands of Dolphinstoun in East Lothian. The barony has been closely linked with the Barony of Prestoungrange and the Wills family.
Baron of Abbotshall is a title of nobility in the Baronage of Scotland associated with the lands of Abbotshall, near Kirkcaldy in Fife, Scotland. The title has historical connections to the Scott family.
Baron of Ardblair and Gask is a noble title within the Baronage of Scotland, associated with the Blair-Oliphant family. The title includes both the Barony of Ardblair, dating from the medieval period, and the Barony of Gask. The current holder is Laurence Philip Kington-Blair-Oliphant, who inherited both titles in the 20th century.
Baron of Ardgowan is a noble title in the Baronage of Scotland, historically associated with the Stewart family and the Ardgowan Estate located in Inverkip, Renfrewshire. The title was first granted when the lands were raised to a barony in 1575 by James VI for Sir John Stewart of Ardgowan.
Baron of Ardoch is a title of nobility in the Baronage of Scotland, tied historically to the Ardoch Estate, located in Dumbartonshire. The lands of Ardoch trace back to 1398, when Robert III of Scotland granted the lands to Finlaw Buntyn, marking the beginning of the estate's long history. In 1707 the lands were erected into the Barony of Ardoch.
