Baron of Renfrew (title)

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Barony of Renfrew
Prince of Wales in Normandy 2024.jpg
Prince William, Duke of Rothesay, the current Baron
Creation date1398
Created by Robert III
First holder David Stewart
Present holder Prince William, Duke of Rothesay
Heir apparent Prince George

Baron of Renfrew is a dignity in the Baronage of Scotland held by the heir apparent to the British throne, currently Prince William, Duke of Rothesay. [1] It has been held by the Scottish heir apparent since 1404. It is closely associated with the title Duke of Rothesay. An act of the Scottish Parliament passed in 1469 confirmed the pattern of succession. [2] Renfrew, a town near Glasgow, is sometimes called the "cradle of the royal Stewarts".

In Scotland, barons hold titles in the Baronage of Scotland, not peerages: a Scottish Lord of Parliament equates to an English or British baron. Some, however, claim that the Act of 1469 effectively elevated the Barony of Renfrew to the dignity of a peerage. [3] Others suggest that the barony became a peerage upon the Union of the Crowns in 1603. Finally, some scholars argue that the uncertainty surrounding the text of the 1469 Act leaves the barony as only a baronage dignity, not a peerage dignity. The official position is given in Hansard (House of Lords – written answers) for 18 May 1999: [4] "The Barony of Renfrew is not a peerage dignity at all; it is a feudal or minor barony of Scotland." Note that since the abolition of feudalism in 2004 these feudal titles became personal baronage titles.

The title of Lord Renfrew was used by the traveling Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, [5] and by Prince Edward, Duke of Rothesay, later King Edward VIII and then Duke of Windsor, when he traveled in a private capacity or when he wished to pay visits 'incognito'. [6]

In the early stages of her relationship with the then Prince of Wales Charles, Diana Spencer gave "Charles Renfrew" to her friends as the name of the man she was dating. [7]

Heir apparentParentFromToTitles held in addition to Duke of Rothesay
David Stewart Robert III 1398 (created)1402 (death) Earl of Atholl (1398), Baron Renfrew (?), Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (trad.)
James Stewart Robert III1404 (created)1406 (acceded as James I) Earl of Carrick (1404), Baron/Lord Renfrew, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1404)
Alexander Stewart James I1430 (birth?)1430 (death)
James Stewart James I1431 (created)1437 (acceded as James II)
James Stewart James II1452 (birth?)1460 (acceded as James III)
James Stewart James III1473 (birth)1488 (acceded as James IV)Earl of Carrick and Baron/Lord Renfrew, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1469)
James Stewart James IV1507 (birth)1508 (death)Earl of Carrick and Baron/Lord Renfrew, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1469)
Arthur Stewart James IV1509 (birth)1510 (death) Duke of Albany (1509), Earl of Carrick and Baron/Lord Renfrew, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1469)
James Stewart James IV1512 (birth)1513 (acceded as James V)Earl of Carrick and Baron/Lord Renfrew, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1469)
James Stewart James V1540 (birth)1541 (death)Earl of Carrick and Baron/Lord Renfrew (1469), Lord of the Isles (1540), Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1469)
James Stuart Mary I1566 (birth)1567 (acceded as James VI)Earl of Carrick and Baron/Lord Renfrew (1469), Lord of the Isles (1540), Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1469), Duke of Albany, Earl of Ross, and Lord of Ardmanoch (1566)
Henry Frederick James VI1594 (birth)1612 (death)Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1610), Duke of Cornwall (1337), Earl of Carrick and Baron Renfrew (1469), Lord of the Isles (1540), Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1469) (The italicised henceforth "Earl of Carrick, etc. 1469 & 1540)"
Prince Charles, Duke of York and of AlbanyJames VI1612 (death of brother Henry)1625 (acceded as Charles I)Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1616), Duke of Cornwall (1337), Duke of Albany (1600), Duke of York (1605), Marquess of Ormond (1600), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540), Earl of Ross, Lord Ardmannoch (1600)
Prince Charles JamesCharles I1629 (birth)1629 (death) Duke of Cornwall (1337), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540)
Prince Charles Charles I1630 (birth)1649 (acceded as Charles II)Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1638), Duke of Cornwall (1337), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540)
Prince James Francis Edward James VII1688 (birth)1702 (attainted)Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1688–1702), Duke of Cornwall (1337–1702), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540)
The Prince George, Duke of CambridgeGeorge I1714 (father's accession)1727 (acceded as George II)Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1714), Hereditary Prince of Hanover, Duke of Cornwall (1337), Duke of Cambridge, Marquess of Cambridge (1706), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540), Earl of Milford Haven, Viscount Northallerton, Baron Tewkesbury (1706)
The Prince Frederick, Duke of EdinburghGeorge II1727 (father's accession)1751 (death)Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1729), Duke of Cornwall (1337), Duke of Edinburgh, Marquess of Ely (1726), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540), Earl of Eltham, Viscount Launceston, Baron Snowdon (1726)
The Prince George George III1762 (birth)1820 (acceded as George IV)Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1762), Duke of Cornwall (1337), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540)
The Prince Albert Edward Victoria1841 (birth)1901 (acceded as Edward VII)Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1841), Duke of Cornwall (1337), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540), Earl of Dublin (1850)
The Prince George, Duke of YorkEdward VII1901 (father's accession)1910 (acceded as George V)Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1901), Duke of Cornwall (1337), Duke of York (1892), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540), Earl of Inverness, Baron Killarney (1892)
The Prince Edward George V1910 (father's accession)1936 (acceded as Edward VIII)Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1910), Duke of Cornwall (1337), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540)
The Prince Charles Elizabeth II1952 (mother's accession)2022 (acceded as Charles III)Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1958), Duke of Cornwall (1337), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540), Duke of Edinburgh (1947)
The Prince William Charles III2022 (father's accession)CurrentPrince of Wales and Earl of Chester (2022), Duke of Cornwall (1337), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540), Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, and Baron Carrickfergus (2011)

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "The Royal Family - HRH The Prince of Wales", Burke's Peerage.
  2. ↑ Chamber's Encyclopedia (1880). "By act of the Scottish parliament of 1469, the titles of prince and high steward of Scotland, duke of Rothesay, earl of Carrick, baron of Renfrew, and lord of the isles were vested in the eldest son and heir apparent of the crown of Scotland."
  3. ↑ "British titles -- Baron", Burke's Peerage. "it has sometimes been argued that the Barony of Renfrew which is one of the PRINCE OF WALES's Scottish titles such by virtue of a law of 1469 settling it on the eldest son of the King of Scots or by virtue of the union of English and Scottish crowns in 1603."
  4. ↑ Column 228: Lord Williams of Mostyn (Home Office Minister)
  5. ↑ Virginius Dabney Richmond: The Story of a City 1990 Page 142 - "He was the nineteen-year-old Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, traveling under the name of "Baron Renfrew." The youthful prince arrived on October 7th 1860,"
  6. ↑ "Prince of Wales home again", Reading Eagle, Oct 21, 1923.
  7. ↑ Leonard Downie Jr. (24 July 1981). "The Royal Wedding". The Washington Post . Washington, D.C. ISSN   0190-8286. OCLC   1330888409.
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