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.
A courtesy title is a form of address and/or reference in systems of nobility used for children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer, as well as certain officials such as some judges and members of the Scottish gentry. These styles are used "by courtesy" in the sense that persons referred to by these titles do not in law hold the substantive title. There are several different kinds of courtesy titles in the British peerage system.
Esquire is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, esquire historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman and below the rank of knight. Some sources cite that the title was bestowed on "candidates for knighthood in England", and even used with respect to other dignitaries, such as justices of the peace, sheriffs, and sergeants.
Forms of address used in the United Kingdom are given below.
False titles of nobility or royal title scams are claimed titles of social rank that have been fabricated or assumed by an individual or family without recognition by the authorities of a country in which titles of nobility exist or once existed. They have received an increasing amount of press attention, as more schemes that purport to confer or sell such honorifics are promoted on the internet. Concern about the use of titles which lack legal standing or a basis in tradition has prompted increased vigilance and denunciation, although under English common law a person may choose to be known by any name they see fit as long as it is not done to "commit fraud or evade an obligation".
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 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.
In the United Kingdom, a territorial designation follows modern peerage titles, linking them to a specific place or places. It is also an integral part of all baronetcies. Within Scotland, a territorial designation proclaims a relationship with a particular area of land.
The Scottish Noblesse is a class of aristocracy in Scotland, including both those with peerage titles as well as those without. The concept of this distinct Scottish noble class was prominently advocated for by Sir Thomas Innes of Learney during his tenure as Carrick Pursuivant of Arms and later Lord Lyon King of Arms.
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.
Lord of Pittenweem or Baron of Pittenweem is a title of nobility in the Baronage of Scotland.
The Scottish Gaelic word clann means children. In early times, and possibly even today, Scottish clan members believed themselves to descend from a common ancestor, the founder of the clan, after whom the clan is named. The clan chief is the representative of this founder, and represents the clan. In the Scottish clan system, a chief is greater than a chieftain (ceann-cinnidh), a designation applied to heads of branches of a clan. Scottish clans that no longer have a clan chief are referred to as armigerous clans.
The British nobility is made up of the peerage and the (landed) gentry. The nobility of its four constituent home nations has played a major role in shaping the history of the country, although the hereditary peerage now retain only the rights to stand for election to the House of Lords, dining rights there, position in the formal order of precedence, the right to certain titles, and the right to an audience with the monarch.
A Lord in the Baronage of Scotland is an ancient title of nobility, held in baroneum, which Latin term means that its holder, who is a lord, 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.
In England, the baronage was the collectively inclusive term denoting all members of the feudal nobility, as observed by the constitutional authority Edward Coke. It was replaced eventually by the term peerage.
The Much Honoured is an honorific style applied to various minor nobles in Scotland, including Scots barons.
Younger is a Scottish convention, style of address, or description traditionally used by the heir apparent to:
- A current laird
- Someone whose name includes a territorial designation
- A Scottish chieftainship
- A clan chief.
- A Scottish Baron.
Maid was a customary title in the Scottish Highlands for the heiress to a chiefship or chieftainship.
A souvenir plot of land is a novelty item that purports to give the holder ownership over a very small piece of land, such as 1 inch squared or 20 ft squared. The novelty item may or may not purport to confer additional benefits such as products based on the commonly held, but false, belief that all landholders in Scotland have the right to title themselves "Laird", "Lord, or "Lady". The item or company selling them may claim to be legally granting ownership of the plot to the holder, but most explicitly refute this, sometimes in the fine print.
Established Titles is a company which sells souvenir plots of Scottish land from 1 sq ft to 20 sq ft. The company retains legal ownership of the land. While the company claims that those who buy the 'plots' can choose to be titled Lord, Laird or Lady, as part of a supposed "traditional Scottish custom", souvenir plots are too small to be legally registered for ownership and owners of souvenir plots do not have the right to officially title themselves. It owns land in Ardallie, Aberdeenshire, Dunfermline, Dumfries, Galloway and the Borders. YouTuber Scott Shafer's video alleging that the company was a scam caused significant controversy and many YouTubers to cease receiving sponsorships from the company.
