 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(January 2021) |
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. [1]
A territorial designation is an aspect of the creation of modern peerages that links them to a specific place or places, at least one of which is almost always in the United Kingdom. It is given in the patent of creation after the actual peerage title itself, of which it is not considered a part.
With the exception of royal peerages, which are often created without them, territorial designations are used with the creation of almost all baronies and viscountcies. For instance, the life peerage conferred (in 1992) on the former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was created as:
Baroness Thatcher, of Kesteven in the County of Lincolnshire.
The life peerage for former Prime Minister James Callaghan (in 1987) was created as:
Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, of the City of Cardiff in the County of South Glamorgan.
The part of the peerage before the comma is the actual title, and the part after the comma is the territorial designation. These peers should therefore be referred to as "The Baroness Thatcher" and "The Baron Callaghan of Cardiff": it is incorrect both to use part of the territorial designation as part of the title and to leave out part of the actual title; thus The Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven and The Lord Callaghan are incorrect, although the latter may be used informally.
The place of the comma can be particularly important when dealing with peers with the same names. For instance, Baron Sainsbury refers to Alan Sainsbury who was Baron Sainsbury, of Drury Lane in the Borough of Holborn (created in 1962). This life peerage of Baron Sainsbury had been created and anyone else wanting to use this title would need to add a territorial designation in order to create a different peerage. Hence his son, John Sainsbury, was created (in 1989) as Baron Sainsbury of Preston Candover, of Preston Candover in the County of Hampshire, while his nephew, David Sainsbury, was created (in 1997) as Baron Sainsbury of Turville, of Turville in the County of Buckinghamshire.
Hence the distinction needs to be made between different peers with similar or the same surnames so that there can be no confusion. This can be especially important if peers with similar names sit in the House of Lords at the same time, as seen in the distinction made between Baron Hunt (1966–98), Baron Hunt of Fawley (1973–87), Baron Hunt of Tanworth (1980-2008), Baron Hunt of Wirral (created in 1997), Baron Hunt of Kings Heath (created in 1997), and Baron Hunt of Chesterton (created in 2000).
Until the 19th century, it was possible to create a different peerage title merely by altering the location of the comma. Thus the title Baron Stanley , of Bickerstaffe in the County Palatine of Lancaster (created in 1832) differs in format from Baron Stanley of Alderley , in the County of Chester (created in 1839) only by the placement of the comma. The former title is Baron Stanley whilst the latter is Baron Stanley of Alderley.
However, this format is now no longer used: if a peerage title in the format "Baron Surname of Place" is wanted, the full territorial designation must be used. Thus if the Barony of Stanley of Alderley were created today, it would be created as Baron Stanley of Alderley, of Alderley in the County of Chester. This dual usage of the same term in the title and in the territorial designation may appear peculiar, but is a regular occurrence, with one recent example being Adair Turner, who was (in 2005) created Baron Turner of Ecchinswell, of Ecchinswell in the County of Hampshire. Though this dual usage (or repetition) in both title and territorial designation is not a requirement to create a title in the form of "Baron Surname of Place" as illustrated in the example of Gerry Grimstone who was created (in 2020) as Baron Grimstone of Boscobel, of Belgravia in the City of Westminster.
Creations of the higher ranks of the peerage (earl, marquess and duke) often used to include territorial designations, but this has varied and such creations now rarely do. For example: the Duke of Wellington, in the County of Somerset (created in 1814) and the Duke of Gordon, of Gordon Castle in Scotland (created in 1876) were created with territorial designations but the Duke of Fife (created in 1899) was not.
The Marquess of Cholmondeley, in the County Palatine of Chester (created in 1815) and Marquess of Ailsa, of the Isle of Ailsa in the County of Ayr (created in 1831) were accorded territorial designations but the Marquess of Zetland (created in 1892) was not. Likewise, the Earl of Craven, in the County of York (created in 1801) and the Earl Nelson, of Trafalgar and of Merton in the County of Surrey (created in 1805) differ in this respect to the Earl of Stockton (created in 1984).
Some territorial designations name more than one place, and the format used depends on whether such places are in the same county or other administrative division. For instance, the life peerage conferred on Margaret McDonagh was created (in 2004) as Baroness McDonagh, of Mitcham and of Morden in the London Borough of Merton.
The life peerage conferred on John Morris was created (in 2001) as Baron Morris of Aberavon, of Aberavon in the County of West Glamorgan and of Ceredigion in the County of Dyfed. This also extends to naming two places, such as in the life peerage conferred on William McCrea who was created (in 2018) as Baron McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown, of Magherafelt in the County of Londonderry and of Cookstown in the County of Tyrone.
Occasionally, a place outside the United Kingdom can be named. For instance, the life peerage conferred on Howard Florey was created (in 1965) as Baron Florey, of Adelaide in the Commonwealth of Australia and of Marston in the County of Oxford; and that conferred on Sue Ryder was created (in 1979) as Baroness Ryder of Warsaw, of Warsaw in Poland and of Cavendish in the County of Suffolk.
In the case of a victory title, at least one term usually refers to the site of the grantee's triumph, usually outside the United Kingdom. For example, the famous admiral Horatio Nelson was created (in 1801) as Viscount Nelson, of the Nile and of Burnham Thorpe in the County of Norfolk, the Nile being the site of his victory against the French in the Battle of the Nile, and Burnham Thorpe being his place of birth.
Provision of a territorial designation is also an integral part of all baronetcies.[ citation needed ]
Recognition of a territorial designation may also be granted in Scotland by the Lord Lyon to Scottish armigers who own (or were born in or were associated with) named land, generally outside a town (i.e. a rural location). The Lord Lyon advises that for a territorial designation to be recognised, there must be 'ownership of a substantial area of land to which a well-attested name attaches, that is to say, ownership of an “estate”, or farm or, at the very least, a house with policies extending to five acres or thereby'. [1] The territorial designation in this case is considered to be an indivisible part of the name, though not necessarily an indicator of ancestral or feudal nobility, though recognition of a territorial designation is usually accorded alongside the grant or matriculation of a coat of arms, which confers minor nobility status. [2]
A person bearing a Scottish territorial designation is either a baron, chief or chieftain or a laird, the latter denoting 'landowner', or is a descendant of one of the same. [3] [4] The Lord Lyon is the ultimate arbiter as to determining entitlement to a territorial designation, and his right of discretion in recognising these, and their status as a name, dignity or title, has been confirmed in the Scottish courts. [5]
According to Debrett's and other references, [6] [7] [8] [9] a John Smith of Abercrombie is addressed as simply Abercrombie. If he is a clan chief, he may be addressed by either the place name or the surname of his clan.
Peerages in the United Kingdom form a legal system comprising both hereditary and lifetime titles, composed of various ranks, and within the framework of the Constitution of the United Kingdom form a constituent part of the legislative process and the British honours system. The British monarch is considered the fount of honour and is notionally the only person who can grant peerages, though there are many conventions about how this power is used, especially at the request of the British government. The term peerage can be used both collectively to refer to the entire body of titled nobility, and individually to refer to a specific title. British peerage title holders are termed peers of the Realm.
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 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 themselves hold substantive titles. There are several different kinds of courtesy titles in the British peerage system.
Duke of Atholl, named for Atholl in Scotland, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland held by the head of Clan Murray. It was created by Queen Anne in 1703 for John Murray, 2nd Marquess of Atholl, with a special remainder to the heir male of his father, the 1st Marquess.
Forms of address used in the United Kingdom are given below.
Marquess of Huntly is a title in the Peerage of Scotland that was created on 17 April 1599 for George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly. It is the oldest existing marquessate in Scotland, and the second-oldest in the British Isles; only the English marquessate of Winchester is older. The Marquess holds the following subsidiary titles: Lord Gordon of Strathaven and Glenlivet and Earl of Aboyne, and Baron Meldrum, of Morven in the County of Aberdeen.
The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five Peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain. New peers continued to be created in the Peerage of Ireland until 1898.
Marquess Townshend is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain held by the Townshend family of Raynham Hall in Norfolk. The title was created in 1787 for George Townshend, 4th Viscount Townshend.
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister. With the exception of the Dukedom of Edinburgh awarded for life to Prince Edward in 2023, all life peerages conferred since 2009 have been created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 with the rank of baron and entitle their holders to sit and vote in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as age and citizenship. The legitimate children of a life peer appointed under the Life Peerages Act 1958 are entitled to style themselves with the prefix "The Honourable", although they cannot inherit the peerage itself. Prior to 2009, life peers of baronial rank could also be so created under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act 1876 for senior judges.
Marquess of Hastings was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 6 December 1816 for Francis Rawdon-Hastings, 2nd Earl of Moira.
In Scotland, a baron or baroness is the head of a feudal barony, also known as a prescriptive barony. This used to be attached to a particular piece of land on which was situated the caput or essence of the barony, normally a building, such as a castle or manor house. Accordingly, the owner of the piece of land containing the caput was called a baron or baroness. According to Grant, there were around 350 identifiable local baronies in Scotland by the early fifteenth century and these could mostly be mapped against local parish boundaries. The term baron was in general use from the thirteenth century to describe what would have been known in England as a knight of the shire.
A laird is the owner of a large, long-established Scottish estate. In the traditional Scottish order of precedence, a laird ranked below a baron and above a gentleman. This rank was held only by those lairds holding official recognition in a territorial designation by the Lord Lyon King of Arms. They are usually styled [name] [surname] of [lairdship]. However, since "laird" is a courtesy title, it has no formal status in law.
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. More than a third of British land is in the hands of aristocrats and traditional landed gentry.
A feudal longship is a feudal title that is held in baroneum, which Latin term means that its holder, who is called a feudal lord, is also always a feudal baron. A feudal lordship is an ancient title of nobility. 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.
The Much Honoured is an honorific style applied to the holders of certain Scottish feudal baronies and Clan chiefs.
A feudal earldom is a Scottish feudal title that is held en baroneum, which means that its holder, who is called a feudal earl, is also always a feudal baron. A feudal earldom is an ancient title of nobility in Scotland. 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. A feudal earl ranks above a feudal lord and a feudal baron, but below an earldom which is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. Feudal earldoms are very rare. As well, due to rights granted from ancient Scots law, in a very few instances, the holder of a feudal earldom may be different than the holder of a peerage title of the same name. A peer is invariably addressed as 'Lord Placename' or 'Lord Such-and-so', whilst those holding a feudal earldom are addressed 'Earl of Placename'. Scottish titles, in order of precedence, are as follows: Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, Lord, Baronet, Knight, feudal Baron, Clan Chief, Esquire/Gentleman. Wallace states that "Lordships, Earldoms, Marquisates and Dukedoms differ only in name from Baronies" but continues "one whose property was erected into a Lordship ranked before a simple Baron" and "A person to whom an Earldom belonged, would be superior to a person who had no more than a lordship ... One, whose lands were incorporated into a Marquisate, was superior to both ... A man, who owned a fief elevated into a Dukedom, was exulted above all three." However, Lord Stair states that Lordships or Earldoms are "but more noble titles of a Barony".
Earl of Arran is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It is not to be confused with the title Earl of Arran in the Peerage of Ireland. The two titles refer to different places: the Isle of Arran in Scotland, and the Aran Islands in Ireland. The Scottish earldom is a subsidiary title of the Duke of Hamilton, whereas the Irish earldom is a separate title held by the Gore family.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)