Peer of the realm, in the United Kingdom, is a man or woman who possesses a rank of nobility, such as an earldom or a barony. Certain peers are entitled to sit in the House of Lords of the British Parliament (see House of Lords ). Peers who sit in the House of Lords are not allowed to stand for election to the House of Commons, nor to vote in parliamentary elections. Some peers inherit large estates, but others inherit nothing except their titles.
The sovereign (king or queen) creates new peers by issuing letters patent to them. These documents bear the sovereign’s signature and the impression of the Great Seal. The United Kingdom has more than 1,000 peers. Most peerages are hereditary—that is, they pass to someone else on the death of the holder. Others are life peerages. A life peerage is granted for the life of the holder only. Any person who succeeds to a hereditary peerage may disclaim (renounce) the title for his or her own lifetime. On the person’s death, the title is revived and passes to the heir, who may accept it or disclaim it.
Degrees of the peerage
There are five degrees of the peerage. From highest to lowest, they are duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron. Each degree has five subdivisions, according to whether the peerage is one of England, Scotland, Great Britain, Ireland, or the United Kingdom. For example, dukes of England rank above dukes of Scotland. Then come dukes of Great Britain, dukes of Ireland, and dukes of the United Kingdom.
The origin of these degrees is historical. Before 1707, England, Scotland, and Ireland had separate peerages. England and Scotland were united as Great Britain in 1707. Peerages created in the two countries after that date were peerages of Great Britain. Ireland joined Great Britain to become part of the United Kingdom in 1801. Nearly all peerages created after that date were peerages of the United Kingdom. But a few Irish peerages were created after 1801.
Duke
is the highest degree of the peerage. The word duke comes from the Latin word dux, meaning leader. Duke was first used as a title in England in 1337, when King Edward III gave his eldest son the title Duke of Cornwall. A woman who holds a dukedom or is the wife of a duke is called a duchess.
Marquess
is the second highest title in the peerage. The word marquess (often spelled marquis) comes from the Latin word marchensis, a prefect of the marches (border districts). The first marquessate created in the English peerage was that of Dublin. King Richard II granted it to an English courtier named Robert de Vere in 1385. A woman who holds a marquessate or is the wife of a marquess is called a marchioness. The holder of a marquessate or lower peerage can be referred to in speech or informal writing as Lord, as in Lord Reading. The wife of a marquess, or a peeress in her own right, can be referred to as Lady, as in Lady Reading.
Earl
is the third highest title in the peerage. Earl is an Old English word that came from the Norse word jarl, meaning a great man or a nobleman. The first earls in England were the great Saxon and Danish nobles who ruled large areas. A woman who holds an earldom or is the wife of an earl is a countess.
Viscount
is the fourth highest title in the peerage. The word viscount comes from the Latin word vicecomes, meaning one who is in place of a count. The first viscount in England was John Beaumont, who received the title in 1440. A woman who holds a viscounty or is the wife of a viscount is a viscountess.
Baron
is the lowest title in the peerage. The word baron comes from the Old French word barun, meaning king’s man. A woman who holds a barony or is the wife of a baron is called a baroness. A baron and his wife or widow are almost invariably referred to as Lord and Lady. But a baroness in her own right is usually called Baroness.
Courtesy titles.
All dukes, marquesses, and earls possess titles in addition to those by which they are known. By tradition, the eldest son of one of these peers uses the most senior of his father’s subsidiary titles as a courtesy title. This title must be at least one degree lower than his father’s peerage. The courtesy title must also be of a different place from that of the senior peerage. For example, the Duke of Bedford also holds the titles Marquess of Tavistock, Earl of Bedford, Baron Russell (of Chenies), Baron Russell of Thornhaugh, and Baron Howland of Streatham. His eldest son uses the courtesy title Marquess of Tavistock.
Younger sons of dukes and marquesses use Lord with their given names. Lord John Smith would be the son of a duke or marquess. Daughters of dukes, marquesses, and earls use Lady with their given names, as in Lady Mary Smith. Younger sons of earls and all children of viscounts and barons are called The Honourable, as in The Hon. John or The Hon. Mary Smith.
History
England has had a nobility since Saxon times. The House of Lords evolved from the Curia Regis (king’s council) of King William I. King Richard II created the first peerage by letters patent in 1387, when he gave John Beauchamp, the steward of his household, the title of Baron Beauchamp of Kidderminster.
The peers of the Middle Ages had great power. They owned land, were wealthy, and had many retainers (followers). King Henry VII destroyed most of the power of the great peers.
The Act of Union that united England and Scotland in 1707 provided that the Scottish peers should elect 16 lords to sit in the House of Lords as representative peers for Scotland. The Act of Union of 1801, which united Great Britain and Ireland, provided that the Irish peers should elect 28 lords to sit in the House of Lords for life.
The Peerage Act of 1963 allowed all Scottish peers to sit in the House of Lords. Elections of Irish peers ceased after the formation of the Irish Free State (now the Republic of Ireland) in 1922.
The first life peerages were created under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act of 1876, which gave the sovereign power to make judges life peers so that they could hear appeals in the House of Lords. In 1958, Parliament passed the Life Peerages Act, which enables the sovereign to give life peerages.
The Peerage Act of 1963 gives people who inherit peerages the right to renounce them for life. Its main purpose was to give peers a chance to be eligible for membership of the House of Commons and to vote in parliamentary elections.
Many present-day peerages were created hundreds of years ago and have descended in an unbroken line ever since. The oldest titles in England are: dukedom, Norfolk, created 1483; marquessate, Winchester, 1551; earldom, Shrewsbury, 1442; viscounty, Hereford, 1550; and barony, de Ros, 1264. The Scottish earldom of Mar is so old that it cannot be dated.
