British Nobility - General History of British Nobility

General History of British Nobility

The nobility of the four constituent home nations of the United Kingdom has played a major role in shaping the history of the country, although in the present day even hereditary peers have no special rights, privileges or responsibilities, except for residual rights to stand for election to the House of Lords, dining rights in the House of Lords, position in the formal order of precedence, and the right to certain titles (see below).

In everyday speech, the British nobility consists of peers and their families, however in a more strict legal sense it includes both the titled and the untitled nobility. Members of the peerage carry the titles of Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount and Baron. Peers ranked from Baron up to Marquess are frequently referred to generically as Lords. The untitled nobility consists of all those who bear formally matriculated armorial bearings. Other than their designation, such as Gentleman or Esquire, they enjoy no privilege other than a position in the formal orders of precedence in the United Kingdom. The largest portion of the British aristocracy have historically been the landed gentry who are not generally regarded as noble but are instead referred to as gentlemen because historically they didn't need to work and derived their income from land ownership. Scottish lairds' names include a description of their lands in the form of a territorial designation. In Scotland, a territorial designation implies the rank of "Esquire", thus this is not normally added after the name; Lairds are part of Scotland's landed gentry and - where armigerous - minor nobility. The Peerage is a term used both collectively to refer to the entire body of peerage titles, and individually to refer to a specific title. All modern British honours, including peerage dignities, are created directly by the British monarch, taking effect when letters patent are affixed with the Great Seal of the Realm. The Sovereign is considered the fount of honour, and as "the fountain and source of all dignities cannot hold a dignity from himself", cannot hold a peerage.

Before the twentieth century, peerages were generally hereditary and (with a few exceptions), descended in the male line. The eldest son of a Duke, Marquess or Earl almost always uses one of his father's subsidiary titles as a courtesy title. For example, the elder son of the Earl of Snowdon is called Viscount Linley.

The modern peerage system is a vestige of the custom of English kings in the 12th and 13th centuries in summoning wealthy individuals (along with church officials and elected representatives for commoners) to form a Parliament. The economic system at the time was manorialism (or feudalism), and the burden or privilege of being summoned to Parliament was related to the amount of land one controlled (a "barony"). In the late 14th century, this right (or "title") began to be granted by decree, and titles also became inherited with the rest of an estate under the system of primogeniture. Non-hereditary positions began to be created again in 1867 for Law Lords, and 1958 generally.

In 1958 the government introduced (non-hereditary) life peers and from then on the creation of hereditary peerages (except for members of the Royal Family) rapidly became obsolete, almost ceasing after 1964. Life peerages are only bestowed in order to give a person a seat in the House of Lords for their life alone and not otherwise. This, however, is only a convention and was not observed by former prime minister Margaret Thatcher who had the Queen create three hereditary peerages (two of them, however, to men who had no heirs) and whose husband also received the hereditary non-peerage, non-noble dignity of baronet.

Until 1999 possession of a title in the English peerage entitled its holder to a seat in the House of Lords, once of age. The Scottish (since 1707) and Irish (since 1801) peerages elected some of their members to sit in the Lords. Since 1999 only 92 hereditary peers are entitled to sit in the House of Lords, of which 90 are elected by the hereditary peers by ballot and replaced on death. The holder of the position of Earl Marshal, which is a royal-office position responsible for ceremony and certain great state occasions, automatically sits in the House. The current holder is the Duke of Norfolk. The holder of the position of Lord Great Chamberlain also sits automatically in the House. The position is held in gross and one of a number of persons will hold it. The Lord Great Chamberlain is Her Majesty's representative in Parliament and accompanies Her Majesty on certain state occasions.

A member of the House of Lords cannot be a member of the House of Commons. In 1960, Anthony (Tony) Wedgwood Benn, MP inherited his father's title as Viscount Stansgate. He fought and won the ensuing by election, but was disqualified from taking his seat until an act was passed enabling hereditary peers to renounce their titles. Titles, while often considered central to the upper class, are not always strictly so. Both Captain Mark Phillips and Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, the respective first and second husbands of HRH The Princess Anne do not hold peerages. Most members of the British upper class are untitled.