The Titles of British Nobility, Explained
The British nobility is divided into tiers or ranks, known as the peerage. The roots of this hierarchical system date back around a thousand years; it began to gain a defined structure (as with many things in British history) after William I conquered England in 1066.
The peerage has five ranks: baron, viscount, earl, marquess, and duke, in ascending order. And within each tier, superiority is given to the holder of the oldest peerage. So, for example, the Duke of Devonshire is more senior than the Duke of Marlborough because the former title was created in 1694, eight years before the latter. While many titles are hereditary, it’s important to note that fewer than 90 peerages can be inherited by a female heir (in most cases the title would become extinct if there was no male heir). It’s a subject understandably under scrutiny by activists and some members of Parliament. Peerages are awarded through legal documents known as letters patent, which officially bestow a title in the name of the monarch.
Here is an introduction to the five tiers of peerage, from the lowest rank of baron to the highest title of duke.
Baron
The word “baron” — which possibly came from an Old German word meaning “man” — first appeared in English texts in the 13th century. It became part of the peerage system in 1387, when Richard II created the first formal baron by making John Beauchamp de Holt the Baron of Kidderminster. Further barons were appointed, all of whom were expected, when summoned, to attend council or Parliament. In Scotland, barons are known as Lords of Parliament. If a woman holds the rank, or is the wife of a baron, she is called a baroness. Currently, there are 426 hereditary barons and Lords of Parliament and nine hereditary baronesses and Ladies of Parliament in the United Kingdom — making it the most populated of all five peerage ranks.
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Viscount
Viscount is the fourth rank of the British peerage system. The word comes from the Old French “visconte,” meaning the deputy or lieutenant of a count. (Despite having numerous counties, the United Kingdom has no counts. Historians disagree on why this is. Some have argued that the word “count” was rejected because it sounded too similar to a rather vulgar word in the English language, while others simply say it never gained traction because the older “earl” was already in use.) The rank of viscount was introduced in England in 1440, when King Henry VI gave John, Lord Beaumont the title of Viscount Beaumont, giving him precedence over all barons. Today, there are 115 viscounts in the British peerage. The oldest existing title — and therefore the highest ranking — is that of Viscount Hereford, created in 1550. A woman holding the rank or the wife of a viscount is known as a viscountess. Viscounts and viscountesses are formally addressed as “lord” or “lady,” respectively.
Earl
The rank of earl is the oldest of all the titles in the English peerage. The word has its origins in the Scandinavian “jarl,” which became “eorl” in the Anglo-Saxon tongue. It first appeared in England during the reign of King Canute (or Cnut), who ruled from 1016 to 1035. It was the highest title available to the British nobility for some three centuries, until the creation of the duchy of Cornwall and with it, the title of duke. There is no female equivalent to the title of earl (such as “earless,” which could strangely imply someone with no ears), so female earls are known as countesses. Currently, there are 191 earls and only four countesses in their own right (versus the wives of earls) in Britain.
Marquess
The title of marquess comes from the French “marquis,” meaning “march,” in reference to the marches (borders) between Wales, England, and Scotland. The earls and barons guarding these marches were known as marquesses, initially without any inference that they were superior in any way to their peers of similar rank. The title was formalized in 1385 when King Richard II made Robert de Vere, the ninth Earl of Oxford, the Marquess of Dublin. The title took precedence over that of earl, which caused great controversy at the time, resulting in the marquessate being revoked in 1386. It wasn’t until 1443, when Edmund Beaufort was given the title of Marquess of Dorset, that the rank retained its place in the peerage. There are only 34 marquesses in Britain today, the premier — or highest ranking — being the Marquess of Winchester, created in 1551. (Marquesses that were created earlier either became extinct or were raised to dukedoms.) The only woman ever appointed as a marquess in her own right was Anne Boleyn, who was made Marchioness of Pembroke just before her marriage to Henry VIII.
Duke
Duke is the highest rank of the British peerage system. It is the ultimate tier of the nobility, surpassed only by princes and kings. Princes, however, can also be dukes — and traditionally they are given a dukedom when they come of age or are married. The first British duke was created in 1337 when King Edward III gave his son, known as Edward the Black Prince, the title of Duke of Cornwall. Today, of course, Prince William and his wife Catherine are officially the Prince and Princess of Wales as well as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. (Prince Harry and Meghan, meanwhile, retain their titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex.) At present there are 24 dukes, not including the royals. Understandably, it’s particularly difficult to become a duke or duchess. The last dukedom — the Duke of Westminster — was created by Queen Victoria in 1874, and is the most recent dukedom conferred on someone not related to the British royal family.
