British nobility

The British nobility is made up of the peerage and the gentry of the British Isles.

Though the UK is today a constitutional monarchy with strong democratic elements, historically the British Isles were more predisposed towards aristocratic governance in which power was largely inherited and shared amongst a privileged noble class. The nobility of the four constituent home nations and crown dependencies therefore has played a major role in shaping the history of the British Isles, and remnants of this nobility exist throughout the UK's social structure and institutions.

Traditionally, the British nobility rank directly below the British royal family. In the modern era, this ranking is more of a formally recognised social dignity, rather than something conveying practical authority; however, through bodies such as the House of Lords, the nature of some offices in the Royal Household, and British property law, the British nobility retain some aspects of political and legal power.

The vast majority of the British nobility (in the Continental sense) is formed by the 'Gentry', which primarily consists of those who hold a coat of arms, but holds ranks including baronets, knights, esquires and gentlemen.

All ranks and titles of nobility in the British Isles that are higher than Gentleman are strictly personal and limited to the lifetime of the holder, though many can be transmitted by primogeniture, usually to heirs male of the body of the original recipient. Male-line descendants of members of the royal family, peers, baronets, knights and esquires do not sink below the rank of Gentleman as long as they are armigerous. Coats of arms are marks of nobility in Britain unlike on the Continent, where a grant of arms does not necessarily result in ennoblement or confirmation of nobility.

The British nobility should not be confused with the British upper class, though functionally the nobility may be said to make up a significant portion of the upper class. Those belonging to the upper or upper middle class are able to formally accede to the nobility by obtaining a grant of arms.

Definition Historian J. V. Beckett noted that the use of nobility has changed throughout British history. In early 14th century England, it referred to the governing class of around 3,000 landowners with incomes of £20 a year or more, whether earls, barons, knights or esquires. As the English Parliament developed a bicameral structure, a more precise distinction arose between the hereditary peerage in the House of Lords and the lesser ranks of knights and esquires.

The defining features of the nobility were possession of a coat of arms and gentility. Before the 16th century, the word gentle meant noble, and a gentleman originally meant a nobleman. In De Republica Anglorum, the scholar and diplomat Sir Thomas Smith (1513–1577) noted, "Of gentlemen, the first and chief are the king, the prince, the duke, marquesses, earls, viscounts, barons, and these are called the nobility, and all these are called lords and noblemen: next to these be knights, esquires and simple gentlemen." quoting Smith described the peerage as the nobilitas major ('greater nobility') and the gentry as the nobilitas minor ('lesser nobility'). quoting

Over time, nobility came to refer almost exclusively to the peerage. This trend was exacerbated by the widespread and unregulated adoption of the titles esquire and gentleman. The writer James Henry Lawrence (1773–1840) noted in 1824 that "every plebian in England who lives above the vulgar has of late years presumed to style himself a gentleman." quoting .

The peerage

The British nobility in the narrow sense consists of Peers. Members of the peerage carry the titles of duke, marquess, earl, viscount or baron (in Scotland historically lord of parliament). British peers are sometimes referred to generically as lords, although individual dukes are not so styled when addressed or by reference, and those holding some offices are afforded the title "Lord" by courtesy.

All modern British peerage dignities are created directly by the Crown and take effect when letters patent are issued, affixed with the Great Seal of the Realm. The Sovereign is considered to be the fount of honour and, as "the fountain and source of all dignities cannot hold a dignity from himself",Opinion of the House of Lords in the Buckhurst Peerage Case cannot hold a British peerage. Peerages inherited by the Crown, for example those held by the Prince of Wales upon the demise of the monarch, merge with it and can be regranted to a new individual.

Membership in the Peerage is strictly personal and for life (life peerages) though often heritable (hereditary peerages) primarily by agnatic primogeniture with some exceptions. All British subjects who are not themselves Peers of the Realm are technically commoners, regardless of ancestry, wealth, or other social factors. This includes Princes of the United Kingdom who have not yet been granted a Peerage. The term "Commoner" does not imply that the person is not noble in the Continental sense, but rather that he is not a Peer and is therefore entitled to be elected to the House of Commons.

Unlike the feudal titles they replaced, peerages are personal title that cannot be transferred, bought, or sold by the title holder. Historically monarchs sold peerage titles under limited circumstances. This was often done to raise funds. For example, in the early Stuart period, King James I sold peerages, adding sixty-two peers to a body that had included just fifty-nine members at the commencement of his reign. Some governments through history also sold peerages to fund government activities, or more controversially, party activities. The selling of peerage grants by a government was made illegal in 1925 with the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925. The act was the result of the administration of David Lloyd George selling a high number of controversial peerages. The Blair administration was later accused of trying to skirt this law in 2006 in the so-called "Cash-for-Honours scandal", as was an aide of King Charles in the 2021 Cash-for-Favours scandal.

Lists

Dukes Dukes in the United Kingdom List of dukes in the peerages of Britain and Ireland List of dukedoms in the peerages of Britain and Ireland List of dukedoms in the baronage of Scotland

Marquesses Marquesses in the United Kingdom List of marquesses in the peerages of Britain and Ireland List of marquessates in the peerages of Britain and Ireland List of marquessates in the baronage of Scotland

Earls Royal earldoms in the United Kingdom List of earls in the peerages of Britain and Ireland List of earldoms List of earldoms in the baronage of Scotland

Viscounts List of viscounts in the peerages of Britain and Ireland List of viscountcies in the peerages of Britain and Ireland

Barons/Lords of Parliament of Scotland Royal baronies in the United Kingdom List of barons in the peerages of Britain and Ireland List of baronies in the peerages of Britain and Ireland List of baronies in the baronage of Scotland List of life peerages List of lordships of Parliament

The gentry

The vast majority of the British nobility is formed by the gentry. These individuals are commoners (in the British sense) who do not have a peerage, but possess another mark of nobility, or in the British sense, gentility.

Other than their designation, such as Gentleman or Esquire, they enjoy only the privilege of a position in the formal orders of precedence in the United Kingdom. The largest portion of the British aristocracy has historically been the landed gentry, made up of baronets and other non-titled armigerous landowners whose families hailed from the medieval feudal class (referred to as gentlemen due to their income solely deriving from land ownership). Roughly a third of British land is owned by the nobility and landed gentry.Country Life (magazine), Who really owns Britain?, 16.10.2010

Children of Peers The eldest sons of Peers who are Earls or higher and possess multiple titles may use their father's next-lower title by courtesy, their own eldest sons may use the third-highest title and so on. They are not Peers but remain Esquires until they inherit the substantive peerage themselves. Until 1999, they could sit in the House of Lords by virtue of a writ of acceleration.

Baronets and knights

Baronets Baronets are generally considered part of the gentry, being hereditarily titled but not Peers, and form the upper tier. They are entitled to the title "Sir/Lady [name]", and will be recognised as the "Baronet of [placename]". The position is therefore comparable with hereditary knighthoods in continental European orders of nobility, such as Ritter, rather than with knighthoods under the British orders of chivalry. However, unlike the continental orders, the British baronetcy system is a modern invention. Baronet titles cannot be bought and sold by the holder, however they were designed specifically to raise money for the Crown with the purchase of the title. No new Baronetcies have been issued since the 1980s, however there is nothing preventing future monarchs or governments from doing so.

Hereditary knights In the British Isles, knighthoods are not hereditary, with the exception of three Irish hereditary knighthoods created for their kinsmen by the Earls of Desmond. Since 2011, all but one of the knighthoods are dormant. The only active one is the Knight of Kerry (Green Knight); the holder is Sir Adrian FitzGerald, 6th Baronet of Valencia, 24th Knight of Kerry. Unlike other knighthoods, they entitle the holder not to the title "Sir", but "Knight".

Knighthoods Knighthoods in the UK are typically honours associated with orders of chivalry, with knights ranking in accordance with these orders. The exception is the lowest tier of knighthood, Knight Bachelor, which is not associated with any order. The sovereign serves as the fount of honour for all orders of chivalry in the UK, with the current system made up of six orders of chivalry and four orders of merit.

Not included in the six orders of chivalry, the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, established in 1888 with a royal charter as a British successor to the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, is a royal order of chivalry dedicated to charitable work. Despite this recognition and the fact the higher ranks of the order are a form of knighthood, these ranks do not confer official rank in the order of precedence, and use of post-nominal initials (e.g., GCStJ, KStJ) are restricted dependent on jurisdiction. Recipients of knighthoods and damehoods in this order are not addressed as "Sir" and "Dame".

There is historically some dispute around the Order of Saint Joachim, which was established in 1755 by a group of nobles, in territory then held by the Holy Roman Empire, and confers knightly ranks. The order is not a British order of chivalry; however, writing in 1828, Windsor Herald Francis Townsend stated: "This Order owes its foundation to no crowned head, but has been recognised both in Great Britain and abroad, as an Order of Knighthood." Admiral Nelson is often cited as one of the most famous recipients of the order.

Historically, the rank of knight banneret (knights created by the sovereign on the field of battle) also existed, though it is disputed by historians whether any have been created since the time of George I. Traditionally, these knights would rank above all other members of the gentry, including baronets (or directly below baronets depending on the terms of creation).

Esquires and gentlemen

Esquires