Peerage of Scotland

The Peerage of Scotland (; ) is one of the five divisions of peerages in the United Kingdom and for those peers created by the King of Scotland before 1707. Following that year's Treaty of Union, the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England were combined under the name of Great Britain, and a new Peerage of Great Britain was introduced in which subsequent titles were created.

As of November 2025, there are 74 peers of Scotland: 8 dukes (including one royal duke: the Duke of Rothesay), 4 marquesses, 39 earls, 3 viscounts and 20 lords of Parliament (counting peers known by a higher-ranking title in one of the other peerages).

Scottish peers were entitled to sit in the ancient Parliament of Scotland. After the Union, the peers of the old Parliament of Scotland elected 16 Scottish representative peers to sit in the House of Lords at Westminster. The Peerage Act 1963 granted all Scottish peers the right to sit in the House of Lords. However, thirty six years later, this automatic right was revoked, as for all hereditary peerages (except those of the incumbent Earl Marshal and Lord Great Chamberlain), when the House of Lords Act 1999 received royal assent.

Unlike English and Welsh peerages, many Scottish titles have been granted with remainder to pass via female offspring (thus an Italian family has succeeded to and presently holds the earldom of Newburgh), and in the case of daughters only, these titles devolve to the eldest daughter rather than falling into abeyance (as is the case with ancient English baronies by writ of summons). Unlike other British peerage titles, Scots law permits peerages to be inherited by or through a person who was not legitimate at birth, but was subsequently legitimised by their parents marrying later.Lauderdale Peerage Claim, House of Lords, 1884–1885

The ranks of the Scottish peerage are, in ascending order: Lord of Parliament, Viscount, Earl, Marquess and Duke. Scottish viscounts differ from those of the other divisions of peerage (of England, Great Britain, Ireland and the United Kingdom) by using the style of in their title, as in Viscount of Oxfuird. Though this is the theoretical form, most viscounts drop the "of". The Viscount of Arbuthnott and to a lesser extent the Viscount of Oxfuird still use "of".

The Scottish peerage differs from those of England and Ireland in that its lowest rank is not that of baron. In Scotland, "baron" is a rank within the Baronage of Scotland, considered noble but not a peer, equivalent to a baron in some continental countries. The Scottish equivalent to the English or Irish baron is a lord of Parliament. Barons in Scotland were historically feudal barons until 2004, when a change in Scottish law abolished the feudal system. This reform "expressly preserves the dignity of baron... and any other dignity or office, whether or not of feudal origin," converting feudal titles into non-territorial dignities - personal titles no longer attached to the land, including the quality, precedence, and heraldic rights pertaining.

List of peerages In the following table of the Peerage of Scotland as it currently stands, each peer's highest ranking title in the other peerages (if any) are also listed. Those peers who are known by a higher title in one of the other peerages are listed in italics.

Extant dukedoms

#ShieldTitleCreationOther Dukedom or higher titlesTitle used in the House of Lords prior to the Peerage Act 1963Monarch1Duke of Rothesay1398Since 1603, usually Prince of Wales as the heir to the throneDuke of Cornwall (England).King Robert III2Duke of Hamilton12 September 1643 Duke of BrandonKing Charles I3Duke of Buccleuch20 April 1663 Earl of DoncasterKing Charles II4Duke of Lennox9 September 1675Duke of Richmond (England)—Duke of Queensberry3 February 1684Duke of Buccleuch (Scotland)5Duke of Argyll23 June 1701 Duke of Argyll Baron Sundridge Baron Hamilton of HameldonKing William III and II6Duke of Atholl30 January 1703Between 1786 and 1957 the Dukes of Atholl sat in the House of Lords with the title of Earl StrangeQueen Anne7Duke of Montrose24 April 1707 Earl Graham8Duke of Roxburghe25 April 1707 Earl Innes

Extant marquessates

#ShieldTitleCreationOther Marquessate or higher titlesTitle used in the House of Lords prior to the Peerage Act 1963Monarch1Marquess of Huntly17 April 1599 Baron MeldrumKing James VI and I2Marquess of Queensberry11 February 1682King Charles II3Marquess of Tweeddale17 December 1694 Baron TweeddaleKing William III and II4Marquess of Lothian23 June 1701 Baron Ker of Kersehugh

Extant earldoms

#ShieldTitleCreationOther Earldom or higher titlesTitle used in the House of Lords prior to the Peerage Act 1963Monarch1Earl of Sutherland1230Between 1839 and 1963 the Earls of Sutherland were also titled Duke of Sutherland in the Peerage of the United Kingdom with an automatic seat in the House of Lords.King Alexander II2Earl of Crawford21 April 1398 Baron WiganKing Robert II3Earl of Mar1404King Robert III4Earl of Erroll12 June 1452King James II5Earl of Caithness28 August 14556Earl of Rothes20 March 14577Earl of Morton14 Mar 14588Earl of Buchan1469 Baron ErskineKing James III9Earl of Eglinton3 January 1507 Earl of Winton Baron ArdrossanKing James IV10Earl of Moray30 January 1562 Baron StuartQueen Mary I11Earl of Mar22 July 156512Earl of Home4 March 1605 Baron DouglasKing James VI and I13Earl of Perth4 March 160514Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne10 July 1606 Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne Baron Bowes15Earl of Haddington20 March 1619—Earl of Kellie12 March 1619Earl of Mar (1565) (Scotland)16Earl of Galloway19 September 1623 Baron Stewart of Garlies17Earl of Lauderdale14 March 162418Earl of Lindsay8 May 1633King Charles I19Earl of Loudoun12 May 163320Earl of Kinnoull25 May 1633 Baron Hay of Pedwardine21Earl of Elgin21 June 1633 Baron Elgin22Earl of Wemyss25 June 1633 Baron Wemyss23Earl of Dalhousie29 June 1633 Baron Ramsay24Earl of Airlie2 April 163925Earl of Leven11 October 164126Earl of Dysart3 August 164327Earl of Selkirk4 August 164628Earl of Northesk1 November 1647—Earl of Kincardine26 December 1647Earl of Elgin (Scotland)—Earl of Balcarres9 January 1651Earl of Crawford (Scotland)King Charles II29Earl of Dundee8 September 1660 Baron Glassary30Earl of Newburgh31 December 166031Earl of Annandale and Hartfell23 April 166232Earl of Dundonald12 May 166933Earl of Kintore20 June 1677 Viscount Stonehaven Baron Stonehaven34Earl of Dunmore16 August 1686King James VII and II—Earl of Melville8 April 1690Earl of Leven (Scotland)King William II and III35Earl of Orkney3 January 1696—Earl of March20 April 1697Earl of Wemyss (Scotland)36Earl of Seafield24 June 170137Earl of Stair8 April 1703 Baron OxenfoordQueen Anne38Earl of Rosebery10 April 1703 Earl of Midlothian Baron Rosebery39Earl of Glasgow12 April 1703 Baron Fairlie

Extant viscountcies

#ShieldTitleCreationOther Viscountcy or higher titlesMonarch1Viscount Falkland10 November 1620King James VI and I2Viscount of Arbuthnott16 November 1641King Charles I3Viscount of Oxfuird19 April 1651King Charles II

Extant lordships of Parliament

#ShieldTitleCreationOther Lordship or higher titlesMonarch1Lord Forbes1442King James III2Lord Gray14453Lord Saltoun14454Lord Sinclair14495Lord Borthwick14526Lord Lovat1464 Baron LovatKing James III7Lord Sempill1488King James IV8Lord Herries14909Lord Elphinstone14 January 1510 Baron Elphinstone10Lord Torphichen24 January 1564Queen Mary I11Lord Kinloss2 February 1602King James VI and I12Lord Balfour of Burleigh16 July 160713Lord Dingwall8 June 1609Baron Lucas (England)14Lord Napier4 May 1627 Baron EttrickKing Charles I15Lord Fairfax of Cameron18 October 162716Lord Reay20 June 162817Lord Elibank18 March 164318Lord Belhaven and Stenton15 December 164719Lord Rollo10 January 1651 Baron DunningKing Charles II20Lord Polwarth26 December 1690King William II and III

Peerage of Scotland

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