British nobility

British nobility, in the United Kingdom, members of the upper social class, who usually possess a hereditary title. The titled nobility are part of the peerage, which shares the responsibility of government. The peerage comprises five ranks, which are, in descending order, duke, marquess, earl, viscount, and baron. Below the peerage are honorary ranks that include baronet and knight, two classes that bear similarities to the nobility but which are generally not regarded as such.

The peerage dates back some thousand years, but it came together gradually and varied across regions. After William I conquered England in 1066 (see Norman Conquest), he divided the land into estates and distributed them among his tenants in chief (barons). Occasionally, William would summon these barons as well as ecclesiastical members to advise him. Such councils were held by subsequent monarchs and are thought to have been the basis for what would become the House of Lords, one branch of Britain’s bicameral legislature. Indeed, by the 14th century the House of Lords had emerged as a distinct element of Parliament. It comprised the peerage: Lords Spiritual (archbishops and bishops) and Lords Temporal (noblemen). In the 19th century the peerage of the United Kingdom was firmly established, following the Act of Union (1707), which combined the kingdoms of England and Scotland (as well as their peerages), and the second Act of Union (1801), combining Great Britain and Ireland.

Titles of peers are either conferred by the sovereign onto his or her subjects or inherited. Hereditary titles are traditionally passed down to the eldest son, and an individual may inherit or receive several titles of different ranks. Prince Philip, for example, was not only duke of Edinburgh but also earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich. Titles that are older are regarded as more senior. Thus, if the duke of Devonshire were to meet the duke of Marlborough, for example, the former would be the more senior, since the duke of Devonshire was created in 1694, eight years before the duke of Marlborough.

Duke is the highest rank of the peerage. The term comes from the Latin dux (leader). The title was first created in 1337 when Edward III made his eldest son, Edward the Black Prince, the duke of Cornwall. A prince in the royal line usually becomes a duke either after coming of age or upon his marriage. Prince William, for example, was created duke of Cambridge by Elizabeth II when he married in 2011. Catherine, as his wife, became duchess of Cambridge. Dukes and duchesses are the only members of the peerage referred to as “His Grace” and “Her Grace,” respectively. William and Catherine, who are members of royalty, however, are addressed as “His Royal Highness” and “Her Royal Highness,” respectively, on first address, and “Sir” and “Ma’am” thereafter.

The second highest rank of the peerage is marquess, a term which comes from marchis, a Norman word for earls or barons who guarded the Welsh and Scottish marches, or border territories. The title was first conferred by Richard II onto Robert de Vere, earl of Oxford, who became marquess of Dublin in 1385. Earls, who were once one of the higher ranks, resented the creation, and the marquessate remained unpopular in England. In the 21st century far fewer marquessates exist than dukedoms or earldoms. A woman who holds the rank, or the wife of a marquess, is styled “marchioness.” Marquesses and marchionesses are addressed as “Lord” and “Lady,” respectively, as are the members of all the lower ranks of the peerage.

Earl is the third highest rank. It is the oldest title and was the highest until the dukedom was created. Its origins can be traced back to Scandinavia, and it first appeared in England during the reign of Canute (1016–35). There is no female styling of “earl,” and, because the rank corresponds to the French comte or German Graf (count), a woman who holds the rank, or the wife of an earl, is styled “countess.”

The fourth rank of the peerage is viscount. It was first recorded in 1440, when Henry VI, king of England and of France, consolidated the titles of the two countries, making John, Lord Beaumont, both Viscount Beaumont in England and Viscount Beaumont in France. The title, however, did not become popular until the 17th century. A woman who holds the rank, or the wife of a viscount, is styled “viscountess.”

The final rank is baron, which was introduced by the Normans. The first baron to be formally created was John Beauchamp de Holt, who was made Baron Kidderminster by Richard II in 1387. A woman who holds the rank, or the wife of a baron, is styled “baroness.”

For many centuries, peers were entitled to sit and vote in the House of Lords. But because peerage titles were largely passed down through generations of white men who leaned conservative, this was seen by the 20th century as incompatible with the principles of representative government, and there was thus an effort to diversify. In 1958 the Life Peerages Act was passed, allowing the government to create peerages for both men and women from a variety of professions and with no limit on the number. The first woman to join the House of Lords was Frances Wootton, Baroness Wootton of Abinger. Life peers were and continue to be nominated by the prime minister and appointed by the monarch. They serve for life and their titles (all baronies) are not inherited. Although they are part of the peerage, they are not necessarily British nobility. The House of Lords underwent a more substantial reform in 1999 with the House of Lords Act. The legislation, introduced by the Labour government of Prime Minister Tony Blair, removed the majority of hereditary peers. By early 2022 the House of Lords was composed of 92 hereditary peers, nearly 700 life peers, and 26 bishops and archbishops.

Hereditary peers are a class below royalty but above the ranks of baronetage and knightage. The title of baronet was created by James I in 1611 to raise funds to suppress the rebellion in Ulster. Candidates paid the king close to £2,000 (the cost of maintaining 30 soldiers for three years) for their titles. In England and Ireland a baronetcy is inherited only by a male heir, but in Scotland women can inherit the baronetcies where it has been specified at creation. Their titles are styled as “baronetess,” as are the titles of the wives of baronets. Like the lower ranks of nobility, those with a baronetcy or wives of baronets are addressed as “Lord” or “Lady.”

A baronet ranks above all knights except, in England, Knights of the Garter and, in Scotland, Knights of the Garter and of the Thistle. Members of the knightage were once professional cavalry warriors, but, by the 16th century, the knighthood had largely been reduced to an honorific title that sovereigns bestowed onto their subjects for a number of different services. Many orders of chivalry were established during the Middle Ages and were appointed only to individuals of the highest distinction. After the 19th century, however, the honours were bestowed more broadly on individuals from a variety of backgrounds. A knighthood is not hereditary, and, while a noble can be a knight, the title does not confer nobility.

Perhaps the most well-known order is the Order of the British Empire, created by George V in 1917 to recognize individuals for their outstanding contributions to the World War I effort. By the 21st century, however, the Order of the British Empire mostly rewarded services that were rendered during peacetime and that ranged from charity work to acting to education. This order includes the honours Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), which have been bestowed on such public figures as football (soccer) player David Beckham (OBE, 2003) and singer and songwriter Adele (MBE, 2012). Appointments are usually made with the advice of the Cabinet Office, but anyone can make a recommendation.