There is something to be said for government by a great aristocracy which has furnished leaders to the nation in peace and war for generations; even a democrat like myself must admit this. But there is absolutely nothing to be said for government by a plutocracy ...

The idea of aristocracy often conjures up images of the French Revolution and bewigged  aristocrats being led to the guillotine. Certainly, France rejected its aristocracy in favour of a  republican democracy, even if the monarchy put in a bit of a reappearance in the first half of the  19th century. In the U.K., the aristocracy continues to exist and have a governing role within the  House of Lords but with diminishing influence through a succession of Labour governments.  

 As we have seen with the monarchy and the Royal family, the aristocracy arose from the heads of  families, tribes and clans. The idea of a powerful family dynasty is present even within republics.  In America,  it’s easy to regard the Roosevelt Family or the Kennedy Family as significant politically  influential dynasties, even examples of aristocracy in the United States. In Renaissance Italy, we  can think of the great families such as the Medicis or Gonzagas, and from Spain the famous  Borgias.  Families become powerful because “blood is thicker than water”, i.e. the bonds of family  mean a personal moral investment in the good of that family. Because of their political influence,  powerful families have been regarded as aristocrats.  

In the United Kingdom

In the U.K., the aristocracy are often called the nobility. The word “noble” has the same root as  the word “notable” from the Latin nobilis which, in turn, has its roots in the Greek word gnosis  meaning known and, in this sense, has come to mean noted, renowned and famous. We can  certainly see that if someone is notable for being brave, wise or powerful, that’s the person who  displays the characteristics of leadership. Thus, the families of powerful leaders have always  played a part in the government of the UK whether officially in the present constitutional  monarchy, or as companions to the king when the monarchy was more absolute. Depending on  the level of influence a leader had, they might be given the titles of duke, marquess, earl, viscount  or baron.  

Duke/Duchess  

The word duke comes from the Latin dux meaning a leader. A duke or duchess is the highest rank  of the nobility beneath the sovereign and the title is usually awarded to members of the Royal  Family. Currently, Prince Harry is the Duke of Sussex, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Prince Edward,  Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Richard (first cousin of Elizabeth II) Duke of Gloucester, and Prince  Edward (first cousin of Elizabeth II) the Duke of Kent. The sovereign’s eldest child is automatically  the Duke/Duchess of Cornwall – Queen Camilla held the title of Duchess of Cornwall until  Charles III succeeded to the throne. The Prince of Wales is referred to in Scotland only as the  Duke of Rothesay. The Duke/Duchess of Lancaster is a title held by the sovereign and, in the  Channel Islands , the sovereign is still referred to as the Duke/Duchess of Normandy nearly a  millennium after the Norman Conquest. 

There are non-royal dukedoms, such as those of Somerset, Norfolk, Richmond and Grafton and  these have arisen from the non-royal families who have proved themselves worthy. In total there  are thirty people who hold the title of duke in the UK. Notably, Sir Arthur Wellesley was created  Marquess of Wellington by the Prince Regent in 1814 and was elevated to Duke after the Battle of  Waterloo in 1815. The current incumbent in 2024, the 9th Duke of Wellington is Arthur Charles  Wellesley which gives the U.K a direct link to the Napoleonic War and the government of the  country following the 1st Duke’s tenure as Prime Minister. In 2024, the heir apparent to the Duchy  of Wellington is Arthur Wellesley, the Marquess of Douro.  

A royal Duke/Duchess is addressed by “Your Royal Highness” and a non-royal by “Your Grace”.  

Marquess/Marchioness  

Ranking below the duke is the title of marquess; the female equivalent is marchioness or  marquise. There are, as of 2024, thirty-five marquessates in the UK. A marquess, sometimes still  written as marquis, comes from an old French word meaning “ruler of the borderlands” and it is  easy to see that the marquesses arose from those staunch defenders of the frontier. We can  imagine that the original marquesses were commanders of Hadrian’s wall or mounting coastal  defences against invaders. 

Despite this, the title of marquess has not enjoyed constant British usage. The only peerages with  ancient origin in the UK are the dukes, earls and barons: the title of Count never really took root.  The first English marquess was Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford, made Marquess of Dublin in  1385 before the title was recalled and de Vere raised to the rank of Duke of Ireland. The second  marquess was the 1st Earl of Somerset, John Beaufort, an illegitimate son of John of Gaunt who  became the Marquess of Devon in 1397. He was disgraced in 1399 and, despite petitions for his  reinstatement, Henry IV said that he thought that a marquess “was a strange name in this realm.”  The title was dormant until 1442 revived by Henry IV’s grandson, Henry VI. Anne Boleyn was  granted the title of Marchioness of Pembroke before marriage to Henry VIII.  

As of 2024, the Premier Marquess of Winchester – the oldest surviving marquessate – is held by  Christopher Paulet, 19th Marquess of Winchester descending from  the 1st Marquess, William  Paulet who was given the rank in 1551.   

The form of address of a Marquess or Marchioness is “Your Lordship” or “Your Ladyship.”  

Earl/Countess  

The word Earl has a particularly Old English heritage coming from the word eorl which is related  to the Scandinavian jarl. It means a man of noble birth and is essentially equivalent to the rank of  count that were more prevalent in France and Italy. This is why the female equivalent of an earl is,  by a quirk of history, a countess. Originally this title was not hereditary but grew to prominence in  the later Anglo-Saxon era before the Norman Conquest when the powerful families, such as the  Godwins, began to hold greater political power which was harnessed by King William I (the  Conqueror) in order to establish his position.   

During the struggle for the throne between King Stephen and Queen Matilda in the middle of the  12th century, established several new earldoms in order to reward loyalty and it is here that the  earls became more prominent politically as the rival earls commanded the forces for the  opposing claimants to the English throne. Many of these earldoms were suppressed by Stephen’s  successor Henry II.   

The standing of an earl was largely proportional to the land he owned and the rules of  primogeniture in the feudal system barred the title passing to women and thus there was for a  long time no female equivalent of the word earl. The notable exception is that of Salisbury where  the earldom has passed to several female heiresses known as the Countesses of Salisbury. The  most famous of these is Countess Margaret Pole, heiress to the Duke of Clarence who was  barbarously executed by Henry VIII in 1541 on trumped up charges. The title of Earl of Salisbury  has been subsumed into the Marquess of Salisbury. It was usual for the British Prime Minister to  receive an earldom upon leaving office. The last such was Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton.  Upon his death in 1986, the title passed to his son, the 2nd Earl, Alexander Macmillan. The heir  apparent is Daniel Macmillan, Viscount of Ovenden.  

The form of address of an Earl or Countess is “My Lord” or “My Lady”.  

Viscount/Viscountess  

The title of count may not have become significant in the U.K. but viscount has. It is literally a vice count, like a viceroy or vice-chairman, and so a viscount is essentially a vice-count or, in the U.K.,  the deputy of an earl. They were originally shire reeves or sheriffs, law-enforcers of the Middle  Ages and so the title was not hereditary being bestowed by the sovereign. The hereditary nature  of the viscount was established later and then as heirs to earldoms.    

Princess Margaret, the sister of Queen Elizabeth II, married Anthony Armstrong Jones who was  created 1st Earl of Snowdon. Their son, David, was created Viscount Linley before inheriting the  title of 2nd Earl of Snowdon in 2017. His son, Charles Armstrong Jones is now the Viscount Linley.  At 25th in line to the throne, the 2nd Earl is the highest in line who is not a direct descendent of  Queen Elizabeth II.  

The form of address of a Viscount or a Viscountess is the same as that for an Earl or a Countess.  

Baron/Baroness  

The word baron comes from the Old French and Old English beorn words for a servant or a  mercenary: these, in turn come from the Greek word baros meaning heavy. From the point of view  of our modern culture, we can see that the first barons were the heavies or henchmen to earls  and dukes. Indeed, in Latin baro means stupid reinforcing our image of henchmen not being too  bright. However, it is plain to see that successful lieutenants of earls and dukes would be  rewarded with honours and thus how the title of baron came to be part of the aristocracy. Barons  were usually rewarded for their military excellence with land and, in feudal times, this gave them  rights, power and influence. The power of the barons is most notable in the conflict with King John  for which the Magna Carta was written. As time went on, the right to land was replaced by barons  being issued a writ of summons, i.e. a place in parliament.   

Today, there are no feudal barons in England: any baronies with land have been subsumed by higher ranking  peers. In Scotland, the baron is replaced with the title “Lord of Parliament”. These days, life peers  have been introduced into the House of Lords as barons. The most notable in recent years was  the former Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher who was created Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven in  1992.  

The form of address of a Baron or a Baroness is the same as a Viscount or Viscountess.   

Unlike many other monarchies, one still finds Lords and Ladies at the heart of the United Kingdoms Parliamentary democracy. The House of Lords, the UK Parliament's second chamber, is one of the oldest institutions in the world, with its origins in 11th century.

The membership of the House of Lords historically consisted of the ranks of the hereditary peers within the U.K.  In July 65 years ago, the first life peers were announced following the passage of the Life Peerages Act 1958, paving the way for House of Lords members from a range of backgrounds, including the first women. 

In 1999, the House of Lords  Act reduced the number of hereditary peers from automatically having a seat in the House of  Lords favouring the politically appointed life peers, usually chosen by prime ministers. Their number has been limited to 92 (of 803 total seats). Although the 26 bishops of the Church of England who sit in the Lords retained their seats. This move, reducing the number of hereditary peers, has it may be strongly argued damaged the effectiveness of the House of Lords. In recent years, we have seen many democratically  elected politicians serve the country for their own ends and then depart office with honours and  accolades and yet leaving behind several large and pressing issues of government for their successors to deal with. Some of them have been ennobled and have ended up in the second chamber.

Another bill being introduced by the Starmer Labour Government (2024) proposes removing the last of the hereditary peers from the House of Lords - which is an extremely questionable move and will see more life peers occupying the chamber.

There seems to be less incentive for a hereditary peer to want to leave great issues for their family to sort out and so having hereditary peers in the House of Lords leads to greater stability and greater ownership of the onus of government than those who have no investment in  government after their death. 

As long as the peers take on the responsibility that their privilege requires, then their service will be all the greater for our country.   

Baronets/Baronetess 

A baronet (abbreviated Bart or Bt[) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th century; however, in its current usage it was created by James I of England in 1611.

Baronets rank below barons and above knights bachelor. Like knights, they are addressed as "Sir" (or "Dame" in the case of baronetesses). There has been much debate about the exact status in the peerage of Baronets, certainly they do not get a seat in the House of Lords. 

Lords (and Ladies) of the Manor 

Although Lordships of the Manor are feudal titles and not noble titles, therefore not to be confused with the aristocratic titles above, many such Lordships have been held by some of the great noble families of history and indeed many still are. Sometimes the non noble holders of manors have been referred to as landed gentry and quite often the local Lord would be referred to as "The Squire".

Sometimes confused in the public mind simply with a 'Manor House', a 'Lordship of the Manor' is a title dating from Anglo-Saxon / Norman England, referring to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (eg: the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seignory, the right to grant or draw benefit from the estate. 

Most Manorial titles now have become detached from their temporalities - the land and perhaps the houses that once went with them, although not all.   One very interesting connection between the British Monarch and a Lord of the Manor was manifest at King Charles III's coronation in 2023.

The Honourable The King's (or Queen's) Champion is an honorary and hereditary office in the Royal Household of the British sovereign. The champion's original role at the coronation of a British monarch was to challenge anyone who contested the new monarch's entitlement to the throne to trial by combat. Although this function was last enacted at the coronation of George IV in 1821, the office continues to descend through The Lord of the Manor of Scrivelsby in Lincolnshire, England, has, since the Norman Conquest in 1066, held the manor from the Crown by grand serjeanty of being the King's or Queen's Champion. Such person is also the Standard Bearer of England. The current King's Champion is a member of the Dymoke family, which has included many Champions.

The 35th Champion was the 34th Lord of the Manor of Scrivelsby, Thornton and Dalderby and patron of the living of Scrivelsby-cum-Dalderby, Francis John Fane Marmion Dymoke (b. 19 January 1955, d. December 2023), a farmer and former chartered accountant. He served as the King's Champion at the coronation of Charles III, where he carried the Royal Standard in the coronation procession. He served as High Sheriff of Lincolnshire in 1999. The present Champion, the 35th Lord of the Manor of Scrivelsby, is his eldest son, Henry Francis Marmion Dymoke (born 1984).

Manorial titles continues in modern England and Wales as a legally recognised form of property that can be held independently of its historical rights - known as an incorporeal hereditament. In Scotland one might encounter feudal baronies which are similar.

From the Manorial Society of Great Britain (established 1906) website: “In 1922, the Government of the day enacted the most thoroughgoing legislation touching property in England and Wales. So far as the Lord of the Manor was concerned, the Law of Property Act abolished copyhold tenure, taking away his right to be Lord of the soil save that which he owned directly. ... But the Act went on to confirm many of the historic rights, general and special, long enjoyed by the Lord of the Manor: the right to market and fair, mineral excavation (subject to the enfranchisement of the copyhold, the subsoil still belongs to the Lord of the Manor), fishing rights, sporting rights, manorial waste (principally the verges of the road and those areas in rural Manors which do not appear to belong to anyone), common land rights (subject to the Common Land Registration Act 1965), the village green.  

NB: There are many Manorial Lordships in circulation today for which the documentary evidence is very poor and some organisations claim to sell titles which may or may not be genuine. The Manorial Society of Great Britain is a safe forum to learn more about this, and to assist with the acquiring of Lordship titles as and when they become available.

Knights and Dames

Many people have been created knights or dames by the British crown. Some of these honours are connected to an Order, such as The Most Noble Order of the Garter, whereas some have no order, eg: knights bachelor.