Precedence

The House of Lords (old chamber, burned down in 1834) as drawn by Augustus Pugin and Thomas Rowlandson for Ackermann's Microcosm of London (1808-11)

The oldest of the actual ranks of the peerage are Dukedoms, Earldoms and Baronies. The first RL recorded Marquessate was in 1385, the first RL Viscountcy was created in 1440. (JFYI) The older the title, the more likely it is to have lapsed and been recreated further down the line, IRL. The order of precedence works: Royalty, Dukedoms, Marquessates, Earldoms, Viscountcies, Baronies.

The date of creation gives the precedence within each rank, and they can be further reordered depending on which peerage the rank belongs to. The ranking of peerages is:

• of England (titles created before 1707)

• of Scotland (titles created before 1707)

• of Ireland titles created before 1707)

• of Great Britain (titles created between 1707 and 1801)

• of the United Kingdom (titles created after 1801)

An earl in the Irish peerage whose title dates from, say, 1692 comes after an earl in the English peerage whose title dates from 1702. I have tried to include the main titles used in LL, and where a date of creation is unknown, they are listed in alphabetical order after the last known date of creation of that rank, with presumed English titles coming before known Sottish and Irish ones, to make it easier to fit them in once a date of creation for that title has been decided.

Subsidiary titles are given as bullet points below the highest-ranking title held by the family and are only listed again in the appropriate area if currently held as a courtesy title (e.g. the Viscountcy of Surrey is listed under Viscountcies as well as a subsidiary of the Earldom of Rotherham, as there is a son who uses that title as if it were an actual peerage). Please note that Viscounts and Barons do not have subsidiary titles; their sons are styled 'Honourable' (as are the younger sons of Earls - Robert Vickery is officially the Honourable Robert Vickery; Colonel Fitzgerald, younger son of the Earl of Rotherham, would be Colonel the Honourable Robert Fitzgerald).

This is very much a work in progress

A Brief Note on Courtesy Titles

See also Titles: The Definitive and Easy Version, an article by Rose explaining this in further detail, as well as How the British Aristocracy Works by Sharpie.

Viscounts and Barons do not have courtesy titles; their sons are all titled 'The Honourable'.

For those ranks that do have a courtesy title, the title used by the eldest son will be distinct from the title held by his father. Using a fictional, non-LL example: the son of the Marquess of Sundridge, who also hold the titles Earl of Sundridge and Viscount Malling, will be known as Viscount Malling or Lord Malling, so that he is not confused with his father. (This is why, IRL, the eldest son of the Duke of Wellington is Baron Douro - Wellington's other titles are Marquess of Wellington, Earl of Wellington and Viscount Wellington of Talavera. No other title he holds will serve to differentiate father and son.)

Holding a courtesy title does not allow an older son to sit in the House of Lords; he is still a commoner not a peer - he is merely borrowing a title from his father who is the actual holder. The only way for a man holding a courtesy title to sit in the House of Lords is if he is granted a Writ of Acceleration.

The eldest son of a peer's eldest son may use the third title his grandfather holds, if there is one. Using our LL titles, if the Duke of Claitonborough had a son, that son would be known, by courtesy, as the Marquess of Pangbourne, and if he has a son, that son will be known as Viscount Whitchurch.

Dukedoms

Technically, the Dukedom is the title held and the Duchy refers to the lands and estates held by that Dukedom - the Dukedom of Leicester is held by the Harpole family, whose Duchy is in Leicestershire.

Claitonborough (November 4, 1479 )

• Marquessate of Pangbourne (1479)
• Earldom of Pangbourne (1383)
• Viscountcy Whitchurch (1383)
• Barony Dunford of Pangbourne (1312)

Welby (August 24, 1503)

• Marquessate of Easton (1465)
• Earldom of Easton
• Barony Easton

Wycombe (1543 )

• Marquessate of Ramsden (unknown)

Pennington (1664)

• Marquessate of St Elvan (1721, Great Britain)
• Earldom of St Elvan (1567, of England)
• Earldom of Emers (1701, of England)
• Viscountcy of Portan (1721, Great Britain)
• Barony of Penton Mewsey (1526, of England) (This is the title used by the grandson of the Duke, if there is one)

Beaumont (of England; unknown creation date)

• ?

Leicester (unknown, English)

• Marquessate of Spalding (unknown)

Dukedom of Lennox (unknown, English)

• Earldom of Valebridge (unknown)

Henley (unknown, English)

• Earldom of Annfield
• Barony of Kelburgh

Leighton (unknown, possibly Scottish)

• Marquessate of Inverloch

Marquessates

Crantock (1489)

• Baron Treville of Crantock

Eastborough (1497)

• Earldom of Alderhan (1497)
• Barony of Eastborough (1086)

Hollomere (unknown, English)

• Earldom of Arkney

Emerson (1590)

• Earldom of Emerson (1408)
• Viscountcy of Morton (1354)

Coniston (1664)

• Viscountcy of Milbury (1689)

Beningborough (September 24, 1704 )

• Earldom of Seyton (September 1, 1485 )

Raulings (March 2, 1746 )

• Earldom of Bridgeton (1622)
• Viscountcy of Grafton (1622)

Avening (unknown, presumed English)

• ?

Pendleston (unknown, presumed English)

• Viscountcy of Stanwood (unknown)

Spalding (date unknown, English) (subsidiary of the Dukedom of Leicester)

Wadham (unknown, English)

• ?

Marquessate of Foxford (Irish) (1681)

• Earldom of Galbraith (unknown)

Earldoms

Earldom of Emerson (1408) (subsidiary to the Marquessate of Emerson

Seyton (1485) (subsidiary to the Marquessate of Beningborough)

Alderhan (1497) (subsidiary of the Marquessate of Eastborough)

Rotherham (1579)

• Viscountcy of Surrey (1356 )

Essex (1616)

• Barony of Sterne

Bridgeton (1622) (subsidiary of the Marquessate of Raulings)

• Viscountcy of Grafton (1622)

Morven (1660)

• Viscountcy of Selwyn (1712 ) (Peerage of Great Britain)

Prestwood (May 13th, 1692)

Carrington (unknown date, of Great Britain)

Griffith (unknown)

• Viscountcy of Torrington (unknown)

Thernope (unknown, presumed 'of England')

• Viscountcy of Redmoor

Earldom of Valebridge (unknown) (subsidiary of the Dukedom of Lennox)

Winchcombe (date unknown, presumed 'of England')

• ?

Wyck (unknown, presumed 'of England')

• ?

Hopetoun (unknown, presumed 'of Scotland')

• ?

Kirkfries (1745) (Peerage of Great Britain)

Parry (1791) (Peerage of Great Britain)

• Barony of Loseley (unknown but ancient)

Viscountcies

Note: A viscount is always 'Viscount Saltash' in the English peerage. He is only 'Viscount of Livingston' if the title is Scottish. Viscounts do not have any subsidiary titles, all sons being titled 'The Honourable' (as younger sons of Earls are, and as all Barons' sons are. All daughters are also styled 'The Honourable', as are Barons' daughters.)

Morton (1354) (Subsidiary of the Marquessate of Emerson)

Surrey (1356) (Subsidiary of the Earldom of Rotherham)

Grafton (1622) (subsidiary of the Marquessate of Raulings)

Wembury (9th November 1640)

Flemming (1689)

Saltash (17th October 1706)

Selwyn (1712) (Peerage of Great Britain) (subsidiary of the Earldom of Morven)

Ruxburgh (1759) (Peerage of Great Britain)

Banbury (unknown)

Delamere (unknown)

Fletstone (unknown)

Hawksley (unknown)

Lattisley (unknown)

Tessington (unknown)

Torrington (unknown) (subsidiary of the Earldom of Griffith)

Louisburgh(unknown) (Irish)

Baronies

• Ackland (March 29, 1299 )
• de Grave (unknown, probably 14th or 15th century)
• Thornley (1690)
• Wolvercote (1708, Peerage of Great Britain)
• Braylock (1788, Peerage of the United Kingdom)
• Bartram (unknown, possibly after the Restoration)
• Bathurst (unknown)
• Barony of Kirkham (unknown)
• Louth (unknown)
• Sterne (unknown) (subsidiary of the Earldom of Essex)
• Wadebridge (unknown)