Just as it is in England, the Peerage of Scotland is complex and complicated.
The different estates of nobility in Scotland are similar to those that exist south of the border, all founded in the feudal system of medieval times.
The oldest Scottish peerage still going, for example, is the Earldom of Mar, dating from 1115, and the Earldom of Crawford dating from 1398.
As fascinating as it would be to delve into the historical and current holders of these ancient hereditary Scottish Earldoms (James Thorne Erskine, 14th Earl of Mar and Robert Alexander Lindsay, 29th Earl of Crawford), this article will concentrate on how the Scottish peerage is arranged.
The Dukes of Scotland
As it happens Earldoms like those mentioned above are only third in the hierarchy when it comes to Scottish titles. At the top of the tree are the Dukes of Scotland. Dukedoms rank highest in the Scottish Peerage since they were introduced as a title by King Robert III in 1398. King Robert bestowed the title of Duke of Rothesay on his eldest son David.
King Robert intended the Dukedom of Rothesay and its attendant lands to be handed down to each heir to the throne, a bit like the Duchy of Cornwall in England, which is currently held by William, Prince of Wales. As it happens, Prince William is also the current Duke of Rothesay as was his father, Charles, before his recent accession to the British throne. This is because this Scottish dynastic title has continued to be handed down the generations to the heir apparent to the British monarchy.
Here at Loch Ness Titles, we are able to bestow on you the title of Lord, Lady or Laird – but if you qualified by birth to be a Scottish Duke you could be addressed formally as “Most High, Potent and Noble Prince” at best, and “His Grace” or “Most Noble” in a more casual setting.
As a Duke, you’d also be entitled to have a crimson velvet coronation robe, edged with ermine, and a set of parliamentary robes for the State Opening of Parliament, of scarlet cloth lined with taffeta, trimmed with ermine and gold lace. This grand attire can be topped off with a duke’s coronet of gold, decorated with strawberry leaves.
Altogether there were 28 Scottish Dukedoms created, the last being Roxburghe in 1707 – but most have now become redundant or irrelevant. There are currently only five reigning hereditary Dukes who are landowners in Scotland.
The Marquesses of Scotland
After the Dukedoms of Scotland the next in line is the Marquesses. The title of Marquess (sometimes spelt Marquis) or Marchioness for women, originated as being conferred to denote a noble person who held a “march”, meaning a frontier or border district, in various locations across the British Isles. In Scotland therefore there were no more marquessates created in the peerage after the Union of Scotland and England in 1707.
The first Marquess title in Scotland was given to James, the second son of King James III, who became Marquess of Ormonde at his baptism in 1476. There are currently Scottish Marquesses for Huntly, Queensberry, Tweeddale, and Lothian – all holding their hereditary titles that were created pre-union.
Marquesses and Marchionesses get to be addressed as “Most Honourable” and are sometimes referred to formally as “Most Noble and Puissant Prince”.
They get to wear the same robes and trappings as Dukes when it comes to Coronations and parliamentary occasions, and are entitled to sport a gold coronet bearing four gold strawberry leaves alternated with four silver balls on points above the rim.
The Earls of Scotland
Moving down the noble ranks we reach the Scottish Earldoms, of which there were originally seven, representing the seven provinces of the ancient Pictish Kingdom into which the land north of the Firth of Forth and Firth of Clyde was divided back before the ninth century.
The original seven earldoms (called Mormaers back in those days) were Angus, Atholl, Caithness, Fife, Mar, Moray and Strathearn, but these were increased to nine during the 10th century when Argyll was added, and when Buchan separated from Mar a century later. Later six more earldoms were created – Menteith, Garioch, Lennox, Ross, Carrick and Caithness – as part of King David the First’s efforts to introduce the feudal system into Scotland.
Today there are dozens of Earldoms listed in the peerage of Scotland, but many of these are designated as “extinct”, “forfeit”, “dormant” or “surrendered”. There are still some ancient earldoms going, though, like the Earl of Sutherland title, created in 1230, currently held by the 25th Earl, Alistair Sutherland, and the Earl of Argyll, dating from 1389, now Torquhil Ian Campbell of Inveraray Castle.
The Viscounts of Scotland
Viscounts make up the fourth step down the ladder of Scottish nobility, and there are currently 36 viscount titles. It’s a title that was originally applied to the Sheriff of a county and wasn’t used as a noble title as such. Then in 1440, King Henry VI made John, Baron Beaumont, into a Viscount by patent, apparently because he wanted to advance the importance of barons. Since then all Viscountcies have been created by patent.
Viscounts are entitled to a seat in Parliament and the trappings of their position, including a coronet (silver, though, not gold like the superior ranks), and have privileges similar to those of Earls.
Many of the Viscount titles have, over the centuries, been subsumed by more noble titles which have been conferred on the heirs apparent to various prominent houses, both in Scotland and throughout the United Kingdom.
The Barons of Scotland
Last, but by no means least, in the ranks of the Scottish Peerage are the barons. Barons, and baronesses, in Scotland, are akin to the English Lord of the Manor. It’s a feudal inheritable title granted by a superior overlord as a reward for allegiance and service.
Scottish barons usually own a piece of land with a castle or manor house, but holders of this title don’t qualify for a seat in Parliament, as do the other noble ranks.
What’s most interesting about a Scottish Barony title is that it is possible – since changes to the law in 2004 which separated the title from the land to which they belong – to buy one. Yes, you can become a Baron if one of the titles, all of which were created hundreds of years ago, comes up for sale.
Buying a barony is a complicated process, but there are brokers who arrange such sales “discreetly” at a price. It could cost somewhere in the region of £110,000 – it’s rumoured that one title sold for £ 1 million.
If you buy such a title you have the right to petition the Lord Lyon King of Arms for a grant of arms, and be designated a Baron on your passport, driving license and even credit cards. If you want the land attached to your barony as well, you’ll have to buy that separately.
If you’re looking for more information about how to buy a title with Loch Ness Titles, and help the conservation efforts of Brackla woods, read through our How to Buy a Title guide. You can also get more information from dedicated Buy a Scottish Lord Title, Buy a Scottish Lady Title, and Buy a Scottish Laird Title.
