Some nobles are
more senior than others. To help differentiate the seniority of nobleman, a rank
system has been developed of the years. When researching history, it is usually
helpful to understand this system. The aim of this article is to give you a
basic understand of the system in England.
The below table
is a list of the ranks, in both the masculine and feminine forms, with an
example. It is in descending order of seniority.
| Masculine |
Feminine |
Example |
| Duke |
Duchess |
Duke of Suffolk |
| Marquess |
Marchioness |
Marquess of
Granby |
| Earl |
Countess |
Earl of
Leicester |
| Viscount |
Viscountess |
Viscount Horatio
Nelson |
| Baron |
Baroness |
Baron Grey of
Groby |
| Baronet |
Dame |
Sir
_____________ Bt |
NOTES:
- On
the continent, Marquess is spelt ‘Marquis’. In England, some also use
the spelling e.g. Marquis of Dorset
- On
the continent, the title ‘Count’ is used instead of Earl (this can be
shown in the feminine form of Earl).
- The
title of a knight (Sir) was originally only a military title, and therefore
is not hereditary. For reference, the feminine form is ‘Dame’.
- All
those who hold hereditary titles EXCEPT the Baronet may use the term Lord
previous to their name e.g. Lord Grey. The feminine form is of course Lady.
- A
Baronet uses the title Sir previous to his name, but will also use Bt after
his name. Therefore if I was a Baronet (which, unfortunately, I am not!)
then I would be ‘Sir Thomas Williams Bt’.
By Thomas J Williams
