Courtesy title
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A courtesy title is a form of address in systems of nobility used for wives, children, and other close relatives of a peer. These styles may mislead those unacquainted with the system into thinking that they have substantive titles.
For example, in the British peerage if a peer of the rank of Duke, Marquess or Earl has more than one title, his eldest son, not himself a peer, uses one of the lesser titles; the father continues to be the substantive holder of the peerage title, and the son who is styled using that peerage title legally remains a commoner. If that eldest son has an eldest son, and there are additional titles available, he too may use a lesser title.
For example, the Duke of Norfolk is also the Earl of Arundel and the Lord Maltravers. His eldest son is therefore styled Earl of Arundel. Lord Arundel's eldest son is styled Lord Maltravers. However, only the Duke of Norfolk is actually a peer; his son Lord Arundel and his grandson Lord Maltravers remain commoners.
The eldest sons of Barons and Viscounts do not use courtesy titles, but they are styled 'The Honourable'.
Courtesy titles are only used by the peer's eldest son, and the eldest son's eldest son, and so forth. Other descendants are not permitted to use the peer's subsidiary titles. Only the Heir Apparent (and Heir Apparent to the Heir Apparent and so on) can use the titles. An Heir Presumptive (e.g. a brother, nephew, or cousin) does not use a courtesy title, since there is no absolute certainty that he will ever actually inherit the substantive title. However there is an exception in the Scottish Peerage where the title 'Master/Mistress of X' is available to the heir presumptive in default of an heir apparent.
For the British peerage, written references to holders of courtesy titles are supposed to be in the form "Marquess of Blandford", "Earl of Arundel", etc., i.e. without the preceding definite article ("The"); substantive peers are named with the article, e.g. "The Marquess of Winchester", "The Earl of Derby".
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[edit] Choosing a courtesy title
The actual title used is a matter of family tradition. For instance, the eldest son of the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry is styled Earl of Dalkeith, even though the Duke is also the Marquess of Dumfriesshire, a title which outranks the Earldom. Similarly, the eldest son of the Marquess of Londonderry is styled Viscount Castlereagh, even though the Marquess is also the Earl Vane.
Titles with the same name as a peer's main title are also not used as courtesy titles. For instance, the Duke of Westminster is also the Marquess of Westminster and the Earl Grosvenor (amongst other titles). The Duke's eldest son is not styled Marquess of Westminster (which would cause confusion between the son and the father), and so is styled Earl Grosvenor instead. The title used does not have to be exactly equivalent to the actual peerage: the eldest son of the current Duke of Wellington is styled Marquess of Douro, even though the actual peerage possessed by his father is Marquess Douro.
If a peer of the rank of Earl or above does not have any subsidiary titles of a name different from his main title, his eldest son usually uses an invented courtesy title of "Lord Surname". For instance, the eldest son of the Earl of Devon is styled Lord Courtenay, even though the Earl has no barony of that name, and similarly the eldest son of the Earl of Guilford is styled Lord North. The eldest son of the Earl of Huntingdon, who has no subsidiary titles, is styled Viscount Hastings to avoid confusion with the substantive peer Lord Hastings.
[edit] Other children and wives
Another form of courtesy title, in the form of an honorific prefix, is granted to younger sons, and all daughters of peers. The rules differ for different ranks of peers: the children of a baron, for example, use the prefix "Hon.", the daughters of an earl are styled "Lady", and so on. These titles persist after the death of the father and the descent of the peerage to the eldest son.
A peer's wife takes her courtesy title based on her husband's rank, unless she herself has a higher title. Thus a baron's wife is called "baroness", an earl's wife is called a "countess", a duke's wife a "duchess", etc. Despite being referred to as a "peeress", she does not, however, become a peer "in her own right": these are 'styles', not substantive titles. However, this is considered a legal title, unlike the social titles of a peer's children.
| Peer | Wife | Eldest Son | Younger Son | Unmarried Daughter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | Duchess | Father's Subsidiary Title | Lord Firstname Lastname | Lady Firstname Lastname |
| Marquess | Marchioness | Father's Subsidiary Title | Lord Firstname Lastname | Lady Firstname Lastname |
| Earl | Countess | Father's Subsidiary Title | The Honourable Firstname Lastname | Lady Firstname Lastname |
| Viscount | Viscountess | The Honourable Firstname Lastname | The Honourable Firstname Lastname | The Honourable Firstname Lastname |
| Baron | Baroness | The Honourable Firstname Lastname | The Honourable Firstname Lastname | The Honourable Firstname Lastname |
The situation is somewhat different for the families of a woman who is a peeress in her own right (that is, who hold a substantive title). Her children gain courtesy titles as usual, but her husband receives no special distinction. Also, if a peer or knight enters into a civil partnership, his or her partner would not be entitled to a courtesy title. [1]
[edit] Precedence status of courtesy titles
Courtesy titles of children of peers are social, not legal. For this reason, in official documents, Lord John Smith is often referred to as John Smith, Esq., commonly Lord John Smith; The Hon. Mrs. Smith would be called Mary Jane, Mrs. Smith, commonly called The Hon. Mary Jane Smith. However, there is legal precedence that results from being the wife or child of a peer, even though the styles of the latter are merely social. The wives of peers are peeresses and rank exactly the same as peeresses in their own right.
Children of peers can outrank certain actual peers. For instance, the daughter of a Duke outranks a Countess. However, if the daughter of a Duke marries an Earl, she actually drops to the rank of Countess. But, if that same daughter marries a commoner, she retains her rank. If that daughter marries the eldest son of an Earl, though he may be a courtesy peer, she may keep her rank until the son inherits the Earldom, when she must drop to the rank of Countess.
[edit] Married daughters
The daughter of a duke, marquess, or earl who marries a commoner becomes "The Lady Firstname Husbandslastname". The daughter of a viscount or baron who marries a commoner becomes "The Honourable Mrs. Husbandslastname". If she marries a peer, she gains the courtesy title as that peer's wife.
If a woman marries an Honourable, and holds no higher title, she will become "The Honourable Mrs. Husbandsfirstname Husbandslastname." If a woman marries a Lord, she will become "The Lady Husbandsfirstname Husbandslastname." In case of a divorce, she will keep the same style as during her marriage, or she may choose to assume the style "Mrs. Firstname Husbandslastname." Regardless of what she chooses, she loses all precedence she attained from marriage. Because of the former option, there can be multiple Lady John Smiths.
[edit] Adopted children
Until 2004 adopted children of peers had no right to any courtesy title. However as a result of a Royal Warrant dated 30 April 2004 adopted children are now automatically entitled to such styles and courtesy titles as their siblings. However, as with illegitimate children where legitimised, such children have no rights to inheritance of peerages. [Note - Scottish peerages rules of descent differ.]
[edit] Indirect inheritance
Occasionally a peer has inherited the title upon the death of a relative who is not one of his parents. (Some say it is incorrect in this case to say the title is inherited from the relative, merely on the death of the relative - since when a peer has no direct descendants, the peerage moves to the second heir of the previous holder (or his heirs), failing that to the second heir of the holder before that (or his heirs), and so in a recursive fashion). When this happens, the relatives in the direct line to the new peer may be allowed to use courtesy titles appropriate to their relationship to that peer or prior heirs. For instance, Rupert Charles Ponsonby, 7th Baron de Mauley inherited the Barony of de Mauley from his uncle in 2002. His brother Ashley had no title, as their father was only an Honourable and was never actually Baron de Mauley. However, in 2003, Ashley was granted by Warrant of Precedence from the Queen Elizabeth II the style and precedence of the son of a baron, becoming The Honourable Ashley Ponsonby. Precedence in such circumstances is usually granted but is not automatic.
[edit] Divorced wives
The divorced wife of a peer will put her Christian name before her husband's title, and lose any style she gained from marriage, and loses any address she gains from that style. So, "Her Grace The Duchess of London" becomes "Mary, Duchess of London," and should be addressed as "Duchess," but no longer "Your Grace." "The Rt. Hon. The Lady London" becomes "Mary, Lady London" and should be addressed as "Lady London," but not "My Lady" (an address gained from the style of Ladyship). ..
[edit] Divorced wives who remarry
Formerly, it was customary for women with higher titles from one marriage to retain them even on subsequent remarriage. As Lord Macnaughten put it in the case of Earl Cowley v Countess Cowley [1901] AC 450: "...everybody knows that it is a very common practice for peeresses (not being peeresses in their own right) after marrying commoners to retain the title lost by such marriage. It is not a matter of right. It is merely a matter of courtesy, and allowed by the usages of society." The divorce court, in the above case, granted the earl an injunction preventing his wife from using his title; however this was overturned by the Court of Appeal and subsequently confirmed by the House of Lords on the grounds not of the legal merit of the case but that ordinary courts simply lacked any jurisdiction in matters of honour.
The same practice was followed by widows who remarried. A prominent example was Catherine Parr, the last wife of Henry VIII, who continued to be known as Queen even after her marriage to Lord Seymour of Sudeley (and, indeed, she disputed precedence with the wife of her brother-in-law the Duke of Somerset on this basis).
This usage died out later in the twentieth century, and women who remarry now ordinarily take a new married name and do not retain their former title.
[edit] Widows
If a peer dies, his wife's style does not change unless the new peer is married. If he is married, traditionally the widowed peeress puts "Dowager" in her style, i.e. "The Most Hon. The Marchioness of London" becomes "The Most Hon. The Dowager Marchioness of London." However, in more recent times, due to negative connotations of the word "Dowager," many widows choose to be styled as a divorcee, except keeping their style. So, "The Rt. Hon. The Viscountess London" becomes "The Rt. Hon. Mary, Viscountess London."
If a widowed peeress's son predeceases her, her daughter-in-law may not use the Dowager styling and must use the Christian name designation until her mother-in-law dies, at which point she may use the Dowager title.
[edit] References
- ^ "The queen herself knighted Sir Elton John, so his new bride would normally be called a lady. Would David Furnish be called Laddie? No chance, says the palace. It called the question "interesting," but passed the buck to the government."- http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0512/20/sbt.01.html
[edit] See also
- List of courtesy titles for a list of courtesy titles in the British peerage
[edit] External links
- Glossary of Burke's Peerage and Baronetage - Courtesy title
- Use of Courtesy titles in Webforms especially for an International audience
- Royal Warrants of Precedence
