False titles of nobility

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Fake titles of nobility are supposed titles of nobility which have, in fact, been fabricated, and are not recognized by any government, or have not been so recognized in the past. They have received an increasing amount of press attention as the number of schemes which attempt to sell these titles has increased.

[edit] British titles

It is impossible to purchase genuine British titles of nobility or peerage titles directly, with one possible exception: it is possible (at least just before 28 November 2004) to acquire a feudal title (in meaning: actual title to superiority over territorial entity) to a Scottish barony.

However, it is debatable whether or not acquiring of the right to such a barony itself actually confers nobility. The noble rank of Baron derived from such a feudal barony for the reason that holders of such baronies are usually, upon petition, granted arms by the Lord Lyon of Scotland, even if they were not previous of an arms-bearing family. It is the opinion of some that it is this grant of arms, and not the single title to a barony itself, that confer upon the holders of such titles nobility under the rank of Baron, because the grant of arms in baronial form is a form of official confirmation of a baronial title by the British Crown upon a person, who has acquired the right to such a barony. Lord Lyon acted on behalf of the Sovereign (the sole Fons Honorum for the United Kingdom), therefore such a grant of baronial arms by Letters Patent is a form of re-grant of baronial title by the British Crown.

The British embassy to the United States, warns that "the sale of British titles is prohibited by the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act, 1925." [1]. Historically, only the Sovereign has been allowed to grant titles.

The title of Lord of the Manor, a minor feudal title (and not a title of nobility), however, can be traded, though not all sellers of such are genuine. It's important to note here that this title does not grant any change in the prefix of the holder's name. Lords or Ladies of the Manor may style themselves thus: "The Lord/Lady of the Manor of" or "The Lord/Lady of". The preposition "of" must be retained to differentiate from a title of peerage.

The only 'title' it is possible to purchase in the UK is the Scottish prefix 'Laird', as that simply means landowner in Socts, and is therefore relatively easy and cheap to acquire.

[edit] Continental European titles

Many who choose to invent false titles of nobility take advantage of the pool of genuine titles of nobility which derive from a time when a country, now a republic, was once a monarchy, for example France, Austria and the many parts of Germany which had sovereign nobles. One advantage of assuming such a title, is that, contrarily with the British nobility, there is usually no longer any official arbitrator who can or will judge between two separate claimants to such a title. In some such countries, titles may nevertheless be protected by an appropriate law, such as France, or by an extension of copyright law.