ROOTS
British Honorifics
Basis of page below thanks to Henry Churchyard
in newsgroup
soc.genealogy.medieval
| Title | Self | Wife | Son | Daughter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | Duke +title | Duchess+title | Lord | Lady +first name |
| Marquis | Lord +title | Lady +title | Lord | Lady+first name |
| Earl | Lord +title | Lady +title | Hon. | Lady +first name |
| Viscount | Lord +title | Lady +title | Hon. | Hon. |
| Baron | Lord +title | Lady +title | Hon. | Hon. |
| Baronet | Sir +first name | Lady +surname | Mr. | Miss |
| Knight | Sir +first name | Lady +surname | Mr. | Miss |
NOTES
- "Peers" are Barons and above.
- Hereditary titles are Baronet and above.
- ``Title'' in the table above means the name of the noble title itself, which is not necessarily the same as the surname of the person holding the title (i.e. "John Fitzwilliam, Earl of Framlingham", is known as "Lord Framlingham", not "Lord Fitzwilliam").
- ``First Name'' in the table above means that the surname can also be added, but first name cannot be omitted -- i.e. Sir Walter Elliot, Baronet, can be referred to as "Sir Walter", but never as "Sir Elliot".
- ``Surname'' means that the honorific must be followed directly by
- Only Earls and up have peerage courtesy titles for the eldest sons. A few Scottish Viscounts and Lords have "Master" courtesy titles.
From Richard H.B. Carruthers(-Zurowski):
There are many subtleties to all of this, and so reference to works such as "Debrett's Correct Form" ought to be made where necessary. Of course, styles have changed over the centuries, so older works or works dealing with the evolution of titles and forms of address should be consulted. Many is the time that someone on this list claims descent from Princess X or other when such usage is, in fact, an anachronism that can make the descendant look at once ill-informed and snobbish!
Another point is that the Monarch, Fountain of all Honours [within her dominions], can grant anyone the title and style of, say the daughter of a duke, marquess, or earl. This happens not infrequently when the daughters of a man who would have succeeded to a title had he lived a little longer have their chances of being known by a courtesy title snatched away by the untimely demise of their esteemed parent and the succession to the peerage of a junior member of the family, who is a male cadet covered by the peerage creation. In addition, this is one way that foreign royals can be quietly but respectfully incorporated into British society following the 1917 model. Thus the Duke of Edinburgh's cousin, another Greek royal, was given the courtesy title and rank of a duke's daughter in 1947, by King George VI, and went from being H.R.H. Princess Katherine of Greece and Denmark to being Lady Katherine [married name] Brandram.
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Last Update: Sunday, December 30, 2007