The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-07-10

heraldry, though custom hath divided them AM
applied the first to gentry Of the highest degree
Ihu 'ne ast 70 mobiles Of the lowest rank" The
ApS inc hrst gentleman in the state not the frat
nopieman; and when James l. admitted into ths
rank OF gentlemen persons Of plebean origin. ths
operative words used in their patents were these,
N0ohitdmus, ipSus mobiles facinas st cyeun,ms
The eldest sons Of dukes, marouisses. ana oar,
are 6y law esJuires and as such ge atlemen and
noblemen: Yet their courtesy titles are those Of
msn earl ana VisooInt Irish peers in like
glble to be chosen members Of the House Of ComIs
mons. For example, Viscount Palmerston, M p
against whom writ would lie in any Of our sourts
Of law; II taken out against him, merely as Henry
John Temple, Esq
The three terms-nobilty, aristocracy, and een-
try-are all equivalent terms in heraldry, az
heraldry is understood throughout the Christian
monarchies of Europe. And though our families
OF quality differ in graduation Of rank, as they
do in titles and privileges incident thereunto.
nevertheless, such a remark as IS The lords are
are IN law peers in respect of their want of no.
bility," is very vulgar error. The former are
peers in respect of their political nobility or right
70 hereditary seats in Parliament, and the latter
aie peers IN respect of their want of political no.
ointy. But the lowest class of our gentry are
moofes as much as the third class of our peers viz
e S are princes In the Nobiiorun,, Familiarun,
;SyAogs &c Ganutero ct Aiis, published by the
learned Sir Thomas Smith, Secretary of State To-
queen Elizabeth, in his treatise on the English
cemtrv ~ frequent notices occur Of families Of
INN
or most noble. Indeed, of the whole BODY NJ on,..
ancient landed gentry, or esquirage families. If
%ay e sSs sad of them collectively that they
Smith designates the Popham family, viz, Noblis.
shnid Fdmittd It EqmeSttiS.
-, At the accession of James l. to the English
throne the peers of England were only 50 in num-
Der. The general statistics of the peera 20 now
show that there are about 81 English peers 81
Scottish, lis British, POI Irish, and 1873 Unit.d
hlngdom-in all, about 66l: The House of Lords,
however, or legislative portion Of the peerage,
sists only Of 81 members having personal seat and
voice the residue (25i peer0 being represented by
~ of their number.
The title Donnnus has, for some centuries, under
that OF baron. The Prince of Wales is g Lord Of
the Isles" and Baron of Renfrew;' as the former.
ne would take rank with peers of Parliament; as
the latter, ne would have precedency next after
la st created baronet. The barons who are peers,
are all lord barons. The titles of such barons as
have not now seat in Parliament, have all merged
IN the higher titles Of baronet, lord, viscoun earl
marquis, or duke. There are q few individuals Of
foreign origin, principally Jews who have had con-
ferred upon them, by foreign princes, the continent
tai ttular dig nifty of baron. But such title gives
no rank orprecedenee in this country higher than
that of esquire.
A catalogue Of our six degrees of dignity-hero-
ditary or high nobility, according to iheir respec-
TIVE dates of creation-would show
About Az peers enjoying titles created from llSl to
" ZIG peers and 32l baronets enjoying titles
created from 1909 to 100.
" 236 peers and 2iS baronets enjoying titles
created from 100 to 1900 And
" I'll peers and 39l baronets enjoying titles
created from 1900 to 1850.
Whilst. then, the members of our six degrees of
high nobility thrown together do not much exceed
loO0 in all, (of whom about 100 form the House of
Lords,) 1t is to be remembered that the eldest
oil these MOBILES alone enjoy courtesy titles and
precedence, whereas on the continent not only all
the soIs OF the hae no6sse, but all the OF the
lesser nobility (and the less nobility the con-
tlnent is composed of all counts barons, and other
titulares not having seat and voice in their national
dets) use and take their fathers title in the same
way that every son OF an esquire with US now calls
himself esquire.
In his work on the Mobility Of the British
1entIy, the late Sir James Lawrence mentions
Il ussa is said to contain $4,000 mobiles; Austria,
IN late enumeration, 239, 600 mobiles; Spain, i'm
l1e5, enrolled 40 900 mobiles; and France at the
revolution, 365, 600 mobiles, of whom II2O families
were Of ancient gcntility. These countries reckon
every person noble who has any pretensions not to
be held plebeian, and every male descendant from
= titled stock assumes and takes the family title
u is the reverse OF this principle wnch makes
titled rank in the British monarchy so pre-. eminent
and distinctive.
In iz9S, when the subject Of arporial bearings
was before Parliament, 9,4JS families in England,
md @,OO0 in Scotland, proved catitcd TO bear
inns All these, Of course, are noble, in the Eu-
-opean sense OF the word.
OF the front rank of our -Ol lily, t. C., our
country csqairage families, it - said with JUS
zee that they are 1,os nDtsS, ami for cent aries
nave been SeaHyT mobiles, whilst OF the whole body
Is not TO be forgotten that they are more re-
Variable IN respect of historical "reminiscences.
blood, wealth, influence, education, and chivalrous
regular in their constituent parts.
Ma less polluted by ntermxture of base materials
than any corps oi nobility which is a. the present
lay to be found in Europe.