Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1873-08-27
Styles and Titles of the English
Mobility.

Foreigners OF rank are half amuse,
and half provoked at the mistakes mad
by Americans. even of the travelled an,
cultivated class, in regard 10 titles. Al
English nobleman, who passed man,
months in this country, lately told
friend that he had scarcely ever received
letter properly addressed, and he wa
greatly amazed at such ignorance of thu
usage of polite society.
1t is really as improper for an Ameri
can to address a nobleman wrongly a:
it would be for President Grant e
address the queen as Mrs. Guelph anC
! it is no reason, because we do not have
titles here, that we should not pay 4
proper Difference to the customs OF
another country. In Switzerland there
is as complete an absence of titles as il
the United States, but Swiss ladies and
gentlemen do not on that account neg
lect to give visitors from other countries
their right style and title; and whar
makes foreigners the more severe on oul
neglect is, that they declare we are quite
as appreciative as the people of any
country in the world, of such dignities
as We do possess, and that colonel, gene
raj, captain, admiral, judge, are paraded
especially in connection with the wives
of officers, having such prefix to theil
names to much greater degree than
elsewhere.
The truth really is, however, that
Americans blunder about titles withou,
the slightest intentional want of respect,
but from their Ignorance on the subject
We propose, therefore, as the British
peersge is the rock on which our people
often split, to explain very briefly the
usage in regard to it.
There are in the British peerage seven
gradations of honor, viz: archbishops,
dukes, marquises, earls, viscounts,
bishops, and barons. Prelates sit foI
life only. They are termed spiritual
peers, and neither wives nor children
derive any rank or title from them.
The eldest sons of the first three orders
of temporal peers take their father
next interior title. Thus, the eldest son
of the Duke of Sutherland takes the
title of Marquis of Stafford" that
being what is called the "second title"
of the Duke of Sutherland and should
the marquis marry and have a son born
during his fathers lifetime, this son
would be called earl Cover" that
being third dignity of the dukes.
These titles are called courtesy-titles,
inasmuch as they have no recognition
in law.
A duke and duchess are with the
exception of archbishops) the only mem
bers of the peerage who have the style
of 'your grace" They are always
spoken of as duke and duchess, and it
would be mark of ignorance of the
usages of high society to speak of the
Duchess of Norfolk or Sutherland, for
example, as Lady Sutherland" or
Lady Norfolk"
On the other hand, it is not customary
to speak of the wives of peers other than
dukes by any title but "lady." People
''in society" would pass a mental com
ment on the man who said, Il saw the
Marchioness of Lansdowne," instead of
saying 81 saw Lady Lansdowne."
The younger sons of dukes and mar
quises have the courtesy styles and title
of right honorable and lord affixed to
their Christian name. Thus, the Duke
of Beaufort's younger son is, by cour-
tesy, 1.-The Right Honorable Lord Henry
Somerset" and should be addressed by
letter, 1.-The Lord Henry Somerset" :"
1.-The" meaning 1.-The Right Honorable ,
The younger sous of dukes and mar
quises are addressed, when spoken to,
as Lord Henry" ''Lord Charles" not
as Lord Somerset, or Lord Manners.
The sons of these younger sons have
no titular rank at all.
The younger sons of viscounts and
barons are styled honorable" and are
addressed by letter as "The Honorable
Frederick Stanley" 'The Honorable
Charles Edgecombe. In talking to
them, they are addressed, ''Mr. Stanley,
Mr.. Edgecombe," and they do not
even style themselves honorable" on
their visiting cards.
The daughters of dukes, marquises,
and earls are styled ''rght honorable
lady" and are addressed 10y letter, "The
Lady Mary Bruce" "The Lady Emily
Lennox," "The" standing for "rhe
Right Honorable" The daughters OF
other peers are styled "rhe Honorable, "
as ''The Honorable Emily de Grey, p"
'The Honorable Charlotte Eden.H In
speaking to the daughters of tine three
highest ranks of the peerage. you would
call them Lady Jane, Lady Emily. Z"
In speaking to the daughters of Wis
counts and barons, you would say,
''Miss de Grey" miss Eden, and, if it
became necessary to distinguish between
two sisters, you would give name and
surname. 1t is not usual, as with us,
to say, "AIiss Emily" or "Miss Char
lotte."
The custom of saying my lady, your
ladyship," has entirely gone out of
fashion, and, except to an old nobleman
or bishop, it is, unless you wish to
be found formal, quite unnecessary to
say, my lord; )" indeed, nothing bores
a lord more than the constant reproduc-
ton of his title.
Nopeers of Scotland have been created
since the Parliamentary Union of that
country with England, In 1707; but
Scotland has, by the terms of that mea-
sure, sixteen representative peers to
represent her in the British Parliament.
The remaining Scotch peers have no
seat in Parliament. Scotch peers are
elected for each Parliament.
Irish peers are still created, because,
by the terms of the Irish Union Act,
their number must be kept up to a
hundred, over and above those who en-
joy seats as peers of England. They
have twenty-eight representatives in the
House of Lords, who are elected for life.
An Irish peer may sit as a member of
the House of Commons for an English
constituency, and Lord Palmerston did
so all his life.
There are few ''peeresses in their
own right" These ladies, if they marry
and have children, transmit their honors
to their eldest son. If they have no
son, but an only daughter, the honors
pass to her. Ii "peeress in her own
right in the English peerage left several
daughters and no son, the peerage would
what is termed, fall into allegiance"
among the daughters. The allegiance
can be terminated by the sovereign, who,
however, does not often take this course
unless there seems prospect of all the
heiresses dying out save one, or unless
one has a male heir. and the others