The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1880-05-06
TEE BRITISH PEEEAGE.

The lowest title is that of Baron,
which is one of the Oldest Originally,
the dignity was attached to the posses
sion of certain lands held according to
feudal system, and the possessor was,
therefore, Baron by tenure. But
III the reign Of King Jonn the great
Barons were specially summoned to the
council Of the nation, and hence arose
the Barons by writ in place of Barons
by tenure. The practice of creating
Barons by letters patent, by which rank
was converted into mere title OF
honor, was first introduced by Richard
H., who, in 1887, created John Beau
champ, of Holt Castle, Baron Beau-.
champ of kidderminster. Niscount
was the first introduced as hereditary
title into the English peerage by Henry
VI, who made John, sixth Baron
Beaumont, Viscount Beaumont, by let
ters patent, l440.. Previously, the
name Welcomes had been used by the
Sheriff of county as the deputy of.the
Earl. o. the five titles 10 which we are
now drawing attention, Earl is the only
one with a Saxon name, and it is GU
rious linguistic fact Shat this character
istic only applies 10 the man himself, as
his wife is styled Countess. The
synonymous names Earl and Count had
a fight for q time, but the former sur
vived as the filter Of the two. There
were different descriptions of earldoms,
but they were each, as the name
"Comes" would show, intimately con-
nected with the country. In course of
time this was changed, and Roger Nor
timer, Lord of Wiqnore, on the Welsh
March, created Earl of March in
1928, was the first Earl whose dignity
was unconnected with a shire. The
custom OF adopting titles taken from
countries and towns was extended to
villages and private estates, and IN
some instances family names have even
been used instead Of place names. The
original Marquesses were guardians of
the frontier marches. but the first Eng
lish marquessate III the English sense
was conferred in 1886 upon Robert De
We're, Earl OF Oxford, who was created
Marques Of Dublin by Richard III.
The Earl of Somerset was made Mar
guess OF Dorset by the same King, but
the title was taken from hm in the
next reign. The House of Commons
petitioned that it might be restored,
but tue Earl did not wish for the higher
honor, as it was considered an inuova-
ton. AT one period IN the reign of
George III. there was only one Mar
guess ON the roll OF the peerage
Dukes, in the older European sense of
Governors of Dukedoms, do not appear
to have been known in England. Ed
ward the Black Prince, who was Gre
ated Duke OF Cornwall in 1885, was
the first English Duke, and for some
time this rank was confined to the royal
family, Although others afterwards
obtained the title, they were very few,
and it was not until the reigns Of vii.
liam III. and Anne that its general
character was changed Although all
holders Of these different titles take
precedence according to their relative
rank, they sit rs peers or equals in the
House of Lords. The eldest son of
Duke, OF Marques, or of an Earl,
although he remains Commoner, bears
one OF the titles Of his father by cour-
ttesy. These are sometimes changed,
but usually the same title is used for
several generations. The son of Duke
Is commonly Marquis; of Marquis
an Earl; and OF an Earl Viscount: but
this is not always the case; for instance,
the Marquis of Salisbury's second title
IS Earl of Salisbury; so, in order to
avoid confusion, his eldest son is forced
to take the third title, which is Vis-
count Cranborne>