The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-06-16
The British Peerage.

The lowest is that of Baron, which is
one of the oldest Originally, the dignity
was attached to the possession of certain
lands held according to the feudal system,
and the possessor was, therefore Baron
by tenure. In the reign of King John,
the great Barons were specially sum-
moned to the council of the nation, and
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 a mere
title of honor, was first introduced by
Richard IL, who, in 1887, created John
Beauchamp, of Holt Castle, Baron Beau
champ of Kidderminister. Viscount was
first introduced as hereditary title into
the English peerage by Henry VI, who
made John, sixth Baron Beaumont,
Viccount Beaumont, by letters patent,
in 144O Previously, the name Vice
comes had been used by the Sheriff
of a county as the deputy of the Earl.
Of the five titles to which we are now
drawing attention, Earl is the only one
with Saxon name, and it is a curious
linguistic fact that this characteristic
only applies to the man himself as his
wife is styled a Countess. The synony-
nous names Earl and Count had a fight
for time, put the former survived as the
filter of the two. There were different
descriptions of earldoms, but they were
each, as the name comes would show, in
timately connected with the county. In
course of time this was changed, and
Roger Mortimer, Lord of Wigmore, on
the Welsh March, created Earl of March
in 1923, was the first Earl whose dignity
was unconnected with shire. The Gus
tom of adopting titles taken from counties
and towns was extended to villages and
private estates, and in some instances fam
lily names have even been used instead of
place names. The original Marquesses
were Guardians of the frontier marches,
but the first English maruuessate in the
modern sense was conferred in 1885 upon
Robert De We're, Earl of Oxford, who
was created Marques of Dublin by Rich
ard Ii. The Earl of Somerset was made
Marques of Dorset by the same King,
but the title was taken from him in the
next reign. The House of Commons pc
titioned that it might be restored, but
the Earl did not wish for the higher
ANAASA1 GO ~ Wteo NOilSlu6IeO an innovation.
At one period in the reign Of George III.
there was only one Marques on the roll of
thepeerage. Dukes, in the older European
sense of Governors of Dukedoms, do not
appear to have been known in England.
Edward the Black Prince, who was Gre
ated Duke of Cornwall in 1885, was the
first English Duke, and for 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 reign Of William 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 as peers or equals
in the House Of Lords The eldest son of
Duke or Marques, or Of an Earl al
though he remains q commoner, bears
one Of the titles Of his father by courtesy.
These are sometimes changed but usually
the same title is used for several genera
tons. The son Of Duke is commonly a
Marquis, Of Marquis an Earl and Of an
Earl a Viscount; but this is not always
the case; for instance, the MARQUIS Of
Salisbury's second title is Earl of Sails
bury; 50 in order to obviate confusion,
his eldest son is forced to take the third