The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-10-28
Our Titled cousins.
.oxx FACTS NOT GENERALLY KNOWN Asots
TIE ENGLISH NOBILITY.

(Timcs-Dcmocrat.I
In spite OF theoretical republcanism.
Americans arc fond nj least OF reading and
talking about hereditary rank and titles, as
Il shown by our newspapers, magazines,
ami novels. The mistakes which we make
In relation to them are as marvellous In tue
ewes Of wcll.informed foreigners rs their
mistakes In matters OF American geography
and history are In ours; but the subject Is
not the less attractive on that account.
Moreover, rs far as the British peerage IL
concerned. it is an essential part OF the
British Constitution, and as such can hard
IL be considered trivial subject. NO
apology Is necessary, therefore, Tor Drlei
statement OF some OF its general features
and an effort TO correct some OF tiie most
prevalent misconceptions concerning tnem.
As almost everybody knows, there are
five degrees of pobility--dukc, marquis Tor
maroucss. MS IL IL sometimes writtenb earl,
yiscount. and baron. The title "prlnce I"
is In England given only TO members OF
the ROYAL family. Earl" Is the equiya-
lent ~ the "count" OF continental
Furope, and the wife OF an earl or female
representative OF an earldom is countess.
There is also wide difference between
British and continental usage with regard
10 the lowest and most numerous order OF
mobility, the barons. Although legally and
officially "barons." they are not so STYLED
in England, except in legal and official
documents The word is not used az q
prefix or compilation OF courtesy. We
never hear OF Baron Bateman, Baron
wolseley, or Baron Napier OF Magdala-
as we do If Baron Won Bunsen or Baron
r, bschild-but simply Of Lord Bateman.
Lord Woseley, or Lord Napier. Even
their formal address is 'The Right Hon
orable Lord Bateman," etc.
There are other distinctions in the peer
age less generally understood than those
Just mentioned. Long after Ireland and
Scotland were united with England under
the same sovereign they were legislatively
separate. each country retaining its own
Parliament, It's own distinct peerage, and
other national institutions. The legisia-
tive union between England and Scotland
was accomplished in the year 1907; that
between Great Britain and Ireland took
effect on the LIST day OF January, 1901. AS
consequence OF these political changes,
there are now six different classes OF peer
age: /, those OF England, created before
the union with Scotland; 2, OF Scot
land, also OF date prior to 1907; 3,
of Great Britain, created between the union
with Scotland and that with Ireland; 4, of
Ireland, already existing st the time OF the
union OF 1901 5, OF the United Kingdom,
created since the union with Ireland; 6, OF
Ireland, also OF recent origin. There are
no Scotch titles OF origin subsequent to
1907, but by the act Of union with Ireland
the sovereign is authorized TO create one
new Irish pceraee for every four that be-
come extinct. Hence the existence OF the
Iixth class.
In general The peers Of these various
,lasses rank, according to their respective
grades OF nobility, in the order IN which
we have placed them, but only those OF the
first, third. and eth classes are "peers OF
the realm f" by hereditary right, entitled as
such TO membership in the House OF Lords.
The Scotch nobility are represented in that
body by sixteen OF their own number,
elected for each Parliament; the Irish by
twenty-eight. elected for life.
Many OF the Scotch and Irish mobiles,
however, have also peerages Of England,
OF Great Britain, or of the United King
dom, by virtue OF which they sit in the
House OF Lords. Thus the Scotch Duke
OF Bucclcuch sits and votes in Parliament
rs Earl OF Doncaster, q peer OF England ;
the Duke OF Argyll as Baron Sundridge, a
peer Of Great Britain; the Marquis of LO-
THAN rs Baron Kerr, peer OF the United
kingdom: the Irish Marquis OF Down
shire, now Junior. will sit. when Of age,
as the British Earl OF Hlllsboro'. etc, etc.
The case Of the Abercorn titles, now held
by one Of the Hamilton family. is still
more illustrative. The present incum-
bent was heir OF the ancient Scotch
earldom of Abercorn, and also Of the Brit
ish marquisate OF Abercorn OF later origin,
when, i'm 1865, he was elevated TO the rank
OF Duke Of the Irish peerage. He holds,
therefore, all three titles -one Tor each OF
the three kingdoms-anda all derived from
an insignificant parish in Scotland. The
earldom, through the lowest grade OF the
three, is the most aristoeratic, as being the
most ancient: the dulledom, rs the most
exalted in rank. is that by which he Is
known and addressed; but it is as marquis
that he sits in the House OF Lords.
The Irish nobility have peculiar priv
ilege, not enjoyed by the Scotch. An Irish
peer, not having any English or Scotch
title, aud not being representative OF bis
order in the House OF Lords, may be
elected and sit for any English or Scotch
(but not for an Irish constituency in the
House Of Commons. The late Lord Pal
merston was an illustrious example OF the
exercise OF this privilege. Although an
Irish viscount, he sat in the House OF
Commons for more than fifty years as
the representative OF one or another
English constituency. He might no doub
have obtained peerage that would have
given him seat in the House OF Lords II
be had wished it, but he preferred to re-
tain his place in the more powerful brancl
OF the Legislature. In like manner Lore
ric hapOn sito in
present House Of Commons as one OF TIN
members for East Suffolk.
Social distinction is altogether difleren
thing from merely titular or political rank
and does not necessarily correspond wit
it. The old Scotch and Irish nobility o
the lower aud poorer grades would proba
bly esteem but lightly such modern digni
ties as those Of the rich Duke OF Vest
minister OF the officially distinguish
Marquis OF Ripon. Perhaps the mo;
aristocratic blood in the three king
doms Is that OF the De Courcey'
tarons OF Knsale Tor Kingsale), in lrC
land--the most ancient existing title {
nobility. more than 700 years old, datin
from the reign OF Henry the Second. Lor
Kingsale is the only subject Of the SOW
reign who has according to an old trad
tom the 20 wear his hat in the pre-
ence OF roy atty, ana yet ne is poor nhf'
OF the lowest grade OF nobility, and has 4
seat in the House OF Lords.
.sTitles Of courtesy" and tho variety
applications Of the terms Lord" an
"I,adyv are among the most commC
sources OF confusion and misconceptio
The children OF peer are, In the eye
the law, only commoners. But the pee
OF the higher grades generally have sever
inferior titles, the chief OF which Is b
slowed upon the eldest son and heir, 81
courtesy" as 1t Is termed, though usa