Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-07-14
THE BARoNs OF ENGLAND.
Origin and Development OF the
Order.

count. This may probably De dCSo"'s
for, says the London Standard, by the
incidents of Magma Charta and the wars
in which the barons figured so promi'
uently. They sprang into being Directly
after the Norman conquest. but before
this, In the Anglo-Saxon times, they mad
their prototype in the thames. who were
hereditarlly endowed with large posses
sions. held OF the King by the tenure
of knights service. In order 10 be
thane 1t was necessary either 10 hold an
office in the court OF the King. or, being
a cOuntryman, or churle, TO have tully
five hides Of his own land, a church, a
kitchen, a Dollhouse, and borough
gate with a seat" as a Saxon writer IN
forms us. This short category gives US
some insight into the nobility Of that pc
riod. The fully five hides of his own
land" shows the owner must have been
a man OF substance. and the Church In
dicates that the spiritual needs of those
around him were to be part of his care.
The kitchen and Dollhouse Tor banquet
ing-halD, TO which guests were sum-
moned then, as now in many country
houses, by the sounding OF bell, point
to hospitality as being part of his quail
fication. In reference TO this statute
OF Richard ii. calls the Kings Hall Tinel-
LEROY, from the sounding of a bell Tht
"borough-gate with a seat was the court
or place where justice was administered,
and answers to the expression Sitting in
the gate" frequently met with I'm the Old
Testament This administration OF JUS
tice is the origin Of the court baron
which still survives all manors.
Such then. was the forerunner Of the
baron. He held land from the King on
the terms that In times Of war he should
H.. IT,. L II 81
lowers or retainers, while I'm times OF
peace he should be pious, hospitable, and
judicious; in fact. a model country gen
tleman. When however. William the
Norman ascended the English throne. one
OF his first acts was TO assume possession
100 baronies or great fiefs, and from this
time the term baron gradually eclipsed
that of thane. These baronies he gave
to his Norman followers, who had aided
him in the conquest Of our land, on condi-
ton they. in return, gave personal ser
vice when required. equipped and main
tained a certain number OF soldiers. or ful-
filled duties connected with the court.
The 700 baronies were subdlyided into
nearly GO000 knight fees. for some OF
them were Of immense extent. and the
original tenants from the Crown made
grants TO their vassals in the same way
the King had made grants to them IL Is
from this that the title of greater and
traces of which no doubt may remain 10
the present day, that some OF these lesser
barons took as their own arms those or
the lord from whom they held their lands
either changing the tinctures or adding
something TO the charge. As an example
OF this, Cussans in his Handbook or Her
aldry quotes from an old manuscript.
"Albayne Lord of Belvoir bore Or. two
Cheverons, and Canton guies; from mn, MN
Stanton OF stanton, a gentleman OF Not
tinghamshire, bears Argent, two CheVe-
rons. and a bOrdure sable. and held his
lands Of We said Albayne by the tenure OF
Casteward, by keeping and defending
tower in the Castle Of Belvor."
Very soon this practice OF subinfeuda-
ton became a danger TO the King, for
at first all who held any quantity OF land
from the King directly had, without as
tinction a right 10 be summoned 10 Par
lament but their number becoming so
great. King John was obliged 10 divide
them, and summoned only the greater
barons in person, leaving the Sherlu 10
summon the lesser. and to sit by repre-
sentatiOn In another house; hence arose
the Two houses of Parliament. In the
reign Of Henry III. tenure began 10 De
dsregarded. and persons who held no
lands OF the Crown We're summoned py
the Kings writ, until II eventually came
TO be understood that no person was en-
titled 10 sit in Parliament unless SUM-
mOned by the Kings writ, and this VIII
constituted the receiver and his heirs
general peer Of the realm. but tnls
writ was not sufficient 10 make the re-
ceiver a baron. unless he actually fulfilled
the duties 10 which he was called. IL Is
a curious fact that not a single barony
of the original ones held by feudal tenure
now remains 1t was not until the reign
of Richard H. that barons were created
by patent by which the succession was
restricted 10 the heirs male Of his body,
In contradistinction TO the heirs general
mentioned I'm the writ. the first of such
ton hot Of nfn u n IL
champ. Baron Beauchamp. OF kydder-
minister. For a time after this peerages
were created indifferently. both by writ
and patent, but in the present day the
patent IS the form usually employed.
When a barony Is conferred by patent
40 soon as the official seal is on the docu-
ment the title is complete. though
the holder never takes his seat In Parlia-
ment.
There is also another point as 10 the de-
scent Of the title which differs in the cases
Of creation by writ or patent. II the
holder Of barony by writ dies leaving no
son, but two or more daughters. the title
falls into allegiance. For, having no son,
and daughters being regarded as equal.
they are entitled TO an equal division or
their fathers estate; but as the title can
not be divided, 1t must walt until only
one Of the cO-neirs or their descendants
remains alive Yet the Crown can at any
time terminate an allegiance in favor OF
one Of the cO-heirs As an instance or
this the earldom Of Cromartie may be
cited where Francis. second Earl. died,
leaving two daughters, and the title fell
into allegiance between them but her Ma
iesty has recently been pleased 10 terlni-
nate the allegiance In favor OF Sibell LII
liam, the elder OF the daughters VINO is
now Countess Of Cromartie. In the case
Of a peerage created by patent such case
could not arise for the title is limited 10
the heirs male OF his body. and not 70
heirs general. This shuts out the daugh-
ters and should there be failure or sons,
the title Is at once extinct.
There is another term sometimes used In
with peerages, which Is ire
quently misapplied or confused with
dormant. A title Is DOR
r,ant not while cO-hers survive. but when
It's possessor does not assume the rank
10 which be Is entitled. At first all noble
men were barons. though they might also
be possessed of higher rank, and when
a baron was raised degree in the peer
age. IL sometimes CHANGED that In the
course Of time the two titles had descend
ed differently. and so II + not an un-
common thing 10 see an earl or otner
superior title without barony; and in
modern times there are cases or creations
OF superior titles without a barOny being
annexed. The summons 10 Parliament
TO English barons is different
from that sent TO the otner ranks or the
The barons are summoned by
their Christian and surnames. with the
addition of the title. added to which IS
the old Norman term chevalier. Thus
the summons TO Baron Hylton would be
"Hedworth Hylton Jolffe, OF
Hylton. I'm the County Of Durham, Cheva-
Her" while the other ranks would be sum-
m0ned hV their Christian names and titles
only, thus: Charles Phillip, Earl OF Hard
wick: Bronow Henry George Manners, OF
Exeter: Robert. Viscount Hereford"
Sometimes the eldest son OF peer is
10 the House OF Lords by writ
I'm his fathers lifetime. and placed In a
barony vested In his father; but in this
case the writ does not deprive the father
Of the barOny. nor give the son any new
enable him to sit in Parliament. But
should he die before his father. leaving
an heir Of his hnfv canahle of inherlfinP