The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-03-22
QUEER pEERAGE CUSTOMS.
BRITISH PEERS FREE AND EASY
OUTSIDE OF PARLIAMENT.

| wi olDS UT ThAllhuENls
Queen Victoria Tried TO Change the
Rules q Descent, with Hattie Regard
70 the law - TItles Claimed mat
Are Not Known % Exist, and 9th
en- Inveoted - Suit special Cases.
The manners and customs OF the peers
In the British House Of Lords. which were
described In an extract from the London
Daily Mol printed recently In The Sun. are
not the only free and easy things about the
British peerage. While It IL very hard
for claimant to peersge to obtain q
decision In his favor from the House OF
Lords, once in the sacred circle q MAO may
do very much as he pleases, and no one.
| except the antiqnarie win say him nay.
The late Queen Victoria. though she was
a stickler for oeremonious details. had a
very strong opinion Of her divine right as
fountain Of honor to do about as she chose
in altering patents OF nobility and peer
ages; and several times the courts had to
remind her that she must play the game
according to the rules. As tho courts
couldn't compel her to do so. however she
didn't.
Peerages are legally real estate in Eng
land, and subject TO the laws Of descent
and those laws, the courts held. could not be
changed by the Queen alone. She changed
'em. however.
In 1851 she bestowed the Earldom Of
Cromartie upon the Duchess Of Sutherland,
limiting its descent to her second son. the
FIRST instance recorded Of such an ignoring
Of the eldest son. who, by all the laws Of
descent, had the right to succeed When
the Duchess son died. the carbon. by
the terms Of it's creation and the same laws,
should have been suspended; but the Queen
announced that the elder OF the Earl's two
daughters was Countess OF Cromarte.
II she had created the earldom for the young
lady 1t would have been all right; but she
tried to add new clauses to the patent
granted in 1851. and the peerage lawyers
and the courts said she had gone beyond
her power.
A few years later her Majesty bowed TO
the courts and instead Of trying to insert
new clauses In the existing patent Of the
Burton barony. gave a new patent entirely.
II any person wishes to claim the Earldom
OF Cromartie under the patent OF 1851, it
would seem that the courts would sustain
him II his proof OF descent is complete.
1t probably isn't. however.
The Duke Of Norfolk is the senior Duke
OF England, and head OF the Herald's Col
lege. which is supposed to look after coats
OF arms and heraldic matters in general.
He claims precedence from a creation Of
1888: but the holder OF the dukedom Of
that date was attained by Parliament
in 1885 besides being killed at Bosworth
Field, and the present dukedom dates
from 1914, when IL was created by Henry
VIII. The difference OF thirty-one years
does not affect the Dukes seniority.
Then, too, his Grace assumes on his arms
an augmentation granted TO one Of the
Towards In 1913 for services rendered At
Flodden Field; but the augmentation
which Q peerage writer compares to the |
enemy's scalp worn by an Indian war
rior-beionss to the older-line. and not to /
the Duke at all.
When william Alexander. a New York
provision dealer. asserted his right TO the !
Scottish Earldom OF Stirling some i+0 years |
ago, the House OF Lords declined to award |
the earldom to him, although by Scots |
law-and IL was a Scots peerage-he was |
entitled 20 it: the House decided to try |
the case by English law. In Scotland and
n in this E% s, sIandeF P Sss
descendant should claim the title now |
he might get il; there il less prejudice |
against Americans now than there was
In 1851.
for more than two hundred years have
pretended to be descended from the Haps-
burg-, and called themselves Counts Of
Hapsburg, LaufIenburg and Rheinfelden.
asserting that their name Fielding, not
Fielding, came from the last named count;
ship; but the claim, though recognized
officially in England as valid. has never
been recognized in Austria. where one OF
the Hapsburgs - Emperor.
What In said to be the most remarkable
case In the peerage history OF Great Britain
and held by William James Hore-Ruthven,
and his son has been officially recorded rs
Master Of Ruthven. or heir to the title,
But though the title IL said To date only
from 1851, there h no record that any
patent has ever been issued, OF any barony
has ever b.en created.
Almost every one o! the higher peerage~
In England has lower peerages belonging
To D. and the eldest sons 81 dukes. mar
quiS.-s and earis assume by courtesy these
lower p~erages for themselves. Thus the
Marquis ~ Har ington was really sIsrnocr
Compton Cavendlsli, f.sq, until he suo-
csedsd hls father ne Duke 81 Deyonshiro.
81. too. the son ~ the late Duke ~ North
umi-rland called himself by courtesy
Earl Percy. taking hls fa'her's highest
Inferior title. and III. tar's .ld.st ~on wAs
oall.d Lord Marx worth, using . lover
til. u his grandfather
Two, perhaps more. 81 the ears, how
eysf. have either ~ lower Titles 80 slse
tales ths same name 40 their pfinciTal
- that tlssir eldest sons have none
"a ,i.s even by oouris.y Hut fr--ly and
ea.lly lh.y invent suah titles fbus, Henry
lourtsnAy, f<a., eldasl son ~ the k-AH II
Devon, called hlinss'f Ls,fd tss,1tshsy aud
lsofss lhATl.s bingham, t-q son - tic
iAr " IAin.n, calls hiiasslf Lard iiihsilAm
kssy slinilsf 70 tho o@ss ~ il.s go ~ tho
tAu "a Ma, silo a.lls hiiass.lf Lad hafl,,sh
Il.ssfs 10 noihlns ~ f.osfd Ca slsos thai
sud y thls stef sAH,sd
Nhsn the daughter ~ duks, marquis
~ san iAsfflss D oimtnoissf, sis fstAlns
I.ss thr.silsS hsns bat iskss ils ssiasn.s
y . uuls ills v sh1 u,ss isasls a NJ sisd
I.ady blas Ais.as Aas,llss bai shs
nasdni do so a.d isa ladlss ~ kasi base
nd doiss -
O,.s ~ ,h.-s % s,.si ,ss.sis lad, tis..a
L..l.slsfs asasl,fsf - 10 lsts Itlks -
N AIl..f.s nI.H ff.afflsul laSi faaf l,ilss |