Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-18
TITLES OF NOBILITY
EVEN THE ENGLISH OFTEN USE
INCORRECT FORM.
An 1ntricats System, With Pitfalls for
People Native and to the
Manor Born.


From the Ladies' Field.
Now that so many Americans have mar
ried into the British peerage and so many
scions of the British nobility are constantly
ningling in American society. the intri-
cacies Of British titles have become a seri-
Gus stumbling block to the unaccustOmed
American tongue. and ludcrous mistakes
are constantly being made. When Lady
Henry Somerset first came to this country
the White Ribboners. not to speak Of the
newspapers. nearly all took It for granted
that she should be addressed as Lady
Somerset. title which belongs to an e.
tirely different person. and even when they
were told that the correct form OF address
was Lady Henry II sounded 30 queer
that they hesitated to say It, and some
times preferred to cut the Gordian knot by
using the appellation Mrs. Somerset"
Many other mistakes of the same kind
might be mentioned. and that Americans
should make them is not surprising. for
even Britishers belonging to the same social
set as the persons under discussion some
times get tangled up in their titles.
One Of the points emphasized in this ar.
ticle Is the sacredness of the word the
In addressing letters this word should be
written to the left of the name. and slightly
8 bove 1t. and from the duke downward 1t
should never be omitted. A great authority
has recently laid down the law that thus
word should not De USED IN ADDRESSING titc
sons and daughters of dukes. marquises
and earls but the fact remains that 1t Is so
used. and persons bearing the courtesy
title of lord" and lady" expect their
letters to be addressed THE Lord Arthur
Vane," 1.-The Lady Agneta South" &c. Yet.
curiously enough. other European titles do
not call for the the" and the letters must
be addressed simply to Baron Goldstein
'Comtesse dAvesne." "Marchesa Floria,
&c.
A,, 81 Ep-
In letters to peers and peeresses the
lord" and lady which are used IN al
dressing them must not be placed on the
envelope. There the full title must appear,
such as The Duke of Northshire.'' The
Warehouses of Newberry." The Countess
Of Freeland." THE Viscount Southshire."
But when 1t comes to barons and baron
| esses, the lowest rank in the British peer
age this rule does not apply. Their let
tiers should be addressed, not The Baron
West" or "The Baroness West" but The
Lord West" and The Lady Vest The
peers widow must be styled either The
Dowager Marchioness Of Newbury: or
Blanche Warehouses of Newbury, &C
cording she herself prefers
In strict correctness. wor'an should
style herself ''dowager' when her son has
succeeded to the title, and prefix her Chris
tan name to her title when the present
holder is not her descendant. In either case
the prefix is written on the envelope above
the title In the same manner as a the
In addressing letter to a duke or duch-
ess some people-chiely of the old fashioned
persuasion-write His Grace the Duke of
Northshire." Her Grace the Duchess of
Grantham." placing the His Grace" or
Her Grace" slightly above the name, to
the left.
In beginning letters to all these people
their friends and equals address them SIM
Dear Lord Newbury." Dear Lady Free
land" etc.
The titles borne by the sons and daugh-
tiers OF peers puzZling, even to the in
itiated. and are the subject of the most fire.
quent mistakes among Americans. The
eldest sons of dukes, marquises and earlS
bear the second title Of their fathers, but
it is only by courtesy. In the eyes of the
law they are not peers, but esquires. The
daughters and younger sons of dukes and
marquises are called lords and ladies'
by courtesy. but legally they are only plain
Arthur South Joan West. The daugh-s
tiers OF earls also take the title of lady"
but their younger sons are not lords"
They prefix the title honorable to their
names. and all the sons and daughters of
viscounts and barons take the same title.
Their letters should be inscribed 1.-The Hon.
John South THE Hon. Violet Vane." and
they should be addressed verbally simply
as Mr. South" and Miss Vane." Persons
bearing the courtesy title of lord and
lady" should be addressed as Lord Ar
thur or Lady JOAN not Lord South
| or Lady West which is frequently done
ny tAe
Complication Of Titles.
If Lord Arthur has wife she is general
ly but not always Lady Arthur for the
rules governing the use Of titles In the
| case of marriages between the sons and
daughters of peers are the very acme of
complication. If Lord Arthur South mar
| ries a woman below him in rank she takes
his name. If she is Of higher or equal
rank she retains her
Lady Elizabeth Manners. daughter of the
Duke of Rutland. was married last year
to Lcrd George Scott. younger son of the
Duke Of Buccleuch. She is now styled Lady
Elizabeth Scott, and not Lady George
Scott. If the daughter of a duke. marquis
| or earl happens to marry a baron, how
ever. she drops her own title. although her
rank is the higher. and assumes that Of
| her husband, for the all sufficient reason
| that he Is a peer.
The signature of a peer is simply the
| name OF his title. Thus, the Duke of Nor
folk signs letter simply Norfolk" If the
| title is a double one. it is written in full
as 'Brougham and Vaux." "Winthelsea and
Nottingham." etc. A peerless usually pre-
| fixes only an initial to her husbands title
| and it is not considered correct to do other
| wise. though some peeresses prefer to write
| Their Christian name in full. thus, Lady
| Mimic, wife of the governor general of
| Canada. always signs Mary Minto." and
Lady Aberdeens signature is Isabel Aber-
| deem
In society. among their friends and
| equals, peeresses speak of and to their hus-
bands by the names of their t'tles-"salis-
! bury" Waterford" Burton" ETC. To an
inferior they would say. Lord So and SO"
! or His lordship." In the home life they
probably speak of and to them as ''Tom,"
| Dick or Harry"
Baronet or Knight.
Addressing a letter to a man bearing the
title of Sir is no simple matter. for he
may be either baronet or a knight, and if
knight he may be *. C. B. &c. C.
| b." or TX. c. v. Or and these things
must be religiously inscribed on the envel-
ope as 'Sir John verney. Bart. or 'SIr
John Verney. X. C. b. Tho wife of a
baronet or knight is simply Lady Verney."
not Lady John verney." as some people
| appear to imagine.
| Ecclesiastical titles also present consid-
cradle difficulty. A letter to the archbishop
of Canterbury or York should be addressed
| to His Grace the Archbishop Of So-and-
&c." bishop should be addressed '"rhe
Right Reverend Bishop Of Bath and Wells. -.
| and letter addressed to him socially.
should begin Dear Lord Bishop" A dean