The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-06-06
Sir Edgar Speyer, Who
Can't Rid Himself of Title

the will of its holder. and that there
fore, nolens volens, Bernard Coleridge
had become through his fathers death
a peer Of the realm In the eyes of the
law. possessed Of all the prerogatives
OF that rank, but also subject to its
disadvantages, among the latter being
the inability to sit in the House of
Commons or to take any part in Par
liamentary elections.
Fortunately the Government was
moved by his predicament to bestow
upon him by way Of compensation for
the loss Of his legal practice several
minor judicial positions. and on the
occasion OF the first vacancy a seat
on the bench OF the High Court. with
a salary Of $40, 900 a year and a PEN
sion of $4,000 a year for the re-
mainder of his life on his retirement.
In ancient times English monarchs
possessed the right Of dispeering as
well as Of creating peers: and histori-
cal research IA brought to light the
fact that In the Plantaeenet and Tu-
dor eras members of the House o:
Lords were frequently dispeered by
lie U1bldTCn NHtI lntN HdIIbtHtN u
have given him cause for offence.
Thus there is on official record the
instance of a Duke of Bedford who
was dispeered by Edward ", de-
prived Of all his hereditary titles and
reduced to the level of an ordinary es-
quire on the ground that in the esti-
nation Of the Crown he was too poor
to maintain the rank OF "A peer OF the
I realm.
The sovereign, however. has long
ceased to enjoy these powers In Great
Britain. For when in 1873 Robert
Villiers petitioned Charles II. that he
might surrender and resign to his
Majesty the title and honor of Wis.,
| count Verbeck. and all other his o
ors and titles. as well in possession
as in remainder" the decision of the
House of Lords, to whom the matter
had been referred. was as fo,ows;
The Lords Temporal and Spiritual
in Parliament assembled. upon very
long debate. are unanimously of the
| opinion. and do resolve and adjudge.
| tina no fine now levied, nor at any
| time hereafter to be levied to the
| King, can bar such title Of honor. or
, the right Of any person claiming such
title under him that levied, or shall
levy such fine"
This in plain. every day phraseol-
ogy means that the sovereign could
not deprive or relieve a peer Of his
honors and dignities as such. Among
the reasons which the House of Lords
gave for its decision on that occasion
WAS that a peerage was a dignity
annexed to the blood and that only
a corruption OF blood by Parlia-
mentary attainder OF high treason can
hinder the descent. Further, that the
title of viscount is not so much a
private interest as a public right.
since peers are Councillors Of State.
and are a part OF a ~Senatory body,
and therefore cannot he renowned
without the consent of all those who
have interest in it,
From this 1t appears that so far as
the peer himself is concerned "he can
not divest himself Of his dignity; 10:
he cannot convey 1t, while so far as his
heirs are concerned he cannot Gust
their rights. save by corrupting his
W blood. and In consequence theirs;
and this he can do only by commit
ting and being convicted of high trea-
son. which alone corrupts blood"
Finally. that wen IL a peer were
otherwise empowered TO divest him
self OF his peerage he could not do
so without the consent of his fellow
peers.
These decisions on the part OF the
House Of Lords were reafiirmed by
that body as recently as in 1907 when
sitting as the highest tribunal OF the
land on the Earldom OF Norfolk peer
age case. the point being emphasized
that under no circumstances could "A
peerage be alienated or transferred
to another, or surrendered to the
Crown.
or Course it is always possible for
a peer or haronet to refrain from
making use Of his honors. Thus the
late Sir Arthur Cowell- Stepney. who
died mysteriously in a village railroad
station in Arizona some years ago,
and who, n great landowner in Wales
and In California. abandoned England
in anger at having been placed under
temporary restraint In consequence of
his eccentricities. solemIly renowned
his b%aronetcy on taking up American
citizenship and absolutely declined 10
receive n letter from home giving
him the prefix Of "Sir" to his Christian
name IN the ground that he had
dropped the baronetcy for good and
all"
Then there was the romantic case of
Thomas, de jure sixth Earl of Berke-
ley. who absolutely refused to make
use Of his fathers earldom OF Berks-
-. - n 49,
went through life as plain "Mr
! Thomas Berkeley" on the ground tina,