Philosophers
49-471: A baronet ( / ˈ b æ r ə n ɪ t / or / ˈ b æ r ə ˌ n ɛ t / ; abbreviated Bart or Bt ) or the female equivalent, a baronetess ( / ˈ b æ r ə n ɪ t ɪ s / , / ˈ b æ r ə n ɪ t ɛ s / , or / ˌ b æ r ə ˈ n ɛ t ɛ s / ; abbreviation Btss ), is the holder of a baronetcy , a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown . The title of baronet
98-463: A statute of Richard II . A similar title of lower rank was banneret . Present-day baronets date from 1611 when James I granted letters patent to 200 gentlemen of good birth with an income of at least £1,000 a year (equivalent to £253,840 in 2023).; in return for the honour, each was required to pay one pound a day for the upkeep of thirty soldiers for three years (1095 days), thus amounting to £1,095 (equivalent to £277,955 in 2023)., in those days
147-466: A territorial sub-designation ; however, only more recent creations duplicating the original creation require territorial designations . So, for example, there are baronetcies Moore of Colchester, Moore of Hancox, Moore of Kyleburn, and Moore of Moore Lodge. Baronetcies usually descend through heirs male of the body of the grantee , and can rarely be inherited by females or collateral kins , unless created with special remainder , for example: Marking
196-473: A Saltire Azure with an inescutcheon of the Royal Arms of Scotland . From before 1929 to the present it has been customary practice for such baronets to display this badge on its own suspended by the order's ribbon below the shield of arms. The first publication listing all baronetcies ever created was C. J. Parry's Index of Baronetcy Creations (1967). This listed them in alphabetical order, other than
245-442: A baronet has died and the title has passed to his son, the widow (the new baronet's mother) will remain "Lady Bloggs" while he (the son) is not married, but if he is or becomes married, his wife becomes "Lady Bloggs" while his mother will be known by the style "Alice, Lady Bloggs". Alternatively, the mother may prefer to be known as "The Dowager Lady Bloggs". A previous wife will also become "Alice, Lady Bloggs" to distinguish her from
294-414: A baronet who has no other titles is "Sir Joseph Bloggs, Bt." or "Sir Joseph Bloggs, Bart." A formal letter would commence with the salutation "Dear Sir Joseph". The wife of a baronet is addressed and referred to by her married surname, as "Lady Bloggs"; the salutation would be "Dear Lady Bloggs". Her given name is used only when necessary to distinguish between two holders of the same title. For example, if
343-486: A brother) who inherited in this way would do so as co-parceners. In these circumstances, the title would in fact be held in abeyance until one of them renounced for herself and her successors in favour of the other, or the entire estate naturally descends to a single coparcener. In England and Wales , passage of a title in this fashion is effected under the rules laid down in the Law of Property Act 1925 . Baronetage of
392-859: A gross decline of 19.2% (up to 2017). Extant baronetcies numbered about 1,236 in 2015, and 1,204 as of 2017. Since 1965 only one new baronetcy has been created, for Sir Denis Thatcher on 7 December 1990, husband of a former British prime minister, Margaret Thatcher (later Baroness Thatcher); their only son, Sir Mark Thatcher , succeeded as 2nd Baronet upon his father's death in 2003. Seven baronetcies dormant in 1965 have since been revived: Innes baronetcy, of Coxton (1686), Nicolson baronetcy of that Ilk and of Lasswade (1629), Hope baronetcy, of Kirkliston (1698), St John ( later St John-Mildmay) baronetcy, of Farley (1772), Maxwell-Macdonald baronetcy of Pollok (1682), Inglis baronetcy, of Cramond, Edinburgh (1687) and Von Friesendorff baronetcy, of Hirdech, Sweden (1661). The Premier Baronet (of England)
441-429: A record of extinct baronetcies. A baronetcy is not a peerage; so baronets, like knights and junior members of peerage families, are commoners and not peers of the realm . Originally, all first baronets were knighted. Baronets also had other rights, including the right to have the eldest son knighted on his 21st birthday. However, at the beginning of George IV 's reign, these rights were eroded by orders-in-council on
490-602: A result of the Union of England and Scotland in 1707, all future creations were styled baronets of Great Britain . Following the Union of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801, new creations were styled as baronets of the United Kingdom . Under royal warrants of 1612 and 1613, certain privileges were accorded to baronets. Firstly, no person or persons should have place between baronets and the younger sons of peers. Secondly,
539-490: A separate list of baronetcies . The list is current as of January 2024, when it was last updated. The baronetcy lists include any peerage titles which are held by the baronet. King James I created the hereditary Order of Baronets in England on 22 May 1611, to fund the settlement of Ireland . He offered the dignity to 200 gentlemen of good birth, with a clear estate of £ 1,000 a year, on condition that each one should pay
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#1732779839991588-676: A sum equivalent to three years' pay to 30 soldiers at 8 d. per day per man (total – £1,095) into the King's Exchequer. The Baronetage of England comprises all baronetcies created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union in 1707. In that year, the Baronetage of England and the Baronetage of Nova Scotia were replaced by the Baronetage of Great Britain . The Baronetage of Nova Scotia
637-575: A very large sum. The money was to help fund the Plantation of Ulster . In 1619 James I established the Baronetage of Ireland ; Charles I in 1625 created the Baronetages of Scotland and Nova Scotia . The new baronets were each required to pay 2,000 marks (equivalent to £522,045 in 2023). or to support six colonial settlers for two years. Over a hundred of these baronetcies, now familiarly known as Scottish baronetcies, survive to this day. As
686-540: Is established by the date of the creation. For a complete list of baronetcies see List of baronetcies . The Baronetage of the United Kingdom started with the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801, replacing the Baronetage of Great Britain . (For a complete list of baronetcies, see List of Baronetcies – which includes extinct baronetcies.) The baronetcies are listed below in order of precedence (date order). (For ease in editing,
735-474: Is mentioned as early as the 14th century ; however, in its current usage it was created by James I of England in 1611 as a means of raising funds for the crown. Baronets rank below barons , but seemingly above all knights grand cross , knights commander and knights bachelor of the British chivalric orders , that are in turn below in chivalric precedence than the most senior British chivalric orders of
784-473: Is roughly less than 0.01% of UK families. The term baronet has medieval origins. Sir Thomas de La More (1322), describing the Battle of Boroughbridge , mentioned that baronets took part, along with barons and knights. Edward III created eight baronets in 1328. The title of baronet was initially conferred upon noblemen who lost the right of individual summons to Parliament , and was used in this sense in
833-479: Is the situation in which two or more people inherit a title equally between them as a result of which none can inherit until all but one have renounced their right to the inheritance. This could arise when a title passes through and vests in female heirs in the absence of a male heir. Before they could inherit, each of the female heirs would be an heir presumptive . After they inherited, since the title could not be held by two people simultaneously, two daughters (without
882-542: Is the unofficial title afforded to the current holder of the oldest extant baronetcy in the realm. The Premier Baronet is regarded as the senior member of the Baronetage, and ranks above other baronets (unless they hold a peerage title ) in the United Kingdom Order of Precedence . Sir Nicholas Bacon, 14th Baronet , is the current Premier Baronet; his family's senior title was created by King James I in 1611. The Premier Baronets of Nova Scotia (Scotland) were
931-672: The nobiles majores , because their honour, like that of the higher nobility, is both hereditary and created by patent. Comparisons with continental titles and ranks are tenuous due to the British system of primogeniture and because claims to baronetcies must be proven; currently the Official Roll of the Baronetage is overseen by the Ministry of Justice . In practice this means that the UK Peerage and Baronetage consist of about 1,200 families (some peers are also baronets), which
980-629: The 4th Viscount Sarsfield in 1691. Since then the descendants of Sir Francis Annesley Bt. , the Annesley baronets , have been the Premier Baronets of Ireland; presently Francis William Dighton Annesley, 16th Viscount Valentia . Hereditary title Works Hereditary titles , in a general sense, are nobility titles , positions or styles that are hereditary and thus tend or are bound to remain in particular families. Though both monarchs and nobles usually inherit their titles,
1029-562: The Baronetage of the United Kingdom in 1801, after the Acts of Union 1800 came into force.. The baronetcies are listed in order of precedence (i.e. date order). The below is a list of all extant baronetcies in the Baronetage of Great Britain, which replaced the Baronetages of Nova Scotia and of England in 1707. In 1801 it was succeeded by the Baronetage of the United Kingdom . These baronetcies are listed in order of precedence, which
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#17327798399911078-517: The Garter and the Thistle . Like all British knights, they are addressed as "Sir" (or "Dame" in the case of baronetesses). They are conventionally seen to belong to the lesser nobility, even though William Thoms claims that: The precise quality of this dignity is not yet fully determined, some holding it to be the head of the nobiles minores , while others, again, rank Baronets as the lowest of
1127-592: The Gordon baronets of Gordonstoun and Letterfourie until the title's extinction in 1908. Subsequently, the Premier Scottish Baronets are the Innes baronets of that Ilk (cr. 28 May 1625), the present Premier Baronet being Charles Innes-Ker, 11th Duke of Roxburghe . The Premier Baronetcy of Ireland was created for Sir Dominic Sarsfield in 1619, and was held by his successors until the attainder of
1176-453: The Arms of Nova Scotia and the privilege of wearing a neck badge signifying "of Nova Scotia", suspended by an orange-tawny ribbon. This consists of an escutcheon argent with a saltire azure, an inescutcheon of the Royal Arms of Scotland , with an Imperial Crown above the escutcheon, and encircled with the motto Fax Mentis Honestae Gloria . This badge may be shown suspended by the ribbon below
1225-593: The Arms of Nova Scotia as an augmentation of honour. The former applies to this day for all baronets of Great Britain and of the United Kingdom created subsequently. Like knights, baronets are accorded the style " Sir " before their first name. Baronetesses in their own right use " Dame ", also before their first name, while wives of baronets use " Lady " followed by the husband's (marital) surname only, this by longstanding courtesy. Wives of baronets are not baronetesses; only women holding baronetcies in their own right are so styled. Unlike knighthoods – which apply to
1274-442: The Baronetage – 146 of England, 63 of Ireland, 119 of Scotland, 133 of Great Britain and 853 of the United Kingdom. The total number of baronetcies today is approximately 1,204, although only some 1,020 are on The Official Roll of the Baronetage . It is unknown whether some baronetcies remain extant and it may be that nobody can prove himself to be the actual heir. Over 200 baronetcies are now held by peers; and others, such as
1323-500: The English Crown, have all disappeared and should properly be excluded from the 3,482, making the effective number of creations 3,457. A close examination of Parry's publication shows he missed one or two, so there might well have been some more. As of 2000, including baronetcies where succession was dormant or unproven, there was a total of 1,314 baronetcies divided into five classes of creation included on The Official Roll of
1372-487: The Knox line, have been made tenuous by internal family disputes. According to the Ministry of Justice , it is not necessary to prove succession to a baronetcy in order to use the title, but a person cannot be referred to as a baronet in any official capacity unless their name is on the Official Roll . There were 1,490 baronetcies extant on 1 January 1965. Since then the number has reduced by 286 through extinction or dormancy:
1421-615: The United Kingdom Baronets are hereditary titles awarded by the Crown . The current baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier but existing baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland and Great Britain. To be recognised as a baronet, it is necessary to prove a claim of succession. When this has been done, the name is entered on the Official Roll of the Baronetage . Persons who have not proven their claims may not be officially styled as baronets. This
1470-541: The badge (Red Hand of Ulster) in their coats of arms either in canton or an escutcheon at their election". Since 1929 such baronets may also display the Red Hand of Ulster on its own as a badge, suspended by a ribbon below the shield of arms. Baronets of Nova Scotia, unlike other baronets, do not use the Baronet's Badge (of Ulster), but have their own badge showing the escutcheon of the arms of Nova Scotia : Argent,
1519-463: The baronetage's origins in the Plantation of Ulster , baronets of England, Ireland, Great Britain or the United Kingdom ( i.e. all except baronets of Nova Scotia ) can display the Red Hand of Ulster ( sinister (left) hand version) as a heraldic badge , being the arms of the ancient kings of Ulster . This badge (or augmentation of honour) is blazoned as follows: Argent a Hand sinister couped at
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1568-454: The case of a single title, or divided when the family bears multiple titles. In the French nobility , often the children and other male-line descendants of a lawful noble titleholder self-assumed the same or a lower title of nobility; while not legal, such titles were generally tolerated at court during both the ancien regime and 19th century France as titres de courtoisie . Coparcenary
1617-547: The current wife of the incumbent baronet. She would not be "Lady Alice Bloggs", a style reserved for the daughters of dukes, marquesses and earls (and now Ladies Companion of the Garter and Ladies of the Thistle without higher styles). The children of a baronet are not entitled to the use of any courtesy titles . In history, there have been only four baronetesses: In 1976, Lord Lyon King of Arms stated that, without examining
1666-412: The escutcheon. Baronets of England and Ireland applied to King Charles I for permission to wear a badge. Although a badge was worn in the 17th century, it was not until 1929 that King George V granted permission for all baronets (other than those of Scotland) to wear badges. A baronet is referred to and addressed as, for example, "Sir Joseph" (using his forename). The correct style on an envelope for
1715-575: The grantee equally, as well as to all of that grantee's remoter descendants, male and female. This practice was common in the Kalmar Union , and was frequently the case in the letters patent issued by King Eric of Pomerania , King Joseph Bonaparte conferred the title "Prince of Naples" and later "Prince of Spain" on his children and grandchildren in the male and female line. Historically, females have much less frequently been granted noble titles and, still more rarely, hereditary titles. However it
1764-401: The ground that sovereigns should not necessarily be bound by acts of their predecessors. Although never having been automatically entitled to heraldic supporters , baronets were allowed them in heredity in the first half of the 19th century if the title holder was also a Knight Grand Cross of a Crown order. Baronets of Scotland or Nova Scotia were allowed to augment their armorial bearings with
1813-576: The last five creations ( Dodds of West Chiltington , Redmayne of Rushcliffe , Pearson of Gressingham , Finlay of Epping and Thatcher of Scotney ). It showed the total number created from 1611 to 1964 to have been 3,482. They include five of Oliver Cromwell , several of which were recreated by Charles II . Twenty-five were created between 1688 and 1784 by James II in exile after his dethronement, by his son James Stuart ("The Old Pretender") and his grandson Charles Edward Stuart ("Bonnie Prince Charlie") . These "Jacobite baronetcies" were never accepted by
1862-505: The mechanisms often differ, even in the same country. The British crown has been heritable by women since the medieval era (in the absence of brothers), while the vast majority of hereditary noble titles granted by British sovereigns are not heritable by daughters. Often a hereditary title is inherited only by the legitimate, eldest son of the original grantee or that son's male heir according to masculine primogeniture . In some countries and some families, titles descended to all children of
1911-474: The patent of every Scottish baronetcy, he was not in a position to confirm that only these four title creations could pass through female lines. As of 2020, there are no living baronetesses. For a baronetess one should write, for example, "Dame Daisy Smith, Btss" on the envelope. At the head of the letter, one would write "Dear Dame Daisy", and to refer to her, one would say "Dame Daisy" or "Dame Daisy Smith" (never "Dame Smith"). All baronetcies are created with
1960-400: The plantation of the colony. Four years later (17 November 1629) the king wrote to the contractors for baronets, recognising that they had advanced large sums to Sir William Alexander for the plantation on the security of the payments to be made by future baronets, and empowering them to offer a further inducement to applicants; and on the same day he granted to all Nova Scotia baronets
2009-596: The recipient only – a baronetcy is hereditarily entailed. The eldest son of a baronet who is born in wedlock succeeds to a baronetcy upon his father's death, but will not be officially recognised until his name is recognised by being placed on the Official Roll. With some exceptions granted with special remainder by letters patent, baronetcies descend through the male line. A full list of extant baronets appears in Burke's Peerage and Baronetage , which also published
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2058-460: The right of knighthood was established for the eldest sons of baronets (this was later revoked by George IV in 1827), and thirdly, baronets were allowed to augment their armorial bearings with the Arms of Ulster on an inescutcheon : "in a field Argent, a Hand Geules (or a bloudy hand)". These privileges were extended to baronets of Ireland, and for baronets of Scotland the privilege of depicting
2107-450: The right to wear about their necks, suspended by an orange tawny ribbon, a badge bearing an azure saltire with a crowned inescutcheon of the arms of Scotland and the motto Fax mentis honestae gloria (Glory is the torch that leads on the honourable mind). As the required number, however, could not be completed, Charles announced in 1633 that English and Irish gentlemen might receive the honour, and in 1634 they began to do so. Yet even so, he
2156-462: The wrist extended in pale Gules . King James I of England established the hereditary Order of Baronets in England on 22 May 1611, in the words of Collins' Peerage (1741): "for the plantation and protection of the whole Kingdom of Ireland, but more especially for the defence and security of the Province of Ulster, and therefore for their distinction those of this order and their descendants may bear
2205-402: Was carried out by his son Charles I , who created the first Scottish baronet on 28 May 1625, covenanting in the creation charter that the baronets of Scotland or of Nova Scotia should never exceed 150, that their heirs apparent should be knighted on coming of age (21), and that no one should receive the honour who had not fulfilled the conditions, viz, paid 3,000 merks (£166, 13s. 4d.) towards
2254-447: Was devised in 1624 as a means of settling the plantation of that province (now a province of Canada ). King James VI announced his intention of creating 100 baronets , each of whom was to support six colonists for two years (or pay 2,000 merks in lieu thereof) and also to pay 1,000 merks to Sir William Alexander , to whom the province had been granted by charter in 1621. James died before this scheme could be implemented, but it
2303-513: Was not uncommon for a female to inherit a noble title if she survived all kinsmen descended patrilineally from the original grantee or, in England and Iberia, if she survived just her own brothers and their descendants. Rarely, a noble title descends to the eldest child regardless of gender (although by law this has become the prevalent form of titular inheritance among the Spanish nobility ). A title may occasionally be shared and thus multiplied, in
2352-524: Was only able to create a few more than 120 in all. In 1638 the creation ceased to carry with it the grant of lands in Nova Scotia, and on the union with England (1707) the Scottish creations ceased, English and Scotsmen alike receiving thenceforth Baronetcies of Great Britain . This is a list of extant baronetcies in the Baronetage of Ireland . They were first created in 1619, and were replaced by
2401-576: Was ordained by Royal Warrant in February 1910. A baronetcy is considered vacant if the previous holder has died within the previous five years and if no one has proven their succession, and is considered dormant if no one has proven their succession in more than five years after the death of the previous incumbent. All extant baronetcies, including vacant baronetcies, are listed below in order of precedence (i.e. date). All other baronetcies, including those which are extinct, dormant or forfeit, are on
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