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93-657: Maddox Street is a street in the Mayfair area of London , extending from Regent Street to St George's, Hanover Square . Maddox Street was completed in 1720. It was named after Sir Benjamin Maddox who owned the Millfield estate on which the street was built. The Mason's Arms, located at 38 Maddox Street, was built in 1721 and rebuilt in its current form in 1934. Dickenson's Drawing Gallery, whose teachers included John Mogford and whose students included Emily Mary Osborn ,

186-470: A confirmation of nobility. Thus, along with Belgium and Spain , the United Kingdom remains one of the few countries in which nobility is still granted and the nobility (except for the hereditary peerage and baronetage) does not form a closed, purely "historical" class. In the 5th century, Germanic peoples collectively known as Anglo-Saxons migrated to sub-Roman Britain and came to dominate

279-570: A fountain in its centre. In 1963, following the widening of Park Lane, it was rebuilt as the Joy of Life Fountain. Grosvenor Square was planned as the centrepiece of the Mayfair estate. It was laid out from 1725–31 with 51 individual plots for development. It is the second-largest square in London (after Lincoln's Inn Fields ) and housed numerous members of the aristocracy until the mid-20th century. By

372-436: A precedent which has been repeatedly followed. Later earldoms also adopted family names, and omitted the preposition "of", an early example being Earl Rivers created in 1466 for Richard Woodville, 1st Baron Rivers . The title was not derived from the name of a place, but from the family name de Redvers, or Reviers, Earls of Devon . Earl Ferrers was created in 1711 for Robert Shirley, 14th Baron Ferrers, whose earlier title

465-443: A process called subinfeudation . Their most important vassals were honorial barons, who were of lesser status than king's barons (see for example Barony of Halton ) . They corresponded to the lesser thegn of Anglo-Saxon England. Honorial barons were given manors in return for service and had their own tenants. For this reason, they were intermediate or mesne lords . These could also be wealthy and powerful, with some eclipsing

558-502: A reputation retained to the present day. Gunter's Tea Shop was established in 1757 at Nos. 7–8 Berkeley Square by the Italian Domenico Negri. Robert Gunter took co-ownership of the shop in 1777, and full ownership in 1799. During the 19th century it became a fashionable place to buy cakes and ice cream, and was well-known for its range of multi-tiered wedding cakes . The shop moved to Curzon Street in 1936 when

651-860: A shop in Conduit Street that was bombed during the Blitz. Grosvenor Chapel on South Audley Street was built by Benjamin Timbrell in 1730 for the Grosvenor Estate. It was used by American armed forces during the Second World War . The parents of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington , are buried in the churchyard. The Mayfair Chapel on Curzon Street was a popular place for illegal marriages, including over 700 in 1742. James Hamilton, 6th Duke of Hamilton , married Elizabeth Gunning here in 1752. The Marriage Act 1753 stopped

744-577: A title in the peerage (except Irish) entitled its holder to a seat in the House of Lords. Since then, only 92 hereditary peers are entitled to sit in the House of Lords, of which 90 are elected by the hereditary peers by ballot and replaced on death. The two exceptions are the Earl Marshal (a position held by the Dukes of Norfolk ), who is responsible for certain ceremonial functions on state occasions, and

837-471: A visit to Brown's. Theodore Roosevelt enjoyed staying at the hotel and married his fiancée Edith Roosevelt with a reception there in 1886. Now part of Rocco Forte Hotels , the Hotel maintains its popular tea room and has expanded to occupy 11 townhouses. Claridge's was founded in 1812 as Mivart's Hotel on Brook Street . It was acquired by William Claridge in 1855, who gave it its current name. The hotel

930-424: Is Marylebone , to the east Soho , and to the southwest Knightsbridge and Belgravia . Mayfair is surrounded by parkland; Hyde Park and Green Park run along its boundary. The 8-acre (3.2 ha) Grosvenor Square is roughly in the centre of Mayfair, and its centrepiece, containing numerous expensive and desirable properties. Following analysis of the alignment of Roman roads, it has been speculated that

1023-496: Is a major shopping street in Mayfair running from north to south from Grosvenor Square to Curzon Street. Originally a residential street, it was redeveloped between 1875 and 1900. Retailers include china and silverware specialists Thomas Goode and gunsmiths James Purdey & Sons . Numerous galleries have given Mayfair a reputation as an international art hub. The Royal Academy of Arts , based in Burlington House,

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1116-613: Is an area of London , England, in the City of Westminster . It is in Central London and part of the West End . It is between Oxford Street , Regent Street , Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts in the world. The area was originally part of the manor of Eia and remained largely rural until the early 18th century. It became well-known for the annual May Fair that took place from 1686 to 1764 in what

1209-416: Is at No. 4 Grosvenor Square. The district has become increasingly commercial, with many offices in converted houses and new buildings, though the trend has been reversed in places. The United States embassy announced in 2008 it would move from its long-established location at Grosvenor Square to Nine Elms , Wandsworth , owing to security concerns, despite constructing an £8m security upgrading after

1302-450: Is named after Joseph Damer, 1st Earl of Dorchester . The first building here was erected by Joseph Damer in 1751, and renamed Dorchester House following the Earl's succession in 1792. The property was purchased by Sir Robert McAlpine and Sons and Gordon Hotels Ltd in 1928 to be converted into a hotel, which opened on 18 April 1931. It was General Dwight Eisenhower 's London headquarters in

1395-525: Is no longer a Chief or a sept today. Contemporary individuals today designated or claiming a title of an Irish chief treat their title as hereditary, whereas chiefs in the Gaelic order were nominated and elected by a vote of their kinsmen. Modern "chiefs" of tribal septs descend from provincial and regional kings with pedigrees beginning in Late Antiquity , whereas Scottish chiefly lines arose well after

1488-439: Is now Mount Street was known as Oliver's Mount by the 18th century. The May Fair was held every year at Great Brookfield (which is now part of Curzon Street and Shepherd Market) from 1 to 14 May. It was established during the reign of Edward I in open fields beyond St. James. The fair was recorded as "Saint James's fayer by Westminster" in 1560. It was postponed in 1603 because of plague , but otherwise continued throughout

1581-452: Is now Shepherd Market . Over the years, the fair grew increasingly downmarket and unpleasant, and it became a public nuisance. The Grosvenor family (who became Dukes of Westminster ) acquired the land through marriage and began to develop it under the direction of Thomas Barlow. The work included Hanover Square , Berkeley Square and Grosvenor Square , which were surrounded by high-quality houses, and St George's Hanover Square Church . By

1674-638: Is now the Indonesian Embassy . Berkeley House on Piccadilly was named after John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton , who had purchased its land, and that surrounding it, shortly after the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660. In 1696, the Berkeley family sold the house and grounds to William Cavendish , 1st Duke of Devonshire (who renamed it Devonshire House ), on condition that

1767-409: Is one of the most prestigious and best-known hotels in the world. Mayfair has had a range of exclusive shops, hotels, restaurants and clubs since the 19th century. The district—especially the vicinity of Bond Street—is also the home of numerous commercial art galleries and international auction houses such as Bonhams , Christie's and Sotheby's . From the early 19th century, tailors, attracted by

1860-539: Is owned by the nobility and landed gentry. It is often wrongly assumed that knighthoods and life peerages cannot grant hereditary nobility. The bestowal of a peerage or a knighthood is seen as due reason for a grant of arms by Garter King of Arms or Lord Lyon, and thus, those who make use of it attain hereditary nobility. The eldest son of a Knight and his eldest sons in perpetuity attain the rank of Esquire. The only form of non-hereditary nobility in Great Britain

1953-592: Is that associated with certain offices, which give the rank of Gentleman for the duration of tenure, or for life. Some offices and ranks also give the rank of Esquire for life. The Monarch grants Peerages, Baronetcies and Knighthoods (nowadays mostly Life Peerages and Knighthoods) to citizens of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth Realms at the advice of the Prime Minister. Honours lists are published regularly at important occasions. Untitled nobility, i.e. gentility, being identical to armigerousness , falls into

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2046-548: The City of London was destroyed during the Blitz, and many corporate headquarters were established in the area. Several historically important houses were demolished, including Aldford House , Londonderry House and Chesterfield House . In 1961, the old US embassy at No. 1 Grosvenor Square became the Canadian High Commission , and the building was named Macdonald House , after the first Canadian Prime Minister John A. Macdonald . The Italian Embassy

2139-647: The Crown and take effect when letters patent are issued, affixed with the Great Seal of the Realm . The Sovereign is considered to be the fount of honour and, as "the fountain and source of all dignities cannot hold a dignity from himself", cannot hold a British peerage. Descendants in the male line of peers and children of women who are peeresses in their own right, as well as baronets , knights , dames and certain other persons who bear no peerage titles, belong to

2232-609: The Lord Great Chamberlain (a position held in gross and one of a number of persons can hold it), who serves as the monarch's representative in Parliament and accompanies them on certain state occasions; both are automatically entitled to sit in the House. Typically, those due to inherit a peerage—or indeed have done so, in recent times—have been educated at one of the major public schools , such as Eton , Radley , Oundle , Winchester or Harrow . A member of

2325-640: The Maybourne Hotel Group . St George's, Hanover Square , constructed between 1721 and 1724 by John James , was one of 50 churches built following the Commission for Building Fifty New Churches Act in 1711. Emma, Lady Hamilton , in 1791, poet Percy Bysshe Shelley in 1814, and Prime Ministers Benjamin Disraeli and H. H. Asquith in 1839 and 1894 respectively were all married in the church. The porch houses two cast-iron dogs rescued from

2418-524: The Plague of Justinian may have caused famine and other societal disruptions that compelled previously independent farmers to submit to the rule of strong lords. The Old English word for lord is hlaford ( ' loaf-guardian ' or ' bread-giver ' ). The early law codes of Kent use the Old English word eorl ( ' high born ' , ' noble ' ) to describe an aristocrat. By the 8th century,

2511-528: The September 11 attacks including 6 ft (1.8 m) high blast walls. Since the 1990s residential properties have become available again, though the rents are among the highest in London. Mayfair remains one of the most expensive places to live in London and the world, and it possesses some exclusive shopping, London's largest concentration of luxury hotels and many restaurants, particularly around Park Lane and Grosvenor Square. The Al-Thani family,

2604-561: The gentry , deemed members of the non-peerage nobility below whom they rank. The untitled nobility consists of all those who bear formally matriculated, or recorded, armorial bearings (a coat of arms). CILANE and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta both consider armorial bearings as the main, if not sole, mark of nobility in Britain. Other than their designation, such as Gentleman or Esquire , they enjoy only

2697-409: The witan (the king's council). The Norman Conquest of 1066 marked the creation of a new, French-speaking Anglo-Norman aristocracy with estates in both Normandy and England. This cross- Channel aristocracy also included smaller groups originating from other parts of France, such as Brittany , Boulogne , and Flanders . When William I ( r.  1066–1087 ) confiscated the property of

2790-472: The "village centre" of Mayfair. The current buildings date from around 1860, and house food and antique shops, pubs and restaurants. The market had a reputation for high-class prostitution. In the 1980s, Jeffrey Archer was alleged to frequent the area and was accused of visiting Monica Coghlan , a call girl in Shepherd Market, which eventually led to a libel trial and his imprisonment for perverting

2883-523: The 10th century. In 1066, there were an estimated 5,000 thegns in England. Thegns were the backbone of local government and the military. Sheriffs were drawn from this class, and thegns were required to attend the shire court and give judgment. For these reasons, historian David Carpenter described thegns as "the country gentry of Anglo-Saxon England". Thegns were divided into three ranks: ealdormen , king's thegns, and median thegns. The ealdorman

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2976-507: The 17th century. In 1686, the fair moved to what is now Mayfair. By the 18th century, it had attracted showmen, jugglers and fencers and numerous fairground attractions. Popular attractions included bare-knuckle fighting, semolina -eating contests and women's foot racing . By the reign of George I , the May Fair had fallen into disrepute and was regarded as a public scandal. The 6th Earl of Coventry , who lived on Piccadilly, considered

3069-536: The 18th century. Part of its success was its proximity to the Court of St James and the parks, and the well-designed layout. This led to it sustaining its popularity into the 21st century. The requirements of the aristocracy led to stables, coach houses and servants' accommodation being established along the mews running parallel to the streets. Some of the stables have since been converted into garages and offices. The Rothschild family owned several Mayfair properties in

3162-493: The 19th century. Alfred de Rothschild lived at No. 1 Seamore Place and held numerous "adoration dinners" where the only guest was a female companion. The marriage of his brother Leopold to Marie Perugia took place here in 1881. The house was demolished after the First World War when Curzon Street was extended through the site to meet Park Lane. The future Prime Minister Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery ,

3255-476: The American Embassy. The Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane is on the former site of Grosvenor House , the home of Robert Grosvenor, 2nd Earl Grosvenor (who later became the 1st Marquess of Westminster). It was built by Arthur Octavius Edwards in the 1920s and has over 450 bedrooms, with 150 luxury flats in the south wing. It was the first London hotel to have a swimming pool. The Dorchester

3348-762: The British Royal Family such as O'Donovan family . As Ireland was nominally under the overlordship of the English Crown for between the 12th and 16th centuries, the Gaelic system coexisted with the British system. A modern survivor of this coexistence is the Baron Inchiquin , still referred to in Ireland as the Prince of Thomond . The Prince of Thomond is one of three remaining claimants to

3441-537: The County over which they exercised control. The range of names adopted for titles gradually expanded from territorial names alone. Later titles used a wide variety of names, including surname (unrelated to territorial designation indicated by the French particule de ), for example in 1547 Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich . Edward Russell in 1697 was created Viscount Barfleur after a naval victory in foreign territory, setting

3534-495: The Grosvenor. Of the original properties constructed in Mayfair, only the Grosvenor estate survives intact and owned by the same family, who became the Dukes of Westminster in 1874. Chesterfield Street is one of the few streets that has 18th-century properties on both sides, with a single exception, and is probably the least altered road in the area. Hanover Square was the first of three great squares to be constructed. It

3627-672: The House of Lords cannot simultaneously be a member of the House of Commons . In 1960, Anthony Wedgwood Benn inherited his father's title as Viscount Stansgate . He fought and won the ensuing by-election, but was disqualified from taking his seat until the Peerage Act 1963 was passed enabling hereditary peers to renounce their titles. Titles, while often considered central to the upper class, are not always strictly so. Both Captain Mark Phillips and Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence ,

3720-557: The King , were based at 34 Maddox Street in the 1920s. The Rolling Stones operated from offices at 46A Maddox Street and Chappell Recording Studios, where the Beatles held recording sessions in the 1960s, was also located at 52 Maddox Street. Hibiscus , a London restaurant owned and run by French chef Claude Bosi , was located at 29 Maddox Street until it closed in 2016. Meanwhile, the imposing building known as 47 Maddox Street, which

3813-613: The Queen, as well as supplying several high-profile restaurants. After accruing spiralling debts, it was sold to Rare Butchers of Distinction in 2006. The Mayfair premises closed in 2015, but the company retains an online presence. Scott's restaurant moved from Coventry Street to Nos. 20–22 Mount Street in 1967. In 1975, the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) bombed the restaurant twice, killing one and injuring 15 people. South Audley Street

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3906-666: The Romans settled in the area before establishing Londinium . Whitaker's Almanack suggested that Aulus Plautius built a fort here during the Roman conquest of Britain in AD 43 while waiting for Claudius . The theory was developed in 1993, with a proposal that a town grew outside the fort but was later abandoned as it was too far from the River Thames. The proposal has been disputed because of lack of archaeological evidence. If there

3999-613: The Second World War. The Duke of Edinburgh held his stag night at the hotel prior to his marriage to Princess Elizabeth . The May Fair Hotel opened in 1927 on the site of Devonshire House in Stratton Street . It also accommodates the May Fair Theatre, which opened in 1963. The Ritz opened on Piccadilly on 24 May 1906. It was the first steel-framed building to be constructed in London, and it

4092-460: The Younger is sited at the southern end of the square. In 1725, Mayfair became part of the new parish of St George Hanover Square , which stretched as far east as Bond Street and to Regent Street north of Conduit Street . It ran as far north as Oxford Street and south near to Piccadilly. The parish continued into Hyde Park to the west and extended southwest to St George's Hospital . Most of

4185-400: The affluent and influential residents, began to take up premises on Savile Row in south-eastern Mayfair, beginning in 1803. The earliest extant tailor to move to Savile Row was Henry Poole & Co in 1846. The street's reputation steadily grew throughout the late 19th and early-20th centuries, under the patronage of monarchs, moguls and movie stars, into the global home of men's tailoring ;

4278-586: The area belonged to (and continues to be owned by) the Grosvenor family, though the freehold of some parts belongs to the Crown Estate . A water supply to the area was built by the Chelsea Water Works , and a royal warrant was issued in 1725 for a reservoir in Hyde Park that could supply water at what is now Grosvenor Gate. In 1835, the reservoir was decorated with an ornamental basin and

4371-536: The course of justice . Alongside Burlington House is one of London's most luxurious shopping areas, the Burlington Arcade . It was designed by Samuel Ware for George Cavendish, 1st Earl of Burlington , in 1819. The arcade was designed with tall walls on either side to prevent passers-by throwing litter into the Earl's garden. Ownership of the arcade passed to the Chesham family . In 1911, another storey

4464-417: The east and southeast of the island. Around half the population were free, independent farmers ( Old English : ceorlas ) who cultivated a hide of land (enough to provide for a family). Slaves , mostly native Britons , made up the other half. By the late 6th century, the archeological evidence (grander burials and buildings) suggests the development of a social elite. The Late Antique Little Ice Age and

4557-473: The eastern side of Berkeley Square was demolished, until closing in 1956. The business as a whole survived until the late 1970s. Mount Street has been a popular shopping street since Mayfair was developed in the 18th century. It was largely rebuilt between 1880 and 1900 under the direction of the 1st Duke of Westminster, when the nearby workhouse was relocated to Pimlico. It now houses a number of shops dealing with luxury trades. Shepherd Market has been called

4650-649: The end of the 18th century, most of Mayfair had been rebuilt with high-value housing for the upper class; unlike some nearby areas of London, it has never lost its affluent status. The decline of the British aristocracy in the early 20th century led to the area becoming more commercial, with many houses converted into offices for corporate headquarters and various embassies . Mayfair retains a substantial quantity of high-end residential property, upmarket shops and restaurants, and luxury hotels along Piccadilly and Park Lane . Its prestigious status has been commemorated by being

4743-487: The end of the 19th century, the Grosvenor family were described as "the wealthiest family in Europe" and annual rents for their Mayfair properties reached around £135,000 (equivalent to £18,558,000 in 2023). The square has never declined in popularity and continues to be a prestigious London address into the 21st century. Only two original houses have survived; No. 9, once the home of John Adams , and No. 38 which

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4836-544: The fair to be a nuisance and, with local residents, led a public campaign against it. It was abolished in 1764. One reason for Mayfair's subsequent boom in property development was that it was able to keep out lower-class activities. Building on Mayfair began in the 1660s on the corner of Piccadilly, and progressed along the north side of that street. Burlington House was started between 1664 and 1665 by John Denham and sold two years later to Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Burlington , who asked Hugh May to complete it. The house

4929-552: The formation of the Kingdom of Scotland , (with the exception of the Clann Somhairle , or Clan Donald and Clan MacDougall , the two of royal origins). The related Irish Mór ("Great") is sometimes used by the dominant branches of the larger Irish dynasties to declare their status as the leading princes of the blood, e.g. MacCarthy Mor dynasty , lit. (The) Great Macarthy or Ó Néill Mór , lit. (The) Great O'Neill. Following

5022-566: The jurisdiction of the College of Arms and Lyon Court . Part of the Monarch's fons honorum—the power to grant arms—has been de facto devolved to Garter King of Arms and Lord Lyon King of Arms , respectively. A grant of arms is in every regard equivalent to a patent of nobility on the Continent; depending on jurisdiction and circumstances it can be seen as either an act of ennoblement or

5115-542: The king's greater tenants-in-chief. King's barons corresponded to king's thegns in the Anglo-Saxon hierarchy. Baron was not yet a hereditary title but rather described a social status. The estate of an earl or baron was called an honour . Domesday Book identifies around 170 greater tenants-in-chief, and the ten wealthiest among them owned 25 percent of the land: Domesday Book also records around 6,000 under-tenants. Earls and barons granted land to their own vassals in

5208-480: The king. According to Domesday Book, there were 1,100 tenants-in-chief in 1086. Those with estates worth over £30 a year were considered the greater tenants-in-chief. Those with smaller estates were considered the lesser tenants-in-chief. The greater tenants-in-chief constituted the highest ranks of the Anglo-Norman aristocracy: earls and the king's barons (see Feudal baron ) . The Normans continued to use

5301-444: The king. The lowest thegnly rank were the median thegns who owed service to other thegns. High-ranking members of the church hierarchy ( archbishops , bishops and abbots ) paralleled the secular aristocracy. The church's power derived from its spiritual authority as well as its virtual monopoly on education . Secular government depended on educated clergy to function, and prelates were important politicians and royal advisers in

5394-807: The late 19th century, Harry Wooldridge , the English musical antiquary, who lived with Robert Bridges , the Poet Laureate , at 50 Maddox Street in the 1890s and Edward Gathorne-Hardy , the British Bohemian socialite, who lived at 39 Maddox Street in the 1930s. Alligator Rainwear , a subsidiary of the London Waterproof Company founded by Reuben Satinoff after the First World War, had its trading office on Maddox Street. Wilkinson & Son, tailors and robemakers to

5487-421: The lesser important king's barons. The lower ranks of the aristocracy included the landless younger sons of important families and wealthier knights (men who held substantial land by knight-service ). Poorer knights (whose knight's fees were small) were likely excluded from the aristocracy. By 1300, the knightly class or gentry numbered around 3,000 landholders. Half of these were dubbed knights, while

5580-469: The main method of creating baronies, and baronies by tenure became obsolete. Non-hereditary positions began to be created again in 1867 for Law Lords . In 1958, the Life Peerages Act 1958 enabled (non-hereditary) life peers to sit in the House of Lords , and from then on the creation of hereditary peerages rapidly became obsolete, almost ceasing after 1964. This is only a convention, and

5673-525: The most expensive property square on the London Monopoly board. Mayfair is in the City of Westminster , and mainly consists of the historical Grosvenor estate and the Albemarle , Berkeley , Burlington , and Curzon estates. It is bordered on the west by Park Lane , north by Oxford Street , east by Regent Street , and the south by Piccadilly . Beyond the bounding roads, to the north

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5766-410: The names of former American residents in and visitors to Mayfair. The death of Hugh Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster in 1899 was a pivotal point in the development of Mayfair, following which all redevelopment schemes not already in operation were cancelled. In the following years, Government budget proposals such as David Lloyd George 's establishment of the welfare state in 1909 greatly reduced

5859-433: The narrow sense consists of members of the immediate families of peers who bear courtesy titles or honorifics . Members of the peerage carry the titles of duke , marquess , earl , viscount or baron . British peers are sometimes referred to generically as lords , although individual dukes are not so styled when addressed or by reference. All modern British honours, including peerage dignities, are created directly by

5952-465: The non-existent, since the 12th century, High Kingship of Ireland , the others being The O'Neill , MacCarthy Mor dynasty and the O'Conor Don . Chief of the Name was a clan designation which was effectively terminated in 1601 with the collapse of the Gaelic order, and which, through the policy of surrender and regrant, eliminated the role of a chief in a clan or sept structure. This does not mean there

6045-608: The old Anglo-Saxon nobility, he kept 17 percent of the land as his royal demesne (now the Crown Estate ). The rest was given to the Conqueror's companions and other followers. According to the Domesday Book of 1086, the rest of the land was distributed as follows: Land was distributed according to the rules of feudalism . Vassals were granted fiefs in return for military service and counsel. These vassals were called tenants-in-chief because they held land directly from

6138-457: The other half were styled esquire . The banneret was ranked below a baron but above a regular knight. There was overlap between this group and the "lesser barons". The baronage (including barons, earls, and high-ranking churchmen) had a duty as tenants-in-chief to provide the king with advice when summoned to great councils . In the 1200s, the great council evolved into Parliament , a representative body that increasingly asserted for itself

6231-595: The power of the Lords. Land value fell around Mayfair, and some leases were not renewed. Following World War I , the British upper class was in decline, for the reduced workforce meant servants were less readily available and demanded higher salaries. The grandest houses in Mayfair became more expensive to service; consequently, many were converted into foreign embassies. The 2nd Duke of Westminster decided to demolish Grosvenor House and move his residence to Bourdon House . Mayfair attracted commercial development after much of

6324-566: The practice of unlicensed marriages. The chapel was demolished in 1899. Having opened in 1837, Brown's Hotel is considered one of London's oldest hotels. Straddling Albemarle and Dover streets, it is thought to have been a popular tea location for Queen Victoria , and it was from the hotel that in 1876 Alexander Graham Bell made the first successful telephone call in Britain. Certain writers were known to stay there frequently; Rudyard Kipling 's The Jungle Book and Agatha Christie 's At Bertram's Hotel were each partly written during

6417-412: The privilege of a position in the formal orders of precedence in the United Kingdom . The largest portion of the British aristocracy has historically been the landed gentry , made up of baronets and the non-titled armigerous landowners whose families hailed from the medieval feudal class (referred to as gentlemen due to their income solely deriving from land ownership). Roughly a third of British land

6510-403: The properties being rebuilt. Barlow proposed a grid of wide, straight streets, with a large park (now Grosvenor Square) as a centrepiece. Buildings were constructed in quick succession, and by the mid-18th century the area was covered in houses. Much of the land was owned by seven estates: Burlington , Millfield, Conduit Mead , Albemarle Ground, the Berkeley, the Curzon and, most importantly,

6603-421: The respective first and second husbands of Princess Anne , do not hold peerages. Most members of the British upper class are untitled. The name adopted by the grantee of a title of nobility originally was the name of his seat or principal manor, which often had also been adopted as his surname, for example the Berkeley family seated at Berkeley Castle had the surname "de Berkeley" ("from Berkeley") and gained

6696-467: The right to consent to taxation. Initially, participation in Parliament was still determined by one's status as a tenant-in-chief. Earls and greater barons received a writ of summons issued directly from the king, while lesser barons were summoned through the local sheriffs. In the reign of Edward I (1272–1307), the first hereditary barons were created by writ . Over time, baronies by writ became

6789-482: The ruling family of Qatar , and their relatives and associates owned a quarter of the 279 acres of Mayfair by 2006. The north-western part of Mayfair has subsequently been nicknamed " Little Doha ". The area has also been called a "Qatari quarter" and 'Qataropolis'. Prominent properties owned in Mayfair by Qataris include Dudley House on Park Lane and Lombard House on Curzon Street. Family members also own The Connaught and Claridge's hotels in Mayfair through

6882-487: The title Baron Berkeley , amongst many others. Dukes were originally named after counties, the earliest one being Duke of Cornwall (1337) followed by Duke of Norfolk (1483) and Duke of Somerset (1547). The Duke of Wellington (1814) is an early example of a dukedom being named after a mere village, or manor, after Wellington in Somerset. Earls, being in reality the "Count" of Continental Europe, were also named after

6975-480: The title of earl and equated it with the title of count (Latin: comes ) used in Normandy. This was the only hereditary title before 1337, and it was the most exclusive rank within the aristocracy. Between 1000 and 1300, there were never more than 25 extant earldoms at any one time. Below earls were the king's barons. Baron (Latin: baro ) originally meant "man". In Norman England, the term came to refer to

7068-485: The view from the rear of the house should not be spoiled. Berkeley Square was laid out to the rear of the house in the 1730s; because of the conditions of sale, houses were only built on the east and west sides. The west side still has various mid-18th-century buildings, and the east side now contains offices including Berkeley Square House. The expansion of Mayfair moved upper-class Londoners away from areas such as Covent Garden and Soho, which were already in decline by

7161-403: The word gesith ( ' companion ' ; Latin : comes ) had replaced eorl as the common term for a nobleman. By the 10th century, Anglo-Saxon society was divided into three main social classes: slaves, ceorlas ( ' free men ' ), and þegnas ( ' thegns ' , ' aristocrats ' ). Thegn (Old English: þeġn ) meant servant or warrior, and it replaced the term gesith in

7254-557: Was a fort, it is believed the perimeter would have been where the modern Green Street , North Audley Street, Upper Grosvenor Street and Park Lane now are, and that Park Street would have been the main road through the centre. This area was the manor of Eia in the Domesday Book , and owned by Geoffrey de Mandeville after the Norman Conquest . It was subsequently given to the Abbey of Westminster, who owned it until 1536 when it

7347-546: Was added by Beresford Pite , who also added the Chesham arms. The family sold the arcade to the Prudential Assurance Company for £333,000 (now £24,413,000) in 1926. It was bombed during the Second World War and subsequently restored. Allens of Mayfair , one of the best-known butchers in London, was founded in a shop on Mount Street in 1830. It held a Royal warrant of appointment to supply meat to

7440-613: Was an official appointed by the king to administer a shire or group of shires (an ealdormanry). In the 11th century, while England was ruled by a Danish dynasty , the office changed from ealdorman to earl (related to Old English eorl and Scandinavian jarl ). After the king, the earl was the most powerful secular magnate . During Edward the Confessor 's reign (1042–1066), there were four principal earldoms: Wessex , Mercia , Northumbria , and East Anglia . Below ealdormen were king's thegns, so called because they only served

7533-833: Was born in Charles Street in 1847, and grew up in the area. Mayfair has had a long association with the United States. Pocahontas is believed to have visited in the early 17th century. In 1786, John Adams established the US Embassy on Grosvenor Square. Theodore Roosevelt was married in Hanover Square, and Franklin D. Roosevelt honeymooned in Berkeley Square. A small memorial park in Mount Street Gardens has benches engraved with

7626-568: Was bought by the Savoy Company in 1895 and rebuilt in red brick. It was extended again in 1931. Several European royal families in exile stayed at the hotel during the Second World War. Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia , was born there on 17 July 1945; the Prime Minister Winston Churchill is said to have declared the suite he was born in to be Yugoslav territory. Flemings Mayfair on Half Moon Street

7719-597: Was designed by Walter Williams for Messrs Lawrence – a firm of tailors which was later known as Walter Williams – was completed in 1892 and is now occupied by Brown's Restaurant. The fictitious female occult detective and palmist Miss Diana Marburg , created by L.T. Meade and Robert Eustace in 1902, lived in Maddox Street and was indeed known as "The Oracle of Maddox Street". 51°30′45″N 0°08′34″W  /  51.5126°N 0.1428°W  / 51.5126; -0.1428 Mayfair Mayfair

7812-470: Was established at 18 Maddox Street in the early 19th century: the premises are now known as ArtSpace Galleries. Nearby, Maddox Gallery is based at 9 Maddox Street, one of several art galleries on this road. A Museum of Building Appliances, established in the street in 1866, no longer exists. Famous residents have included Samuel Whitbread , the Member of Parliament and brewer, who lived at 33 Maddox Street in

7905-806: Was established at No. 148 New Bond Street in 1876. Other galleries in Mayfair include the Maddox Gallery on Maddox Street , and the Halcyon Gallery . The Handel House Museum at No. 25 Brook Street opened in 2001. George Frideric Handel was the first resident from 1723 until his death in 1759. Most of his major works, including Messiah , and Music for the Royal Fireworks were composed here. The museum held an exhibition of Jimi Hendrix , who lived in an upper-floor flat in neighbouring No. 23 Brook Street in 1968–69. British aristocracy The British nobility in

7998-484: Was extensively modified through the 18th century, and is the only one of this era to survive into the 21st century. The origins of major development began when Sir Thomas Grosvenor, 3rd Baronet , married Mary Davies, heiress to part of the Manor of Ebury , in 1677. The Grosvenor family gained 500 acres (200 ha) of land, of which around 100 acres (40 ha) lay south of Oxford Street and east of Park Lane. The land

8091-614: Was founded in 1768 by George III and is the oldest fine arts society in the world. Its founding president was Sir Joshua Reynolds . The academy holds classes and exhibitions, and students have included John Constable and J. M. W. Turner . It moved from Somerset House to Trafalgar Square in 1837, sharing with the National Gallery , before moving to Burlington House in 1868. The academy hosts an annual Summer Exhibition , showing over 1,000 contemporary works of art that can be submitted by anyone. The Fine Art Society gallery

8184-534: Was named after King George I, the Elector of Hanover, soon after his ascension to the throne in 1714. The original houses were inhabited by "persons of distinction" such as retired generals. Although most have been demolished, a small number have survived to the present day. The Hanover Square Rooms became a popular place for classical music concerts, including Johann Christian Bach , Joseph Haydn , Niccolò Paganini and Franz Liszt . A large statue of William Pitt

8277-486: Was named after the de Ferrers family, or Norman origin. Another early example of a surname being used as a title is Earl Poulett (1706). Modern life peers do not generally own large estates, from which to name their title, so more imagination is required, unless the simple option of using the surname is selected. Outside the United Kingdom, the remaining Gaelic nobility of Ireland continue informally to use their provincial titles, few are recognised as royal extraction by

8370-467: Was not observed by prime minister Margaret Thatcher , who asked the Queen to create three hereditary peerages (two of them, to men who had no heirs). Until changes in the twentieth century, only a proportion of those holding Scottish and Irish peerages were entitled by that title to sit in the House of Lords; these were nominated by their peers. Until constitutional reforms soon after Tony Blair came to power (the House of Lords Act 1999 ), possession of

8463-461: Was opened in 1851 by Robert Fleming, who worked for Henry Paget, 2nd Marquess of Anglesey . It is the second-oldest independent hotel in London. The London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square on the corner of Grosvenor Square and Duke Street was the first Marriott Hotel in Britain. It opened as the Europa Hotel in 1961 and was bought by Marriott in 1985. It was a popular place for visitors to

8556-479: Was referred to as "The Hundred Acres" in early deeds. In 1721, the London Journal reported "the ground upon which the May Fair formerly was held is marked out for a large square, and several fine streets and houses are to be built upon it". Sir Richard Grosvenor, 4th Baronet , asked the surveyor Thomas Barlow to design the street layout, which has survived mostly intact to the present day despite most of

8649-673: Was taken over by King Henry VIII during the dissolution of the monasteries . Mayfair consisted mainly of open fields until development began in the Shepherd Market area around 1686–88 to accommodate the May Fair, which had moved from Haymarket in St James's because of overcrowding. There were some buildings before 1686. A cottage in Stanhope Row, dating from 1618, was destroyed in the Blitz in late 1940. A 17th-century English Civil War fortification established in what

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