Lords in the Baronage of Scotland

A Lord in the Baronage of Scotland is an ancient title of nobility, held in baroneum, which Latin term means that its holder, who is a lord, is also always a baron. The holder may or may not be a Lord of Regality, which meant that the holder was appointed by the Crown and had the power of "pit and gallows", meaning the power to authorise the death sentence.

A Scottish Baron is below a Lord of Parliament (the Scottish equivalent of an English baron) which is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, while a Lord in the Baronage of Scotland is a noble dignity of higher degree than Baron, but below an Earl in the Baronage of Scotland, which is a baron of still higher degree than a lordship. In the baronage there is only a small number of lordships compared to baronies, whilst earldoms are very rare.

While barons originally sat in parliament (along with the lords and higher nobility who made up the Peerage), all of the peerage, originally, was within the feudal system. Later, some of what used to be feudal lordships came to be known as peerages (such as that of The Right Honourable The Lord Forrester) while others were disponed, inherited by greater peers, or otherwise disqualified from the modern-day peerage. The feudal rights were gradually emasculated and, with the demise of the Scottish parliament in 1707, the right of feudal barons to sit in parliament ceased altogether, unless, that is, a feudal baron was also a Peer (Peerage rights are dealt with elsewhere).

The rights of the baronage were all but abolished by Act of Parliament in 1747, following the Jacobite rising. Baronage titles no longer provide any political power as such, although the Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Act 2000 has preserved the noble titles themselves, and the quality, precedence and heraldic rights pertaining.

Only about 400 baronies are identified as existing in 1405. Burke's Landed Gentry for Scotland lists only about 130. Few are lordships.

Lords of regality, barons, lords and earls in the Baronage of Scotland are not to be confused with a manorial lordship.

Usage
The holder of the title Lord in the Baronage of Scotland, in similar fashion to the holder of a barony (e.g., "Inverglen"), has the title added to his existing name (e.g., "John Smith, Lord of Inverglen") or territorial designation added to his surname if they own the caput ("John Smith of Inverglen, Lord of Inverglen").

Lords are addressed 'Lord of Placename' or His Lordship or My Lord while barons are addressed as 'Baron of Placename' or Baron. The written form 'Lord Placename' for the male substantive holder is incorrect as this implies a title in the peerage.

A female baron is usually referred to as 'Lady Placename' or My Lady or Baroness. The wife of a Lord receives the courtesy title 'Lady Placename', but the husband of a Lady, who holds a lordship in her own right, is just plain Mr 'Surname'.

It can be a tradition of the family or a personal style of the holder for Lordships that are also erected in Barony to be styled Lord or Baron interchangeably, in some cases female holders have been referred to in official documents as 'Baroness of Placename' as a preference while male predecessors (and successors) were Lord.

Forms of address for Lords

 * Written: 'The Much Hon Lord of Placename' or 'The Lord of Placename'
 * Salutation: 'Dear Lord of Placename' or 'Dear My Lord'
 * In a speech: 'My Lord Placename' or 'My Lords, Ladies and Gentleman'
 * In conversation: 'Lord Placename' or 'My Lord' or 'Your Lordship'
 * Third person: 'His Lordship'
 * For females replace Lord for Lady

The Much Honoured
Sometimes in the most formal of occasions (for example on the envelope of a letter or place name) the prefix honorific style The Much Hon. (The Much Honoured) is put before the name, the prefix honorific "Much Honoured" is used to distinguish Scot Barons from honorifics attaching to peers.

E.g. The Much Hon. The Lord of Inverglen / Much Hon. Lord of Inverglen / Much Hon. John Smith, Lord of Inverglen / Much Hon. John, Lord of Inverglen

Order of precedence
Wallace states that in regards to Baronial titles: "Lordships, Earldoms, Marquessates and Dukedoms differ only in name from Baronies" but continues "one whose property was erected into a Lordship ranked before a simple Baron" and "A person to whom an Earldom belonged, would be superior to a person who had no more than a lordship ... One, whose lands were incorporated into a Marquessate, was superior to both ... A man, who owned a fief elevated into a Dukedom, was exhaulted above all three."

The inference in terms of superiority from greater to lesser is thus: Duke, Marquess, Earl, Lord, Baron. (Note however that Lord Stair states that Lordships or Earldoms are "but more noble titles of a Barony". )

List of Lordships in the Baronage of Scotland
Below is an incomplete list of Lordships created in the baronage, please help by filling in details below (with reference links).

Note that for most Lords in the Baronage of Scotland a baron is a lord and a lord is a baron and can be used interchangeable or as per the preference of the holder, some are only called lord such as the Lord of the Garioch. While a Scots baron - that is not a lord - is only ever called a baron.

Titles in italics are subsidiary baronial titles held by the same lord. Titles linked and with The before the name is the holder's primary title.

a: The creation date is the earliest known date for the Lordship and subject to revision

List of Baronies in the Baronage of Scotland
The first degree of baronage nobility.

Click here for a list of Baronies in the Baronage of Scotland

List of Earldoms in the Baronage of Scotland
Earl is the third degree of baronage nobility, nobler than Baron (first) and Lord (second).

Click here for a list of Earldoms in the Baronage of Scotland