Laird () is the owner of a large, long-established
Scottish estate. In the traditional Scottish order of precedence, a laird ranked below a
baron and above a
gentleman. This rank was held only by those lairds holding official recognition in a
territorial designation
In the United Kingdom, a territorial designation follows modern peerage titles, linking them to a specific place or places. It is also an integral part of all baronetcies. Within Scotland, a territorial designation proclaims a relationship with ...
by the
Lord Lyon King of Arms
The Right Honourable the Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grant ...
. They are usually styled
'name'' 'surname''of
'lairdship'' However, since "laird" is a
courtesy title, it has no formal status in law.
Historically, the term bonnet laird was applied to rural, petty landowners, as they wore a
bonnet
A Bonnet is a variety of headgear, hat or cap
Specific types of headgear referred to as "bonnets" may include
Scottish
* Blue bonnet, a distinctive woollen cap worn by men in Scotland from the 15th-18th centuries And its derivations:
** Fea ...
like the non-landowning classes. Bonnet lairds filled a position in society below lairds and above
husbandmen
A husbandman in England in the Middle Ages and the early modern period was a free tenant farmer, or a small landowner. The social status of a husbandman was below that of a yeoman. The meaning of "husband" in this term is "master of house" ra ...
(farmers), similar to the
yeomen
Yeoman is a noun originally referring either to one who owns and cultivates land or to the middle ranks of servants in an English royal or noble household. The term was first documented in mid-14th-century England. The 14th century also witn ...
of England.
An
Internet fad
An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
is the selling of tiny
souvenir plot
Souvenir title or souvenir plots are a commonly sold online good or physical gift set whereby a seller will advertise ownership of a small plot of land in Scotland, advertising that the buyer will obtain the legal right of ownership in Scots law ...
s of Scottish land and a claim of a "laird" title to go along with it, but the Lord Lyon has decreed these meaningless for several reasons.
Etymology
''Laird'' (earlier ''lard'') is the now-standard Scots pronunciation (and spelling, which is phonetic) of the word that is pronounced and spelled in standard English as ''lord''. As can be seen in the
Middle English
Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English ...
version of
Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for '' The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...
's
Canterbury Tales
''The Canterbury Tales'' ( enm, Tales of Caunterbury) is a collection of twenty-four stories that runs to over 17,000 lines written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. It is widely regarded as Chaucer's ''magnum opus ...
, specifically in the
Reeve's Tale
"The Reeve's Tale" is the third story told in Geoffrey Chaucer's ''The Canterbury Tales''. The reeve, named Oswald in the text, is the manager of a large estate who reaped incredible profits for his master and himself. He is described in the ' ...
, Northern Middle English had ''a'' where Southern Middle English had ''o'', a difference still found in standard English ''two'' and
Scots ''twa''.
The Scots and Northern English dialectal variant ''Laird'' has been recorded in writing since the 13th century, as a surname, and in its modern context since the middle of the 15th century. It is derived from the Northern Middle English ''laverd'', itself derived from the
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th c ...
word ''hlafweard'' meaning "warden of
loaves". The
Standard English variant, ''lord'', is of the same origin, and would have formerly been interchangeable with ''laird''; however, in modern usage the term "lord" is associated with a
peerage title, and thus the terms have come to have separate meanings. In Scotland, however, the title
Baron represents a lower rank than it does in England, the rank equal to the English Baron being the
Lord of Parliament
A Lord of Parliament ( sco, Laird o Pairlament) was the holder of the lowest form of peerage, entitled as of right to take part in sessions of the pre- Union Parliament of Scotland. Since that Union in 1707, it has been the lowest rank of the ...
in Scotland (e.g.
Lord Lovat
Lord Lovat ( gd, Mac Shimidh) is a title of the rank Lord of Parliament in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1458 for Hugh Fraser by summoning him to the Scottish Parliament as Lord Fraser of Lovat, although the holder is referred ...
).
History and definition
![Mid-16thC Renaissance carving from Killochan Castle, Ayrshire](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Mid-16thC_Renaissance_carving_from_Killochan_Castle%2C_Ayrshire.JPG)
In the 15th and 16th centuries, the designation was used for land owners holding directly of the Crown, and therefore were entitled to attend Parliament. Lairds reigned over their estates like
prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...
s, their castles forming a small court. Originally in the 16th and 17th centuries, the designation was applied to the head chief of a highland clan and therefore was not personal property and had obligations towards the community.
The laird may possess certain local or
feudal rights. A lairdship carried voting rights in the ancient pre-Union
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland ( sco, Pairlament o Scotland; gd, Pàrlamaid na h-Alba) was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland from the 13th century until 1707. The parliament evolved during the early 13th century from the king's council o ...
, although such voting rights were expressed via two representatives from each county who were known as Commissioners of the Shires, who came from the laird class and were chosen by their peers to represent them. A certain level of landownership was a necessary qualification (40 shillings of old extent). A laird is said to hold a lairdship. A woman who holds a lairdship in her own right has been styled with the honorific "Lady".
Although "laird" is sometimes translated as ''
lord
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...
'' and historically signifies the same, like the English term ''
lord of the manor
Lord of the Manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England, referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seig ...
'', ''laird'' is not a title of
nobility
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...
. The designation is a "corporeal hereditament" (an inheritable property that has an explicit tie to the physical land), i.e. the designation cannot be held
in gross
Gross may refer to:
Finance
*Gross Cash Registers, a defunct UK company with a high profile in the 1970s
* Gross (economics), is the total income before deducting expenses
Science and measurement
* Gross (unit), a counting unit equal to 14 ...
, and cannot be bought and sold without selling the physical land. The designation does not entitle the owner to sit in the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...
, and is the Scottish equivalent to an English
squire
In the Middle Ages, a squire was the shield- or armour-bearer of a knight.
Use of the term evolved over time. Initially, a squire served as a knight's apprentice. Later, a village leader or a lord of the manor might come to be known as a ...
, in that it is not a noble title, more a courtesy designation meaning landowner with no other rights assigned to it. A laird possessing a
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
registered in the
Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland
The Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland, established in 1672, is an official register of Scottish coats of arms maintained by the Lyon Clerk and Keeper of the Records. As a public register, it can be seen by anyone on application, ...
is a member of Scotland's minor nobility. Such a person can be recognised as a laird, if not a
chief or chieftain, or descendant of one of these, by the formal recognition of a
territorial designation
In the United Kingdom, a territorial designation follows modern peerage titles, linking them to a specific place or places. It is also an integral part of all baronetcies. Within Scotland, a territorial designation proclaims a relationship with ...
as a part of their name by the Lord Lyon. The Lord Lyon is the ultimate arbiter as to determining entitlement to a territorial designation, and his right of discretion in recognising these, and their status as a name, dignity or title, have been confirmed in the Scottish courts.
Today
A study in 2003 by academics at the Universities of Edinburgh and Aberdeen concluded that:
Traditional and current forms of address
Although marketed by those peddling lordship titles, the use of the honorific "
The Much Honoured
The Much Honoured (abbreviated to The Much Hon.) is an honorific style applied to the holders of certain Scottish feudal baronies.
Overview
There were around 350 identifiable local baronies in Scotland by the early fifteenth century and these c ...
" by lairds is archaic. When it was used in former times, it was normally when the laird also held a
barony Barony may refer to:
* Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron
* Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron
* Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...
by Crown charter (e.g.
Traquair
Traquair ( gd, Cille Bhrìghde) is a small village and civil parish in the Scottish Borders; until 1975 it was in the county of Peeblesshire. The village is situated on the B709 road south of Innerleithen at .
History
Traquair, said to mea ...
). Today, "The Much Honoured" is an honorific reserved for feudal barons and earls who are members of the pre-1707 Scots nobility.
In the UK television series ''
Monarch of the Glen'' (based on the 1941 novel by
Compton Mackenzie
Sir Edward Montague Compton Mackenzie, (17 January 1883 – 30 November 1972) was a Scottish writer of fiction, biography, histories and a memoir, as well as a cultural commentator, raconteur and lifelong Scottish nationalist. He was one of th ...
), the wife of "Hector Naismith MacDonald, Laird of Glenbogle" is typically accorded the courtesy title "Lady of Glenbogle".
King George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...
and his wife
Queen Mary were reported as being "The Laird and Lady of
Balmoral" by the Scottish press in the 1920s and 1930s.
Souvenir plots and false titles
A contemporary popular view of lairdship titles has taken a unique twist in the 21st century with sales of
souvenir plot
Souvenir title or souvenir plots are a commonly sold online good or physical gift set whereby a seller will advertise ownership of a small plot of land in Scotland, advertising that the buyer will obtain the legal right of ownership in Scots law ...
s from sellers who obtain no legal right to the title. A souvenir plot is defined in the Land Registration (Scotland) Act 2012 as "a piece of land ... of inconsiderable size or no practical utility". Several websites, and
Internet vendors on websites like
eBay
eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became ...
, sell Scottish lairdships along with minuscule "plots of land" – usually one
square foot
The square foot (plural square feet; abbreviated sq. ft, sf, or ft2; also denoted by '2) is an imperial unit and U.S. customary unit (non- SI, non-metric) of area, used mainly in the United States and partially in Canada, the United Kingdom, Bang ...
. The
Court of the Lord Lyon considers these particular titles to be meaningless because it is impossible to have numerous "lairds" of a single estate at the same time, as has been advertised by these companies.
However, despite the law and guidance by the Court of the Lord Lyon, the sellers view the contract purporting to sell a plot of Scottish souvenir land as bestowing the buyer with the informal right to the title of Laird. This is despite the fact that the buyer does not acquire ownership of the plot because registration of the plot is prohibited by Land Registration (Scotland) Act 2012, s 22 (1)(b). As ownership of land in Scotland requires registration of a valid disposition under Land Registration (Scotland) Act 2012, s 50 (2), the prohibition on registration of a souvenir plot means the buyer does not acquire ownership, and accordingly has no entitlement to a descriptive title premised on landownership.
The Lord Lyon, Scotland's authority on titles and heraldry, has produced the following guidance regarding the current concept of a "souvenir plot" and the use of the term "laird" as a courtesy title:
See also
*
Forms of address in the United Kingdom Forms of address used in the United Kingdom are given below.
Terminology
Abbreviations
Several terms have been abbreviated in the tables below. The forms used in the table are given first, followed by alternative acceptable abbreviations in paren ...
*
Laird (surname)
*
Scottish feudal barony
In Scotland, a baron or baroness is the head of a feudal barony, also known as a prescriptive barony. This used to be attached to a particular piece of land on which was situated the ''caput'' (Latin for "head") or essence of the barony, normal ...
References
Sources
*
Perelman, Michael The Invention of Capitalism: Classical Political Economy and the Secret History of Primitive Accumulation' Published by
Duke University Press
Duke University Press is an academic publisher and university press affiliated with Duke University. It was founded in 1921 by William T. Laprade as The Trinity College Press. (Duke University was initially called Trinity College). In 1926 D ...
, 2000 ,
External links
{{Wiktionary
* http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-lairds.html
* http://www.scotshistoryonline.co.uk/territorial-designation.html
15th-century neologisms
Courtesy titles
Feudalism in Scotland
Scottish society
Scottish titles