In the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, a territorial designation follows modern
peerage
A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks.
Peerages include:
Australia
* Australian peers
Belgium
* Belgi ...
titles, linking them to a specific place or places. It is also an integral part of all
baronet
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
cies. Within Scotland, a territorial designation proclaims a relationship with a particular area of land.
English and British peerages
A territorial designation is an aspect of the creation of modern
peerage
A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks.
Peerages include:
Australia
* Australian peers
Belgium
* Belgi ...
s that links them to a specific place or places, at least one of which is almost always in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. It is given in the
patent
A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...
of creation after the actual peerage title itself, of which it is not considered a part.
Life peerages
With the exception of royal peerages, which are often created without them, territorial designations are used with the creation of almost all
baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...
ies and
viscount
A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status.
In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...
cies. For instance, the
life peerage
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages A ...
conferred (in 1992) on the former
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...
was created as:
''Baroness Thatcher, of Kesteven in the County of Lincolnshire.''
The
life peerage
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages A ...
for the former
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
James Callaghan
Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, ( ; 27 March 191226 March 2005), commonly known as Jim Callaghan, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980. Callaghan is ...
(in 1987) was created as:
''Lord Callaghan of Cardiff, of the City of Cardiff in the County of South Glamorgan''.
The part of the peerage before the
comma
The comma is a punctuation mark that appears in several variants in different languages. It has the same shape as an apostrophe or single closing quotation mark () in many typefaces, but it differs from them in being placed on the baseline ...
is the actual title, and the part after the comma is the territorial designation. These peers should therefore be referred to as "''The Baroness Thatcher"'' and "''The Lord Callaghan of Cardiff"'': it is incorrect both to use part of the territorial designation as part of the title and to leave out part of the actual title; thus ''The Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven'' and ''The Lord Callaghan'' are incorrect, although the latter may be used informally.
The place of the comma can be particularly important when dealing with peers with the same names. For instance, ''Baron Sainsbury'' refers to
Alan Sainsbury
Alan John Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury (13 August 1902 – 21 October 1998), was a British business executive and a leading member of the supermarket Sainsbury family.
Early and private life
Sainsbury was the son of Mabel Miriam ( Van den Bergh) a ...
who was ''Baron Sainsbury, of Drury Lane in the Borough of Holborn'' (created in 1962). This life peerage of ''Baron Sainsbury'' had been created and anyone else wanting to use this title would need to add a territorial designation in order to create a different peerage. Hence his son,
John Sainsbury, was created (in 1989) as ''Baron Sainsbury of Preston Candover, of Preston Candover in the County of Hampshire'', while his nephew,
David Sainsbury
David John Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury of Turville, , raeng.org.uk. Accessed 8 September 2022. (24 October 1940) is a British politician, businessman and philanthropist. From 1992 to 1997, he served as chairman of Sainsbury's, the supermarket c ...
, was created (in 1997) as ''Baron Sainsbury of Turville, of Turville in the County of Buckinghamshire.''
Hence the distinction needs to be made between different peers with similar or the same surnames so that there can be no confusion. This can be especially important if peers with similar names sit in the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...
at the same time, as seen in the distinction made between
Baron Hunt (1966–98),
Baron Hunt of Fawley (1973–87),
Baron Hunt of Tanworth (1980-2008),
Baron Hunt of Wirral (created in 1997),
Baron Hunt of Kings Heath (created in 1997), and
Baron Hunt of Chesterton
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...
(created in 2000).
Baronies and viscountcies
Until the 19th century, it was possible to create a different peerage title merely by altering the location of the comma. Thus the title ''
Baron Stanley
Baron Stanley is an abeyant title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1456 for Sir Thomas Stanley. His son was created Earl of Derby in 1485 and the titles remained united until the death of the fifth earl, without male heirs in 1594, w ...
, of Bickerstaffe in the County Palatine of Lancaster'' (created in 1832) differs in format from ''
Baron Stanley of Alderley
Baron Stanley of Alderley, in the County of Chester, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1839 for the politician and landowner Sir John Stanley, 7th Baronet. Upon his death in 1850, he was succeeded as 2nd Baron ...
, in the County of Chester'' (created in 1839) only by the placement of the comma. The former title is ''Baron Stanley'' whilst the latter is ''Baron Stanley of Alderley''.
However, this format is now no longer used: if a peerage title in the format "Baron Surname of Place" is wanted, the full territorial designation must be used. Thus if the Barony of Stanley of Alderley were created today, it would be created as ''Baron Stanley of Alderley, of Alderley in the County of Chester''. This dual usage of the same term in the title and in the territorial designation may appear peculiar, but is a regular occurrence, with one recent example being
Adair Turner
Jonathan Adair Turner, Baron Turner of Ecchinswell (born 5 October 1955) is a British businessman and academic and was Chairman of the Financial Services Authority until its abolition in March 2013. He is a former Chairman of the Pensions Commiss ...
, who was (in 2005) created ''Baron Turner of Ecchinswell, of Ecchinswell in the County of Hampshire.'' Though this dual usage (or repetition) in both title and territorial designation is not a requirement to create a title in the form of "Baron Surname of Place" as illustrated in the example of
Gerry Grimstone
Gerald Edgar Grimstone, Baron Grimstone of Boscobel (born 27 August 1949) is a British businessman. He was previously chairman of Barclays Bank plc and of Standard Life and group deputy chairman of Barclays plc, the holding company for the Barcla ...
who was created (in 2020) as ''Baron Grimstone of Boscobel, of Belgravia in the City of Westminster.''
Earldoms, marquessates and dukedoms
Creations of the higher ranks of the peerage (
earl
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...
,
marquess
A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...
and
duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...
) often used to include territorial designations, but this has varied and such creations now rarely do. For example: the ''
Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister of ...
, in the County of Somerset'' (created in 1814) and the ''
Duke of Gordon
The title Duke of Gordon has been created once in the Peerage of Scotland and again in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
The Dukedom, named after the Clan Gordon, was first created for the 4th Marquess of Huntly, who on 3 November 1684 was c ...
, of Gordon Castle in Scotland'' (created in 1876) were created with territorial designations but the ''
Duke of Fife
Duke of Fife is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom that has been created twice, in both cases for Alexander Duff, 1st Duke of Fife and 6th Earl Fife, who in 1889 married Princess Louise, the eldest daughter of Albert Edward, Princ ...
'' (created in 1899) was not.
The ''
Marquess of Cholmondeley
Marquess of Cholmondeley ( ) is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1815 for George Cholmondeley, 4th Earl of Cholmondeley.
History
The Cholmondeley family descends from William le Belward (or de Belward), the fe ...
, in the County Palatine of Chester'' (created in 1815) and ''
Marquess of Ailsa, of the Isle of Ailsa in the County of Ayr'' (created in 1831) were accorded territorial designations but the ''
Marquess of Zetland
Marquess of Zetland is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 22 August 1892 for the former Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Lawrence Dundas, 3rd Earl of Zetland. Zetland is an archaic form of Shetland. The Dundas family des ...
'' (created in 1892) was not. Likewise, the ''
Earl of Craven, in the County of York'' (created in 1801) and the ''
Earl Nelson
Earl Nelson, ''of Trafalgar and of Merton in the County of Surrey'', is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 20 November 1805 for the Rev. William Nelson, 2nd Baron Nelson, one month after the death of his younge ...
, of Trafalgar and of Merton in the County of Surrey'' (created in 1805) differ in this respect to the ''
Earl of Stockton
Earl of Stockton is a title in the peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 24 February 1984 for Harold Macmillan, the former Conservative prime minister (from 1957 to 1963), less than three years before his death in 1986. At the same ...
'' (created in 1984).
Multiple designations
Some territorial designations name more than one place, and the format used depends on whether such places are in the same
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
or other administrative division. For instance, the
life peerage
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages A ...
conferred on
Margaret McDonagh was created (in 2004) as ''Baroness McDonagh, of Mitcham and of Morden in the London Borough of Merton.''
The
life peerage
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages A ...
conferred on
John Morris was created (in 2001) as ''Baron Morris of Aberavon, of Aberavon in the County of West Glamorgan and of Ceredigion in the County of Dyfed''. This also extends to naming two places, such as in the
life peerage
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages A ...
conferred on
William McCrea who was created (in 2018) as ''Baron McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown, of Magherafelt in the County of Londonderry and of Cookstown in the County of Tyrone''.
Overseas and victory designations
Occasionally, a place outside the United Kingdom can be named. For instance, the life peerage conferred on
Howard Florey
Howard Walter Florey, Baron Florey (24 September 189821 February 1968) was an Australian pharmacologist and pathologist who shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945 with Sir Ernst Chain and Sir Alexander Fleming for his role in ...
was created (in 1965) as ''Baron Florey, of Adelaide in the Commonwealth of Australia and of Marston in the County of Oxford'', or the life peerage conferred on
Sue Ryder
Margaret Susan Cheshire, Baroness Ryder of Warsaw, Lady Cheshire, (''née'' Ryder; 3 July 1924 – 2 November 2000), best known as Sue Ryder, was a British volunteer with Special Operations Executive in the Second World War, and a membe ...
was created (in 1979) as ''Baroness Ryder of Warsaw, of Warsaw in Poland and of Cavendish in the County of Suffolk''.
In the case of a
victory title
A victory title is an honorific title adopted by a successful military commander to commemorate his defeat of an enemy nation. The practice is first known in Ancient Rome and is still most commonly associated with the Romans, but it was also adop ...
, at least one term usually refers to the site of the grantee's triumph, usually outside the United Kingdom. For example, the famous admiral
Horatio Nelson
Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought abo ...
was created (in 1801) as ''Viscount Nelson, of the Nile and of Burnham Thorpe in the County of Norfolk''. The Nile being the site of his victory against the French in the
Battle of the Nile
The Battle of the Nile (also known as the Battle of Aboukir Bay; french: Bataille d'Aboukir) was a major naval battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the Navy of the French Republic at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast off the ...
, and Burnham Thorpe being his place of birth.
English and British baronetcies
Provision of a territorial designation is also an integral part of all
baronet
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
cies.
Scotland
Recognition of a territorial designation may also be granted in Scotland by the
Lord Lyon
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 ...
to Scottish
armiger
In heraldry, an armiger is a person entitled to use a heraldic achievement (e.g., bear arms, an "armour-bearer") either by hereditary right, grant, matriculation, or assumption of arms. Such a person is said to be armigerous. A family or a cl ...
s who own (or were born in or were associated with) named land, generally outwith a town (i.e. rural). The
Lord Lyon
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 ...
advises that for a territorial designation to be recognised, there must be 'ownership of a substantial area of land to which a well-attested name attaches, that is to say, ownership of an “estate”, or farm or, at the very least, a house with policies extending to five acres or thereby'.
The territorial designation in this case is considered to be an indivisible part of the name, though not necessarily an indicator of ancestral or feudal nobility, though recognition of a territorial designation is usually accorded alongside the grant or matriculation of a
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
, which confers minor nobility status.
A person bearing a Scottish territorial designation is either a
baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...
,
chief or chieftain or a
laird
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 ...
, the latter denoting 'landowner', or is a descendant of one of the same. The
Lord Lyon
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 ...
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, has been confirmed in the Scottish courts.
According to Debrett's and other references,
a ''John Smith of Abercrombie'' is addressed as simply ''Abercrombie''. If he is a clan chief, he may be addressed by either the place-name or the surname of his clan.
See also
*
Nobiliary particle
*
Toponymic surname
A toponymic surname or topographic surname is a surname derived from a place name.
References
*
{{reflist
*
Peerages in the United Kingdom