Authoritative source for baronetcies?

Question

In a 17th century line I am following, several of the males are called "Sir" and some are named "Bart" in various sources.

But I don't see their names on the list of people knighted, and I don't find them in any of the usual Peerages, Baronetages, Extinct Baronetages, etc. So I'm skeptical about this Bart business, and I'd like to know if there's an official list I could check.

Comments

Not an official list but there is an effort on Wikitree to categorize profiles with baronetcies: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Category:Baronets

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It links to an official list - no Byrons on it.

Answer 1

A baronet is always called 'Sir', even though he ranks above a knight.

You may also like to see this page:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official_Roll_of_the_Baronetage

Comments

Yes! Such a list is just what I was looking for!

My Byrons aren't on it.

Of course they could be Sirs w/o being Barts, but they don't seem to be on that list, either.

My thanks

Answer 2

I can't speak from experience with baronetcies, but I do have some with baronies. Wikipaedia and other popular sources have a number of absences on their lists, particularly for titles that are no longer extant for various reasons. Don't give up, it's just a cue for more digging!

Comments

I'm sure the title, if it ever existed, would be extinct by now.

But the thing is, I'm not sure there ever was a title.  Sir Nicholas Byron-579 was a knight,his knighting was a matter of record, he styled himself as a knight, not a baronet. So if his descendants would have a baronetcy, it would have to have come from him, and I don't see that he had one.

But then how did the descendants get away with using it?

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Did the baronetcy come through inheritance from a female line? I've just been working through a family where due to there being no male heirs, the husband of a female heir got the title of Baron. Will have to go back to look up exactly which title it was.

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I doubt it. Nicholas's wife was Flemish, and I don't think they had baronetcies. Also, her father didn't seem to have a title; he was governor of Breda, but no other title was given that I could see.

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This works when there is a female equivalent (eg Baroness, Countess etc) and is known as jure uxoris - in the right of another. However, as a female can't hold a baronetcy in her own right I'm not sure that it could work in that situation. Although a man marrying the widow of a baronet... ‍♂️

Answer 3

I've also seen cases where people have confused "knight of the shire" (which just meant he was an MP) with an actual knighthood, and therefore assumed that he was a Sir.