Titles and Styles of the English Nobility

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Work in Progress

This page is an aid for editing profiles of English people who had a title of nobility, as a guide for what should be entered into the various name fields.

It has been compiled with input from the England Project, the Magna Carta Project and the Medieval Project.

Please note that this guidance only applies to English titles in the Peerage of England, the Peerage of Great Britain and the Peerage of the United Kingdom. If in doubt, raise a question in G2G.

For each title, all name fields are listed. If the field has *** next to it, then the person's own name is entered.

These titles have been ranked in order of precedence.

If a person is granted an higher honour during their lifetime (such as an Earl being raised to a Duke) then only the higher rank title is added to the Nickname Field of their profile. Other lower ranking titles which they may have held during their life are described in the biography. Succession boxes may be used to show the inheritance of multiple titles (see the profile of King George III as an example of the use of succession boxes for multiple titles).

If the title has been created on more than one occasion, use the succession number given in the revised edition of Cokayne’s "Complete Peerage" ^[1], and give a short explanation of the different ways of numbering in the bio or a research note. The resulting numbering in the name field may differ from Wikipedia or the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

Wikipedia: Forms of Address

Contents 1 Duke / Duchess 2 Marquess / Marchioness 3 Earl /Countess 4 Viscount / Viscountess 5 Baron / Baroness 6 Life Peer 7 Baronet 8 Knight 9 Sources

Duke / Duchess

The highest rank in the Peerage. Women can hold this rank in their own right, are included in the numerical sequence and are styled Duchess. The wife of a Duke is also a Duchess, but the husband of Duchess does not have a style.
Check this page for the correct designation. If the title is a Royal Dukedom and is held by a member of the Royal Family, then the person is styled as "His/Her Royal Highness" or HRH

Prefix: His or Her Grace, or His/Her Royal Highness (HRH) if this is a Royal Dukedom
Proper First Name: ***
Preferred Name: ***
Other Nicknames: nth Duke / Duchess of [place] where n is the number of the Dukedom and the place is the territorial designation
LNAB: ***
CLN: ***
Other Last Names: ***
Suffix: Nothing specific for Dukes

Marquess / Marchioness

The title of a Marquessate may be (most commonly) the territorial designation, the surname of the family or a combination of both. Consult this page for the correct form of the Marquessate. Women can hold this rank in their own right, are included in the numerical sequence, and are called Marchionesses.

Prefix: Most Hon (abbreviation of The Most Honourable)
Proper First Name: ***
Preferred Name: ***
Other Nicknames: nth Marquess / Marchioness [surname] of [place] where n is the number of the Marquessate, the surname is that of the original grantee of the title (this is rarely used) and the place is the territorial designation.
LNAB: ***
CLN: ***
Other Last Names: ***
Suffix: Nothing specific for Marquesses

Earl /Countess

The title of a Earldom derives from a territorial designation. Consult this page for the correct form of the Earldom. Women can hold this rank in their own right, are included in the numerical sequence, and are called Countesses. The wife of an Earl is also styled as Countess.

Prefix: Rt Hon (abbreviation of The Right Honourable)
Proper First Name: ***
Preferred Name: ***
Other Nicknames: nth Earl / Countess [surname] of [place] where n is the number of the Earldom and the place is the territorial designation.
LNAB: ***
CLN: ***
Other Last Names: ***
Suffix: Nothing specific for Earls

Viscount / Viscountess

The title of a Viscount may be either a place name, a surname, or a combination thereof. Women can be Viscountesses in their own right and are included in the numerical sequence of the Viscountcy. The wife of a Viscount is styled Lady.
Consult this page of Viscountcies for the correct style.

Prefix: Rt Hon (abbreviation of The Right Honourable)
Proper First Name: ***
Preferred Name: ***
Other Nicknames: nth Viscount/ Viscountess [surname] of [place] where n is the number of the Viscountcy, the surname is that of the original grantee of the title and (where appropriate) place is the original location or seat
LNAB: ***
CLN: ***
Other Last Names: ***
Suffix: Nothing specific for Viscounts

Baron / Baroness

The lowest rank of the Peerage. Women can be Baronesses in their own right, and are included in the numerical sequence of the Barony.
Consult the following Wikipedia pages for the form of the name of the Barony:

• created in the Peerage of England (up to 1707)
• created in the Peerage of Great Britain (1707-1800)
• created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom (1801 onwards)

Prefix: Rt Hon (abbreviation of The Right Honourable)
Proper First Name: ***
Preferred Name: ***
Other Nicknames: nth Baron/Baroness [surname] of [place] where n is the number of the Barony, the surname is that of the original grantee of the title and place (if included in the form of the Barony) is the original location or seat.
LNAB: ***
CLN: ***
Other Last Names: ***
Suffix: Nothing specific for Barons

Life Peer

A Life Peerage is a non-hereditary peerage at the rank of Baron. Use this [Wikipedia page] for the place designation of the Peerage.

Prefix: Rt Hon (abbreviation of The Right Honourable)
Proper First Name: ***
Preferred Name: ***
Other Nicknames: Lord or Lady [surname] of [place]
LNAB: ***
CLN: ***
Other Last Names: ***
Suffix: Nothing specific for Life Peers

Baronet

A Baronetcy is a hereditary knighthood and is a rank only held by men. For a full list of the correct names of the Baronetcies consult this page or the five volumes of Cokayne's "Complete Baronetage" here Complete Baronetage

Prefix: Sir (if there is another prefix this goes in front of the Sir example "Professor Sir...")
Proper First Name: ***
Preferred Name: ***
Other Nicknames: nth Baronet [surname] of [place] where n is the number of the sequence of the Baronetcy, the surname is that of the original grantee of the title and place is the original location or seat
LNAB: ***
CLN: ***
Other Last Names: ***
Suffix: Bt Bt goes in front of any other post-nominal letters. If a Baronet is ennobled, the Bt is dropped as a suffix even though the Baronetcy is merged with the new honour.

Knight

Prefix: Sir (if there is another prefix this goes in front of the Sir example "Professor Sir...")
Proper First Name: ***
Preferred Name: ***
Other Nicknames: ***
LNAB: ***
CLN: ***
Other Last Names: ***
Suffix: No specific suffix for a knight bachelor, specific post nominal letters for higher Orders of Chivalry and the class within the Order. Check Wikipedia for the convention of post-nominal letters.

See also:

• Categorisation - Nobility of the British Isles and Ireland - recategorisation plan and *Baronetage Categorisation plan March 2022

Sources

1. ↑ The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom : extant, extinct, or dormant Cockayne G. E. Second edition list on Wikipedia choose the appropriate volume from the "Second (revised) edition" list at the bottom of the page