Hereditary in gross
Encyclopedia
An office, not being held by serjeanty
Serjeanty
Under the feudal system in late and high medieval England, tenure by serjeanty was a form of land-holding in return for some specified service, ranking between tenure by knight-service and tenure in socage...

, or attached to some particular office or title, is said to be "in gross".

Such offices are inherited in the same manner as a barony by writ: by sons in order of birth, and then by daughters. Where there is more than one female heir, the claim is split equally between them or their descendants, disregarding birth order among sisters.

Examples include:
  • the Lord Great Chamberlain
    Lord Great Chamberlain
    The Lord Great Chamberlain of England is the sixth of the Great Officers of State, ranking beneath the Lord Privy Seal and above the Lord High Constable...

    ;
  • the right to carry the spur
    Spur
    A spur is a metal tool designed to be worn in pairs on the heels of riding boots for the purpose of directing a horse to move forward or laterally while riding. It is usually used to refine the riding aids and to back up the natural aids . The spur is used in every equestrian discipline...

    s at a coronation
    Coronation of the British monarch
    The coronation of the British monarch is a ceremony in which the monarch of the United Kingdom is formally crowned and invested with regalia...

     (vested in the Lord Hastings and the Lord Churston
    Baron Churston
    Baron Churston, of Churston Ferrers and Lupton in the County of Devon, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1858 for the former Conservative Member of Parliament, Sir John Yarde, 3rd Baronet. He had earlier represented South Devon in the House of Commons. Two years...

    , by descent from the Hastings Earl of Pembroke
    Earl of Pembroke
    Earl of Pembroke is a title created ten times, all in the Peerage of England. It was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, which is the site of Earldom's original seat Pembroke Castle...

     via Lord Grey de Ruthyn);
  • the Grand Carver of England
    Grand Carver of England
    The Grand Carver of England is a hereditary office of the Royal Household of the sovereign of England and later the United Kingdom, held in gross.The holder is the Earl of Denbigh and Desmond....

    .


Certain Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 or Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 offices, and some others which are doubtful or obsolete, are also held by this form of tenure
Tenure
Tenure commonly refers to life tenure in a job and specifically to a senior academic's contractual right not to have his or her position terminated without just cause.-19th century:...

.
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