Territorial designation
Encyclopedia
A territorial designation follows modern peerage titles, linking them to a specific place or places. It is also an integral part of all baronet
cies. Within Scotland, a territorial designation proclaims a relationship with a particular area of land.
s that links them to a specific place or places, at least one of which is almost always in the United Kingdom
. It is given in the patent
of creation after the actual peerage title itself, of which it is not a part. It is also an integral part of all baronet
cies.
For instance, the life peerages conferred on the former Prime Ministers
Margaret Thatcher
and James Callaghan
were created as Baroness Thatcher, of Kesteven in the County of Lincolnshire and Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, of the City of Cardiff in the County of South Glamorgan. The part of the peerage before the comma
is the actual title, and the part after the comma is the territorial designation. These peers should be referred to as The Lady 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 Lady Thatcher of Kesteven and The Lord Callaghan are incorrect.
Some territorial designations name more than one place, and the format used depends on whether such places are in the same county
or other administrative division. For instance, the life peerages conferred on Margaret McDonagh
and John Morris were created as Baroness McDonagh, of Mitcham and of Morden in the London Borough of Merton and Baron Morris of Aberavon, of Aberavon in the County of West Glamorgan and of Ceredigion in the County of Dyfed. Occasionally, a place outside the United Kingdom can be named: for instance, the life peerage conferred on Howard Florey
was created as Baron Florey, of Adelaide in the Commonwealth of Australia and of Marston in the County of Oxford.
With the exception of Royal peerages, which are often created without them, territorial designations are used with the creation of almost all baron
ies and viscount
cies. Higher ranks of the peerage often used to have them as well, but now rarely do. With the higher ranks, the format could be the same as with lower ranks or it could simply specify the location of the place named in the actual title. For example: Duke of Wellington, in the County of Somerset (1814) and Duke of Gordon
, of Gordon Castle in Scotland (1876) but Duke of Fife
(1899); Marquess of Cholmondeley
, in the County Palatine of Chester (1815) and Marquess of Ailsa
, of the Isle of Ailsa in the County of Ayr (1831) but Marquess of Zetland
(1892); Earl of Craven
, in the County of York (1801) and Earl Nelson
, of Trafalgar and of Merton in the County of Surrey (1805) but Earl of Stockton
(1984).
In 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 of Alderley
, in the County of Chester differs in format from Baron Stanley
, of Bickerstaffe in the County Palatine of Lancaster only by the placement of the comma: the former title is Baron Stanley of Alderley whilst the latter is Baron Stanley. This format is no longer used: if a peerage title in the format "Baron X of Y" is wanted, the full territorial designation must be used. Thus if the Barony of Stanley of Alderley were created today, it would have to be Baron Stanley of Alderley, of Alderley in the County of Chester.
In the case of a victory title
, at least one term usually refers to the site of the grantee's triumph, usually outside the UK.
, the latter denoting 'landowner', or is a descendant of one of the same. 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.
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
cies. Within Scotland, a territorial designation proclaims a relationship with a particular area of land.
Peerages and baronetcies
A territorial designation is an aspect of the creation of modern peeragePeerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
s that links them to a specific place or places, at least one of which is almost always in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It is given in the patent
Letters patent
Letters patent are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch or president, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, title, or status to a person or corporation...
of creation after the actual peerage title itself, of which it is not a part. It is also an integral part of all baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
cies.
For instance, the life peerages conferred on the former Prime Ministers
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
and James Callaghan
James Callaghan
Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC , was a British Labour politician, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980...
were created as Baroness Thatcher, of Kesteven in the County of Lincolnshire and Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, of the City of Cardiff in the County of South Glamorgan. The part of the peerage before the comma
Comma
A comma is a type of punctuation mark . The word comes from the Greek komma , which means something cut off or a short clause.Comma may also refer to:* Comma , a type of interval in music theory...
is the actual title, and the part after the comma is the territorial designation. These peers should be referred to as The Lady 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 Lady Thatcher of Kesteven and The Lord Callaghan are incorrect.
Some territorial designations name more than one place, and the format used depends on whether such places are in the same county
Counties of England
Counties of England are areas used for the purposes of administrative, geographical and political demarcation. For administrative purposes, England outside Greater London and the Isles of Scilly is divided into 83 counties. The counties may consist of a single district or be divided into several...
or other administrative division. For instance, the life peerages conferred on Margaret McDonagh
Margaret McDonagh, Baroness McDonagh
Margaret Josephine McDonagh, Baroness McDonagh is a British Labour Party politician and was General Secretary of the Labour Party from 1998 to 2001.-References:...
and John Morris were created as Baroness McDonagh, of Mitcham and of Morden in the London Borough of Merton and Baron Morris of Aberavon, of Aberavon in the County of West Glamorgan and of Ceredigion in the County of Dyfed. Occasionally, a place outside the United Kingdom can be named: for instance, the life peerage conferred on Howard Florey
Howard Walter Florey
Howard Walter Florey, Baron Florey OM FRS was an Australian pharmacologist and pathologist who shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945 with Sir Ernst Boris Chain and Sir Alexander Fleming for his role in the making of penicillin. Florey's discoveries are estimated to have saved...
was created as Baron Florey, of Adelaide in the Commonwealth of Australia and of Marston in the County of Oxford.
With the exception of Royal peerages, which are often created without them, territorial designations are used with the creation of almost all baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
ies and viscount
Viscount
A viscount or viscountess is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl or a count .-Etymology:...
cies. Higher ranks of the peerage often used to have them as well, but now rarely do. With the higher ranks, the format could be the same as with lower ranks or it could simply specify the location of the place named in the actual title. For example: Duke of Wellington, in the County of Somerset (1814) and Duke of Gordon
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 created Duke of Gordon, Marquess of Huntly, Earl of Huntly...
, of Gordon Castle in Scotland (1876) but Duke of Fife
Duke of Fife
Duke of Fife is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, named after Fife in Scotland. There have been two creations of the title, the first in 1889 and the second in 1900, both in favour of Alexander Duff, 6th Earl Fife in the Peerage of Ireland and 1st Earl of Fife in the Peerage of the...
(1899); Marquess of Cholmondeley
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. Each Marquess of Cholmondeley is a descendant of Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister of Great Britain....
, in the County Palatine of Chester (1815) and Marquess of Ailsa
Marquess of Ailsa
Marquess of Ailsa, of the Isle of Ailsa in the County of Ayr, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 10 September 1831 for Archibald Kennedy, 12th Earl of Cassillis. The title Earl of Cassillis had been created in 1509 for the 3rd Lord Kennedy. This title had been...
, of the Isle of Ailsa in the County of Ayr (1831) but Marquess of Zetland
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 spelling of Shetland. The Dundas family descends from the wealthy Scottish businessman and...
(1892); Earl of Craven
Earl of Craven
Earl of Craven, in the County of York, is a title that has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1664 in favour of the soldier William Craven, the eldest son of Sir William Craven, Lord...
, in the County of York (1801) and Earl Nelson
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 William Nelson, 2nd Baron Nelson, older brother of the famous Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson. The Nelson family had been settled in...
, of Trafalgar and of Merton in the County of Surrey (1805) but Earl of Stockton
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, just under three years before his death...
(1984).
In 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 of Alderley
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....
, in the County of Chester differs in format from Baron Stanley
Earl of Derby
Earl of Derby is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the end of the reign of Henry III and died in 1279...
, of Bickerstaffe in the County Palatine of Lancaster only by the placement of the comma: the former title is Baron Stanley of Alderley whilst the latter is Baron Stanley. This format is no longer used: if a peerage title in the format "Baron X of Y" is wanted, the full territorial designation must be used. Thus if the Barony of Stanley of Alderley were created today, it would have to be Baron Stanley of Alderley, of Alderley in the County of Chester.
In the case of a victory title
Victory title
A victory title is an honorific title adopted by a successful military commander to commemorate his defeat of an enemy nation. This practice was first used by Ancient Rome and is still most commonly associated with the Romans, but it has also been adopted as a practice by many modern empires,...
, at least one term usually refers to the site of the grantee's triumph, usually outside the UK.
Scotland
Recognition of a Territorial Designation may also be granted in Scotland by the Lord Lyon to Scottish armigers who own (or were born in or were associated with) named land, generally outwith a town (i.e. rural). The Lord Lyon 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. A person bearing a Scottish territorial designation is either a Chief or Chieftain or a LairdLaird
A Laird is a member of the gentry and is a heritable title in Scotland. In the non-peerage table of precedence, a Laird ranks below a Baron and above an Esquire.-Etymology:...
, the latter denoting 'landowner', or is a descendant of one of the same. 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.