Peerage of the United Kingdom

Coronet_of_a_British_Duke

Arms_of_the_Duke_of_Wellington

Egerton_family_COA_(Dukes_of_Bridgewater,_Dukes_of_Sutherland)

Grosvenor_Duke_of_Westminster_Coat_of_Arms

Duke_of_Richmond_CoA

Arms_of_Leopold,_Duke_of_Albany

Duke_of_Argyll

The Peerage of the United Kingdom is a legal system comprising both hereditary and lifetime titles in the United Kingdom, forming a constituent part of the British honours system. The peerage system has evolved over centuries and includes several ranks, such as Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount, and Baron.

History

The Peerage of the United Kingdom was established in 1801 following the Acts of Union 1800, which unified the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. This new peerage system replaced the separate peerages of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

Ranks

The ranks within the Peerage of the United Kingdom are, in descending order of precedence:

• Duke
• Marquess
• Earl
• Viscount
• Baron

Each rank carries specific privileges and responsibilities, and peers may sit in the House of Lords, the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Hereditary and Life Peers

The peerage includes both hereditary peers, who inherit their titles, and life peers, who are appointed for their lifetime. Life peerages were introduced by the Life Peerages Act 1958, allowing individuals to be appointed to the House of Lords without passing on their titles to descendants.

House of Lords

The House of Lords is the upper chamber of the UK Parliament, and it includes both hereditary and life peers. The House of Lords Act 1999 significantly reduced the number of hereditary peers allowed to sit in the House, retaining only 92 elected hereditary peers.

Related Pages

• House of Lords
• Life Peerages Act 1958
• House of Lords Act 1999
• British honours system
• Acts of Union 1800
• Duke
• Marquess
• Earl
• Viscount
• Baron

See Also

• Peerage of England
• Peerage of Scotland
• Peerage of Ireland
• List of dukes in the peerages of Britain and Ireland
• List of marquesses in the peerages of Britain and Ireland
• List of earls in the peerages of Britain and Ireland
• List of viscounts in the peerages of Britain and Ireland
• List of barons in the peerages of Britain and Ireland