Courtesy title

A courtesy title is a form of address in the British peerage system used for wives, children, and other close relatives of a peer. This styles may mislead those unacquainted with the system into thinking that they have substantive titles.

If a peer of the rank of Duke, Marquess or Earl has more than one title, his eldest son, not himself a peer, uses one of the lesser titles. (The eldest sons of Barons and Viscounts do not receive such a privilege.) If that eldest son has an eldest son, and there are additional titles available, he too may use a lesser title. For example, the Duke of Norfolk is also the Earl of Arundel and the Lord Maltravers, and so his son may be styled Earl of Arundel, and the grandson styled Lord Maltravers. However, only the grandfather is a peer: the other two remain 'commoners' until they actually acquire a substantive title. Also, such courtesy titles are only used by the peer's eldest son, and the eldest son's eldest son, and so forth. Other descendants are not permitted to use the peer's subsidiary titles.

The actual title used is a matter of family tradition. For instance, the eldest son of the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry is the Earl of Dalkeith, even though the Duke is also the Marquess of Dumfriesshire, a senior title to the Earldom of Dalkeith. Similarly, the eldest son of the Marquess of Londonderry is Viscount Castlereagh, even though the Marquess is also the Earl Vane. Titles with the same name as a peer's main title are also not used as courtesy titles. For instance, the Duke of Westminster is also the Marquess of Westminster and the Earl Grosvenor (amongst other things). The Duke's son is not the Marquess of Westminster (which would cause confusion between the son and the father), and so is styled Earl Grosvenor instead. The title used does not have to be exactly equivalent to the actual peerage: the eldest son of the current Duke of Wellington uses the title "Marquess of Douro", even though the actual peerage possessed by his father is "Marquess Douro". If a peer of the rank of Earl or above does not have any subsidiary titles of a different name to his main title, his eldest son usually uses an invented courtesy title of "Lord Surname". For instance, the eldest son of the Earl of Devon is Lord Courtenay, even though the Earl has no barony of that name, and similarly the eldest son of the Earl of Guilford is Lord North. The eldest son of the Earl of Huntingdon, who has no subsidiary titles, is styled Viscount Hastings to avoid confusion with the substantive peer Lord Hastings.

A peer's wife takes her courtesy title based on her husband's rank, unless she herself has a higher title. Thus a baron's wife is called "baroness", an earl's wife is called a "countess", a duke's wife a "duchess", etc. Despite being referred to as a "peeress", she does not, however, become a peer "in her own right": these are 'styles', not substantive titles.

Another form of courtesy title, in the form of an honorific prefix, is granted to younger sons, and all daughters of peers. The rules differ for different ranks of peers: the children of a baron, for example, get the prefix "Hon.", the daughters of an earl are called "Lady", and so on. These titles persist after the death of the father and the descent of the peerage to the elder son.

Peer	Wife	Eldest Son	Younger Son	Unmarried Daughter
Duke	Duchess	Father's Subsidiary Title	Lord Firstname Lastname	Lady Firstname Lastname
Marquess	Marchioness	Father's Subsidiary Title	Lord Firstname Lastname	Lady Firstname Lastname
Earl	Countess	Father's Subsidiary Title	The Honourable Firstname Lastname	Lady Firstname Lastname
Viscount	Viscountess	The Honourable Firstname Lastname	The Honourable Firstname Lastname	The Honourable Firstname Lastname
Baron	Baroness	The Honourable Firstname Lastname	The Honourable Firstname Lastname	The Honourable Firstname Lastname

A peer's daughter who marries a commoner either becomes "The Lady Firstname Husbandslastname" or "The Honourable Mrs. Husbandslastname", depending on what her birth style is. If she marries a peer, she gains the courtesy title as that peer's wife. Also note that the children of a peeress in her own right (a peeress that holds a substantive title, and is not merely a wife of a peer) gain courtesy titles as usual, but the husband receives no special distinction.

If a woman marries an Honourable, and holds no higher title, she will become "The Honourable Mrs. Husbandsfirstname Husbandslastname." If a woman marries a Lord, she will become "The Lady Husbandsfirstname Husbandslastname." In case of a divorce, she will keep the same style as during her marriage, or she may choose to assume the style "Mrs. Firstname Husbandslastname." Regardless of what she chooses, she loses all precedence she attained from marriage. Because of the former option, there can be multiple Lady John Smiths.

Occasionally, when someone inherits a peerage from a relative who is not one's parent, their siblings may be allowed to use courtesy titles as if they were the children of that peer. For instance, Rupert Charles Ponsonby, 7th Baron de Mauley inherited the Barony of de Mauley from his uncle in 2002. His brother Ashley had no title, as their father was only an Honourable and was never actually Baron de Mauley. However, in 2003, Ashley was granted the style and precedence of the son of a baron, becoming The Honourable Ashley Ponsonby.

Contents

1 Divorced wives 2 Widows 3 Courtesy Titles for Heirs of Dukes 4 Courtesy Titles for Heirs of Marquesses 5 Courtesy Titles for Heirs of Earls

Divorced wives

The divorced wife of a peer will put her Christian name before her husband's title, and lose any style she gained from marriage, and loses any address she gains from that style. So, "Her Grace The Duchess of London" becomes "Mary, Duchess of London," and should be addressed as "Duchess," but no longer "Your Grace." "The Rt. Hon. The Lady London" becomes "Mary, Lady London" and should be addressed as "Lady London," but not "My Lady" (an address gained from the style of Ladyship).

Widows

If a peer dies, his wife's style does not change unless the new peer is married. If he is married, traditionally the widowed peeress puts "Dowager" in her style, i.e. "The Most Hon. The Marchioness of London" becomes "The Most Hon. The Dowager Marchioness of London." However, in more recent times, due to negative connotations of the word "Dowager," many widows choose to be styled as a divorcee, except keeping their style. So, "The Rt. Hon. The Viscountess London" becomes "The Rt. Hon. Mary, Viscountess London."

If a widowed peeresses son predeceases her, her daughter-in-law may not use the Dowager styling and must use the Christian name designation until her mother-in-law dies, at which point she may use the Dowager title.

Courtesy Titles for Heirs of Dukes

Peer	Son	Grandson	Great-grandson
The Duke of Norfolk	Earl of Arundel and Surrey	Lord Maltravers
The Duke of Somerset	Lord Seymour
The Duke of Richmond and Gordon	Earl of March and Kinrara	Lord Settrington
The Duke of Grafton	Earl of Euston	Viscount Ipswich
The Duke of Beaufort	Marquess of Worcester	Earl of Glamorgan	Viscount Grosmont
The Duke of Saint Albans	Earl of Burford	Lord Vere of Hanworth
The Duke of Bedford	Marquess of Tavistock	Lord Howland
The Duke of Devonshire	Marquess of Hartington	Earl of Burlington	Lord Cavendish
The Duke of Marlborough	Marquess of Blandford	Earl of Sunderland	Lord Churchill
The Duke of Rutland	Marquess of Granby	Lord Haddon
The Duke of Hamilton and Brandon	Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale	Earl of Angus	Lord Abernethy
The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry	Earl of Dalkeith	Lord Eskdaill
The Duke of Argyll	Marquess of Lorne	Earl of Campbell	Viscount Lochaw
The Duke of Atholl	Marquess of Tullibardine	Earl of Strathtay	Viscount Balquhidder
The Duke of Montrose	Marquess of Graham	Earl of Kincardine	Viscount Dundaff
The Duke of Roxburghe	Marquess of Bowmont and Cessford	Earl of Kelso	Viscount Broxmouth
The Duke of Manchester	Viscount Mandeville	Lord Kimbolton
The Duke of Northumberland	Earl Percy	Lord Lovaine
The Duke of Leinster	Marquess of Kildare	Earl of Offaly	Viscount Leinster
The Duke of Abercorn	Marquess of Hamilton	Viscount Strabane
The Duke of Wellington	Marquess of Douro	Earl of Mornington	Viscount Wellesley
The Duke of Sutherland	Marquess of Stafford	Earl Gower	Viscount Trentham
The Duke of Westminster	Earl Grosvenor	Viscount Belgrave
The Duke of Fife	Earl of Southesk	Lord Carnegie
The Duke of Gloucester	Earl of Ulster	Lord Culloden
The Duke of Kent	Earl of St Andrews	Lord Downpatrick
The Duke of Edinburgh	Earl of Merioneth	Lord Greenwich
The Duke of York	Earl of Inverness	Lord Killyleagh

Courtesy Titles for Heirs of Marquesses

Peer	Son	Grandson
The Marquess of Winchester	Earl of Wiltshire	Lord St John
The Marquess of Huntly	Earl of Aboyne	Lord Strathavon
The Marquess of Queensberry	Viscount Drumlanrig
The Marquess of Tweeddale	Earl of Gifford	Viscount Walden
The Marquess of Lothian	Earl of Ancram	Lord Newbottle
The Marquess of Lansdowne	Earl of Kerry/Shelburne	Viscount Clanmaurice
The Marquess Townshend	Viscount Raynham
The Marquess of Salisbury	Viscount Cranborne
The Marquess of Bath	Viscount Weymouth
The Marquess of Hertford	Earl of Yarmouth	Viscount Beauchamp
The Marquess of Bute	Earl of Dumfries	Viscount Mountjoy
The Marquess of Waterford	Earl of Tyrone	Lord Beresford
The Marquess of Downshire	Earl of Hillsborough	Viscount Kilwarlin
The Marquess of Donegall	Earl of Belfast	Viscount Chichester
The Marquess of Headfort	Earl of Bective	Lord Kenlis
The Marquess of Sligo	Earl of Altamont	Viscount Westport
The Marquess of Ely	Viscount Loftus
The Marquess Conyngham	Earl of Mount Charles	Viscount Slane
The Marquess of Londonderry	Viscount Castlereagh	Lord Stewart
The Marquess of Exeter	Lord Burghley
The Marquess of Northampton	Earl Compton	Lord Wilmington
The Marquess Camden	Earl of Brecknock	Viscount Bayham
The Marquess of Anglesey	Earl of Uxbridge	Lord Paget
The Marquess of Cholmondeley	Earl of Rocksavage	Viscount Malpas
The Marquess of Ailesbury	Earl of Cardigan	Viscount Savernake
The Marquess of Bristol	Earl Jermyn	Lord Hervey
The Marquess of Ailsa	Earl of Cassilis	Lord Kennedy
The Marquess of Normanby	Earl of Mulgrave	Lord Phipps
The Marquess of Abergavenny	Earl of Lewes	Viscount Nevill
The Marquess of Zetland	Earl of Ronaldshay	Lord Dundas
The Marquess of Linlithgow	Earl of Hopetoun	Viscount Aithrie
The Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair	Earl of Haddo	Viscount Formartine
The Marquess of Milford Haven	Earl of Medina	Viscount Alderney
The Marquess of Reading	Viscount Erleigh

Courtesy Titles for Heirs of Earls

Peer	Son
The Earl of Shrewsbury and Waterford	Viscount Ingestre
The Earl of Derby	Lord Stanley
The Earl of Huntingdon	Viscount Hastings
The Earl of Devon	Lord Courtenay
The Earl of Pembroke and Montgomery	Lord Herbert
The Earl of Lincoln
The Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire	Viscount Andover
The Earl of Denbigh and Desmond	Viscount Feilding
The Earl of Westmorland	Lord Burghersh
The Earl of Lindsey and Abingdon	Lord Norreys
The Earl of Winchilsea and Nottingham	Viscount Maidstone
The Earl of Sandwich	Viscount Hinchingbrooke
The Earl of Essex	Viscount Malden
The Earl of Carlisle	Viscount Morpeth
The Earl of Shaftesbury	Lord Ashley
The Earl of Portland	Viscount Woodstock
The Earl of Scarbrough	Viscount Lumley
The Earl of Albemarle	Viscount Bury
The Earl of Coventry	Viscount Deerhurst
The Earl of Jersey	Viscount Villiers/Grandison
The Earl of Mar	Lord Garioch
The Earl of Sutherland	Lord Strathnaver
The Earl of Crawford and Balcarres	Lord Lindsay
The Earl of Mar and Kellie	Viscount Fentoun
The Earl of Erroll	Lord Hay
The Earl of Caithness	Lord Berriedale
The Earl of Rothes	Lord Leslie
The Earl of Morton	Lord Aberdour
The Earl of Buchan	Lord Cardross
The Earl of Eglinton and Winton	Lord Montgomerie
The Earl of Moray	Lord Doune
The Earl of Home	Lord Dunglass
The Earl of Perth	Viscount Strathallan
The Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne	Lord Glamis
The Earl of Haddington	Lord Binning
The Earl of Galloway	Lord Garlies
The Earl of Lauderdale	Viscount Maitland
The Earl of Lindsay	Viscount Garnock
The Earl of Loudoun	Lord Mauchline
The Earl of Kinnoull	Viscount Dupplin
The Earl of Elgin and Kincardine	Lord Bruce
The Earl of Wemyss and March	Lord Elcho/Neidpath
The Earl of Dalhousie	Lord Ramsay
The Earl of Airlie	Lord Ogilvy
The Earl of Leven and Melville	Lord Balgonie
The Earl of Dysart	Lord Huntingtower
The Earl of Selkirk	Lord Daer
The Earl of Northesk	Lord Rosehill
The Earl of Dundee	Lord Scrymgeour
The Earl of Newburgh	Viscount Kynnaird
The Earl of Annandale and Hartfell	Lord Johnstone
The Earl of Dundonald	Lord Cochrane
The Earl of Kintore	Lord Inverurie
The Earl of Dunmore	Viscount Fincastle
The Earl of Orkney	Viscount Kirkwall
The Earl of Seafield	Viscount Reidhaven
The Earl of Stair	Viscount Dalrymple
The Earl of Rosebery	Lord Primrose/Dalmeny
The Earl of Glasgow	Viscount Kelburn
The Earl Ferrers	Viscount Tamworth
The Earl of Dartmouth	Viscount Lewisham
The Earl of Tankerville	Lord Ossulston
The Earl of Aylesford	Lord Guernsey
The Earl of Macclesfield	Viscount Parker
The Earl Waldegrave	Viscount Chewton
The Earl of Harrington	Viscount Petersham
The Earl of Portsmouth	Viscount Lymington
The Earl of Warwick	Lord Brooke
The Earl of Buckinghamshire	Lord Hobart
The Earl of Guilford	Lord North
The Earl of Hardwicke	Viscount Royston
The Earl of Ilchester	Lord Stavordale
The Earl De La Warr	Lord Buckhurst
The Earl of Radnor	Viscount Folkestone
The Earl Spencer	Viscount Althorp
The Earl Bathurst	Lord Apsley
The Earl of Clarendon	Lord Hyde
The Earl of Mansfield and Mansfield	Viscount Stormont
The Earl of Mount Edgcumbe	Viscount Valletort
The Earl Fortescue	Viscount Ebrington
The Earl Cadogan	Viscount Chelsea
The Earl of Malmesbury	Viscount FitzHarris
The Earl of Cork and Orrery	Viscount Dungarvan
The Earl of Westmeath	Lord Delvin
The Earl of Meath	Lord Ardee
The Earl of Drogheda	Viscount Moore
The Earl of Granard	Lord Forbes
The Earl of Darnley	Lord Clifton
The Earl of Egmont	Viscount Perceval
The Earl of Bessborough	Viscount Duncannon
The Earl of Carrick	Viscount Ikerrin
The Earl of Shannon	Viscount Boyle
The Earl of Arran	Viscount Sudley
The Earl of Courtown	Viscount Stopford
The Earl of Mexborough	Viscount Pollington
The Earl Winterton	Viscount Turnour
The Earl of Kingston	Viscount Kingsborough
The Earl of Roden	Viscount Jocelyn
The Earl of Lisburne	Viscount Vaughan
The Earl of Clanwilliam	Lord Gillford
The Earl of Antrim	Viscount Dunluce
The Earl of Longford	Lord Silchester
The Earl of Portarlington	Viscount Carlow
The Earl of Mayo	Lord Naas
The Earl Annesley	Viscount Glerawly
The Earl of Enniskillen	Viscount Cole
The Earl of Erne	Viscount Crichton
The Earl of Lucan	Lord Bingham
The Earl Belmore	Viscount Corry
The Earl Castle Stewart	Viscount Stuart
The Earl of Donoughmore	Viscount Suirdale
The Earl of Caledon	Lord Alexander
The Earl of Limerick	Viscount Glentworth
The Earl of Clancarty	Viscount Dunlo
The Earl of Gosford	Lord Worlingham
The Earl of Rosse	Lord Oxmantown
The Earl of Normanton	Viscount Somerton
The Earl of Kilmorey	Viscount Newry and Mourne
The Earl of Dunraven and Mount-Earl	Viscount Adare
The Earl of Listowel	Viscount Ennismore
The Earl of Norbury	Viscount Glandine
The Earl of Ranfurly	Viscount Northland
The Earl of Rosslyn	Lord Loughborough
The Earl of Craven	Viscount Uffington
The Earl of Onslow	Viscount Cranley
The Earl of Romney	Viscount Marsham
The Earl of Chichester	Lord Pelham
The Earl of Wilton	Viscount Grey de Wilton
The Earl of Powis	Viscount Clive
The Earl Nelson	Viscount Merton
The Earl Grey	Viscount Howick
The Earl of Lonsdale	Viscount Lowther
The Earl of Harrowby	Viscount Sandon
The Earl of Harewood	Viscount Lascelles
The Earl of Minto	Viscount Melgund
The Earl Cathcart	Lord Greenock
The Earl of Verulam	Viscount Grimston
The Earl of Saint Germans	Lord Eliot
The Earl of Morley	Viscount Boringdon
The Earl of Bradford	Viscount Newport
The Earl of Eldon	Viscount Encombe
The Earl Howe	Viscount Curzon
The Earl of Stradbroke	Viscount Dunwich
The Earl Temple of Stowe	Lord Langton
The Earl Cawdor	Viscount Emlyn
The Earl of Lichfield	Viscount Anson
The Earl of Durham	Viscount Lambton
The Earl Granville	Lord Leveson
The Earl of Effingham	Lord Howard of Effingham
The Earl of Ducie	Lord Moreton
The Earl of Yarborough	Lord Worsley
The Earl of Leicester	Viscount Coke
The Earl of Lovelace	Viscount Ockham
The Earl of Gainsborough	Viscount Campden
The Earl of Strafford	Viscount Enfield
The Earl of Cottenham	Viscount Crowhurst
The Earl Cowley	Viscount Dangan
The Earl of Dudley	Viscount Ednam
The Earl Russell	Viscount Amberley
The Earl of Cromartie	Viscount Tarbat
The Earl of Kimberley	Lord Wodehouse
The Earl of Wharncliffe	Viscount Carlton
The Earl Cairns	Viscount Garmoyle
The Earl of Lytton	Viscount Knebworth
The Earl of Selborne	Viscount Wolmer
The Earl of Iddesleigh	Viscount St Cyres
The Earl of Cranbrook	Lord Medway
The Earl of Halsbury	Viscount Tiverton
The Earl of Cromer	Viscount Errington
The Earl of Plymouth	Viscount Windsor
The Earl of Liverpool	Viscount Hawkesbury
The Earl Kitchener of Khartoum	Viscount Broome
The Earl Saint Aldwyn	Viscount Quenington
The Earl Beatty	Viscount Borodale
The Earl Haig	Viscount Dawick
The Earl of Iveagh	Viscount Elveden
The Earl of Balfour	Viscount Traprain
The Earl of Oxford and Asquith	Viscount Asquith
The Earl Jellicoe	Viscount Brocas
The Earl of Inchcape	Viscount Glenapp
The Earl Peel	Viscount Clanfield
The Earl Baldwin of Bewdley	Viscount Corvedale
The Earl of Halifax	Lord Irwin
The Earl of Gowrie	Viscount Ruthven of Canberra
The Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor	Viscount Gwynedd
The Earl Mountbatten of Burma	Lord Romsey
The Earl Alexander of Tunis	Lord Rideau
The Earl of Swinton	Lord Masham
The Earl Attlee	Viscount Prestwood
The Earl of Snowdon	Viscount Linley
The Earl of Stockton	Viscount Macmillan of Ovenden
The Earl of Wessex	Viscount Severn

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