Peerage of Scotland explained

The Peerage of Scotland (gd|Moraireachd na h-Alba; sco|Peerage o Scotland) is one of the five divisions of peerages in the United Kingdom and for those peers created by the King of Scotland before 1707. Following that year's Treaty of Union, the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England were combined under the name of Great Britain, and a new Peerage of Great Britain was introduced in which subsequent titles were created.

As of November 2025, there are 74 peers of Scotland: 8 dukes (including one royal duke: the Duke of Rothesay), 4 marquesses, 39 earls, 3 viscounts and 20 lords of Parliament (counting peers known by a higher-ranking title in one of the other peerages).

Scottish peers were entitled to sit in the ancient Parliament of Scotland. After the Union, the peers of the old Parliament of Scotland elected 16 Scottish representative peers to sit in the House of Lords at Westminster. The Peerage Act 1963 granted all Scottish peers the right to sit in the House of Lords, but this automatic right was revoked, as for all hereditary peerages (except those of the incumbent Earl Marshal and Lord Great Chamberlain), when the House of Lords Act 1999 received royal assent.

Unlike most peerages, many Scottish titles have been granted with remainder to pass via female offspring (thus an Italian family has succeeded to and presently holds the earldom of Newburgh[1]), and in the case of daughters only, these titles devolve to the eldest daughter rather than falling into abeyance (as is the case with ancient English baronies by writ of summons). Unlike other British peerage titles, Scots law permits peerages to be inherited by or through a person who was not legitimate at birth, but was subsequently legitimised by their parents marrying later.[2] [3]

The ranks of the Scottish peerage are, in ascending order: Lord of Parliament, Viscount, Earl, Marquess and Duke. Scottish viscounts differ from those of the other divisions of peerage (of England, Great Britain, Ireland and the United Kingdom) by using the style of in their title, as in Viscount of Oxfuird. Though this is the theoretical form, most viscounts drop the "of". The Viscount of Arbuthnott and to a lesser extent the Viscount of Oxfuird still use "of".

The Scottish peerage differs from those of England and Ireland in that its lowest rank is not that of baron. In Scotland, "baron" is a rank within the Baronage of Scotland, considered noble but not a peer, equivalent to a baron in some continental countries. The Scottish equivalent to the English or Irish baron is a lord of Parliament. Barons in Scotland were historically feudal barons until 2004, when a change in Scottish law abolished the feudal system.[4] This reform "expressly preserves the dignity of baron... and any other dignity or office, whether or not of feudal origin," converting feudal titles into non-territorial dignities - personal titles no longer attached to the land, including the quality, precedence, and heraldic rights pertaining.

List

In the following table of the Peerage of Scotland as it currently stands, each peer's highest ranking title in the other peerages (if any) are also listed. Those peers who are known by a higher title in one of the other peerages are listed in italics.

Extant dukedoms

ShieldTitle Creation Other Dukedom or higher titlesTitle used in the House of Lords prior to the Peerage Act 1963Monarch
1
The Duke of Rothesay1398Since 1603, usually Prince of Wales as the heir to the throne
Duke of Cornwall in the Peerage of England.
2
The Duke of Hamilton12 September 1643 Duke of BrandonKing Charles I
3
The Duke of Buccleuch20 April 1663 Earl of DoncasterKing Charles II
4
The Duke of Lennox9 September 1675Duke of Richmond in the Peerage of England.
—
The Duke of Queensberry3 February 1684Duke of Buccleuch in the Peerage of Scotland.
5
The Duke of Argyll23 June 1701 Duke of ArgyllKing William III and II
Baron Sundridge
Baron Hamilton of Hameldon
6
The Duke of Atholl30 January 1703Queen Anne
7
The Duke of Montrose24 April 1707 Earl Graham
8
The Duke of Roxburghe25 April 1707 Earl Innes

Extant marquessates

ShieldTitle Creation Other Marquessate or higher titlesTitle used in the House of Lords prior to the Peerage Act 1963Monarch
1The Marquess of Huntly17 April 1599 Baron MeldrumKing James VI and I
2The Marquess of Queensberry11 February 1682King Charles II
3The Marquess of Tweeddale17 December 1694 Baron TweeddaleKing William III and II
4The Marquess of Lothian23 June 1701 Baron Ker of Kersehugh

Extant earldoms

ShieldTitle Creation Other Earldom or higher titlesTitle used in the House of Lords prior to the Peerage Act 1963Monarch
1
The Earl of Sutherland1230King Alexander II
2
The Earl of Crawford21 April 1398 Baron WiganKing Robert II
3
The Earl of Mar1404King Robert III
4
The Earl of Erroll12 June 1452King James II
5
The Earl of Caithness28 August 1455
6
The Earl of Rothes20 March 1457
7
The Earl of Morton14 Mar 1458
8
The Earl of Buchan1469 Baron ErskineKing James III
9
The Earl of Eglinton3 January 1507 Earl of Winton
Baron ArdrossanKing James IV
10
The Earl of Moray30 January 1562 Baron StuartQueen Mary I
11
The Earl of Mar22 July 1565
12
The Earl of Home4 March 1605 Baron DouglasKing James VI and I
13
The Earl of Perth4 March 1605
14
The Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne10 July 1606 Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne
Baron Bowes
15
The Earl of Haddington20 March 1619
—
The Earl of Kellie12 March 1619Earl of Mar (1565) in the Peerage of Scotland.
16
The Earl of Galloway19 September 1623 Baron Stewart of Garlies
17
The Earl of Lauderdale14 March 1624
18
The Earl of Lindsay8 May 1633King Charles I
19
The Earl of Loudoun12 May 1633
20
The Earl of Kinnoull25 May 1633 Baron Hay of Pedwardine
21
The Earl of Elgin21 June 1633 Baron Elgin
22
The Earl of Wemyss25 June 1633 Baron Wemyss
23
The Earl of Dalhousie29 June 1633 Baron Ramsay
24
The Earl of Airlie2 April 1639
25
11 October 1641
26
The Earl of Dysart3 August 1643
27
The Earl of Selkirk4 August 1646
28
The Earl of Northesk1 November 1647
—
The Earl of Kincardine26 December 1647Earl of Elgin in the Peerage of Scotland.
—
The Earl of Balcarres9 January 1651Earl of Crawford in the Peerage of Scotland.King Charles II
29
The Earl of Dundee8 September 1660 Baron Glassary
30
The Earl of Newburgh31 December 1660
31
The Earl of Annandale and Hartfell23 April 1662
32
The Earl of Dundonald12 May 1669
33
The Earl of Kintore20 June 1677 Viscount Stonehaven
Baron Stonehaven
34
The Earl of Dunmore16 August 1686King James VII and II
—
The Earl of Melville8 April 1690Earl of Leven in the Peerage of Scotland.King William II and III
35
The Earl of Orkney3 January 1696
—
The Earl of March20 April 1697Earl of Wemyss in the Peerage of Scotland.
36
The Earl of Seafield24 June 1701
37
The Earl of Stair8 April 1703 Baron OxenfoordQueen Anne
38
The Earl of Rosebery10 April 1703 Earl of Midlothian
Baron Rosebery
39
The Earl of Glasgow12 April 1703 Baron Fairlie

Extant viscountcies

ShieldTitle Creation Other Viscountcy or higher titlesMonarch
1
The Viscount Falkland10 November 1620King James VI and I
2
The Viscount of Arbuthnott16 November 1641King Charles I
3
The Viscount of Oxfuird19 April 1651King Charles II

Extant lordships of Parliament

See also: List of lordships of Parliament.

ShieldTitle Creation Other Lordship or higher titlesMonarch
1
The Lord Forbes1442King James III
2
The Lord Gray1445
3
The Lord Saltoun1445
4
The Lord Sinclair1449
5
The Lord Borthwick1452
6
The Lord Lovat1464 Baron LovatKing James III
7
The Lord Sempill1488King James IV
8
The Lord Herries1490
9
The Lord Elphinstone14 January 1510 Baron Elphinstone
10
The Lord Torphichen24 January 1564Queen Mary I
11
The Lord Kinloss2 February 1602King James VI and I
12
The Lord Balfour of Burleigh16 July 1607
13
The Lord Dingwall8 June 1609Baron Lucas in the Peerage of England.
14
The Lord Napier4 May 1627 Baron EttrickKing Charles I
15
The Lord Fairfax of Cameron18 October 1627
16
The Lord Reay20 June 1628
17
The Lord Elibank18 March 1643
18
The Lord Belhaven and Stenton15 December 1647
19
The Lord Rollo10 January 1651 Baron DunningKing Charles II
20
The Lord Polwarth26 December 1690King William II and III

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Representative Peers of Scotland . 25 . 1895 . The Scottish Review . 357 .
  2. Web site: LEGITIMATION (SCOTLAND) BILL [H.L.] ]. . 5 December 1967.
  3. Lauderdale Peerage Claim, House of Lords, 1884–1885
  4. Web site: 2024-08-23 . Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Act 2000 - Explanatory Notes . 2024-12-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240823172301/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2000/5/notes/division/1/3/6/11/data.htm . 23 August 2024 .

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