Current UK Peerage?

[cajuncelt]

Since 2003, UK abolished alot of Scottish peerages. Where would I look to see the current peerages/titles/etc.?
I googled this, but very confusing and lengthy.
Thanks

[Jock Scot]

They have?That's news to me.Try "Debrett's Peerage"or "Cracroft's Peerage" or "Burkes Peerage".

[gilmore]

You are mistaken. No peerages have been abolished. What has changed is the automatic right of peers in the peerages of the UK and England to sit in the House of Lords. (Previously, not all peers in the peerage of Scotland had an automatic right to sit in the HoL, only a smaller, representative group.)

The result of the reform of the membership of the House of Lords is that only a smaller group of 97 representative hereditary peers, selected by their fellow hereditary peers, now sits in the HoL. The majority of members of the HoL are now life peers.

For a history of recent reform, take a look at http://www.parliament.uk/documents/u...Chronology.pdf

For what is being proposed, see http://my.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?...iptions.Page=1

The majority of the lords may become elected by popular vote, and the right of any hereditaries to sit in it would be ended.

For the current hereditary peerage, you might see Debrett's online, but I think it is accessible only by subscription. Burke's Peerage has what you want, here http://www.burkes-peerage.net/ but it is a pay site.

There is also this http://www.thepeerage.com/ but it doesn't contain an exhaustive list of peers.

[JerseyLawyer]

All the above information is right on. Excuse me now, if I go a bit far afield...

What the Scottish Parliament has, effectively, eliminated was the particularly Scottish institution of the feudal barony, by way of the Abolition of Feudal Tenures etc. (Scotland) Act 2000, which came into effect in November, 2004.

Without going into gory details, feudal baronies were noble titles created hundreds of years ago which lost their right to sit in parliament around, I believe, the thirteen century. They did, however, survive as titles, until in more recent years they became a commodity subject to (a rather unseemly, in my opinion) market by which one could become "Baron of Suchshire" by buying a small bit of land (the caput) to which the barony was attached. The Act separated the baronies from the land and made them an incorporeal herediment (like arms, for example, in Scotland).

Since this is the heraldry subforum, I will mention that one of the effects of this has been that the Lord Lyon has recently refused to grant the adornments previously given to feudal barons (a cap of maintainance and a mantle) to feudal barons for whom the title is no longer linked to the land.

Also, while I'm spouting trivia, the existence of feudal barons is why the lowest rank of the peerage in Scotland is the Lord of Parliament, rather a Baron, as in the rest of the UK.

That's sortof a thumbnail sketch. There are heraldry forums where it's discussed to eye-glazing detail, if you're really interested.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Now that Lord Lyon Blair has resigned, and been replaced by Lord Lyon Sellers (who is highly respected in international heraldic circles), it will be interesting to see the new Lord Lyon's interpretation of the Abolition of Feudal Tenures Act (Scotland) 2000. As I understand it several of Blair's pronouncements and decisions have been overturned by the higher courts and this will undoubtedly affect future decisions by the Lyon Court.

[JerseyLawyer]

Now that Lord Lyon Blair has resigned, and been replaced by Lord Lyon Sellers (who is highly respected in international heraldic circles), it will be interesting to see the new Lord Lyon's interpretation of the Abolition of Feudal Tenures Act (Scotland) 2000. As I understand it several of Blair's pronouncements and decisions have been overturned by the higher courts and this will undoubtedly affect future decisions by the Lyon Court.

I'm not an expert in Scots law, and especially the Lyon Court, by any means, but it seems to me as if different Lyons can set different policies and make different decisions on the same issue, even if the only "change" is that there's a different Lyon.

The whole thing is something of a mess at the moment, though, it seems. Maybe one could make something speculating on titles while it's unknown whether they will be recognized by the Lord Lyon and given heraldic addiaments.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Feudo-baronial titles start at about GBP50,000 and can go up from there depending on any number of factors. That said, they are probably no worse a speculative investment than buying shares in GE! For those interested, Brian Hamilton in Scotland is the most knowledgeable (and reputable) gentleman involved in the disposition of feudal titles.

[JerseyLawyer]

By the way, I checked the Scottish Law Reports on Lexis Nexis, and I can't find any indication of the Lord Lyon's decisions being overruled. I found some fascinating old cases, though.