Nobility of Great Nortend

The Peerage of Great Nortend, also known as the Peerage of Erbonia, comprises all of the peerages created in the Kingdom of Nortend, Cardoby and Hambria, and its predecessors, the Kingdom of Nortend and Cardoby, and the Kingdom of Hambia. Peerages are the personal gift of the Sovereign, presently Alexander II, from time to time, and are hereditary.

Tenure

All peers are required to be barons, in that they are required to hold a fief from the Sovereign as tenant-in-chief per baroniam, sive grand serjeanty. The baronies which they are the feudal lord of are usually collections of manors, or parishes; however, it can be as small as a square acre of land. The historical basis for the counties, marches and duchies that make up the principle sub-units of the civil provinces of Erbonia is the system of feudal tenure of lords. For example, a county is an area of land which is administered by an earl, whilst a duchy an area of land administered by a duke.

Today, this system still applies, except that through the proliferation of peerages, many historically larger baronies have been either broken down into smaller ones or dotted with scattered singular baronies of only one or two manors for many newly created peers. When ennobling persons not already holding land per baroniam or by grand serjeanty, such as those holding from the Crown merely by knight-service or wardage, or from a mesne lord, either one or more manors, or parts thereof, of the King's demesne is subenfeoffed to the prospective peer or a the existing tenure converted to a barony. For example, when Robert Flanch, Lord of the Manor of Wesleigh, was by King George III, created Baron of Wesleigh, his existing estate in Wesleigh, being held directly from the Crown per scutage, was converted into lands tenere per baroniam. It is impossible for the Crown to convert lands held from a mesne lord into an estate per baroniam; in such cases, the tenant must petition all of his superior lords for a licence of alienation and substitution, to convert his lands into a freehold directly of the Crown.

Ranks

The ranks of the peerage are duke, margrave, earl, baron and to an extent, knight banneret and viscount. Royal titles such as queen, princess or prince are not peerages, although the holders thereof may also hold peerages.

All male members of the peerage, that is, all male peers, have the automatic right to sit in the House of Lords as Lords Temporal, unless they are accorded the rank of Lord Spiritual as a prelate. Female peeresses holding a peerage in their own right are not permitted to sit in the House of Lords, and must nominate a male to sit in lieu.

Dukes

A duke holds a dukedom as tenant-in-chief. There are twenty seven dukes in Great Nortend, with four in Cardoby, sixteen in Nortend and seven in Hambria. Dukedoms outside of Cardoby typically cover large towns and cities, and in such cases, he is usually ex officio the Lieutenant of the Borough. A duke's wife is titled as a duchess, exepting the wife of the Duke of Morney who is titled Duchesse.

A duke is directly addressed "Your Grace" and then "Sire", and referred to as "The Most Noble" and "His Grace". His formal title is "The Most High, Most Potent and Most Noble Prince". Royal Dukes hold have a formal style of "The Most High, Most Mighty and Most Illustrious Prince" whilst Royal Duchesses have the style of "The Most High, Most Gracious and Most Excellent Princess".

Title	Incumbent	Location	Additional titles
Duke of Faunslaughter	The Prince Arthur 1st Duke	Fawnshire	Marquess of Suddenly and Baron of Hailsfield
Duke of Dunricia	The Prince Edmund 1st Duke	Part of Barminstershire and Walecestershire	Earl of Normanstone
Duke of Maindy	Peter Normham 7th Duke	Southannering
Duke of Mast	Philip Henry de Anthord 4th Duke	Merst
Duke of Limmes	Andrew Alton-Hault 8th Duke	Larkshire	Earl of Wodehampton and Lord High Treasurer
Duke of Bokewell	Richard Fitzandrew-Bernards 11th Duke	Almeshire
Duke of Derham	Charles Edgdon-Harrith, 9th Duke	Dershire	Lord High Admiral since 1998.
Duke of Towshire	Edward Marriet-Stampe 20th Duke	Towshire	Earl of Tow, Viscount of Eulebridge, Viscount of Armouth, Baron of Lesruth.
Duke of Malestam	Matthew Endersby 12th Duke	Barminstershire	Earl of Fegham
Duke of Alvington	Christopher Leavil 9th Duke	Haxoshire
Duke of Metthews	Reginald Gilbert-Smith 1st Duke	Almeshire	Earl of Metthews, Baron of Sandmore
Duke of Essingford	John Oliver de Hameford 13rd Duke	Essingfordshire
Duke of Lowesk	Geoffrey Banville 14th Duke	Norsax
Duke of Walecester	Henry de Hudden-Chevalier 9th Duke	Walecestershire
Duke of Sulhampton and Caune	Stephen Mostanvey 13th Duke	Enley and Esxshire
Duchess of Polton	Elisabeth Winage-Dudforth 22nd Duchess	Poltland
Duke of Bailmorden	John Mavison 13th Duke	Barard
Duke of Morney	The Prince of Gervis	Minnerland	Heir apparent to the throne
Duke of Harringow	The Prince James 2nd Duke	Toleshire	Marquess of Yarsough, Earl of Lostwin, Earl of Frogmarsh, Baron of Arningforth
Duke of Hoole	Bennet Fitzandolph 14th Duke	Bissex
Duke of Marcaster	Austin Palmeran 16th Duke	Marcastershire
Duke of Fivewells	Spencer Cardwell-Adsworth 17th Duke	Eastlord
Duke of Rockleham	William Edot-Buckley 15th Duke	Rocklehamshire
Duke of Saithsey	Christopher de Anthord-Wallan 6th Duke	Cardenbridge
Duke of Allells	Miles de Widdens 23rd Duke	County Allells
Duke of Mure	Arthur St John Walker 18th Duke	Mure
Duke of Cardenbridge	Thomas Arnold 11th Duke	Cardenbridge

Margraves

A margrave is the tenant-in-chief of a march, which are certain baronies on the border between Hambria and Nortend. A margrave has responsibility for his march's militia and is the Lieutenant of the March. There are also a Marquess of Sulthey, which is a title held by the Archbishop of Sulthey.

A margrave is addressed "My Lord". He is titled "The Most Honourable" and "His Lordship", with the formal title of "The Most Noble, Most Potent and Most Honourable Prince". A margrave's wife is titled a marchioness. Royal margraves are known as marquesses and rather than marches, are tenants-in-chief of marchdoms. There are currently six extant marches and two marchdoms, held by six margraves and two marquesses, excluding subsidiary titles, which are:

Title	Incumbent	Location	Additional titles
Marquess of Sulthey	John Culson 52nd Marquess	Sulthey	Archbishop of Sulthey
Margrave of Lasmere	Arthur Constable 23rd Margrave	Seffet	Lord High Constable and the King's Marischal
Margrave of Shighton	David Nevills 14th Margrave	Norsax
Margrave of Bine	William Fitzgerald 14th Margrave	Bissex
Margrave of Corfell	Frederick Ellice 13th Margrave	Redwickshire
Margrave of Nailbridge	George Foster-Hamponford 11th Margrave	Seffet
Margrave of Saint Deans	Henry Thortonby 5th Margrave	Cardenbridge
Marquess of Astonstan	Edward de Anthord 3rd Marquess	Dershire

Earl

An earl is the tenant-in-chief of an earldom which consists of one or more baronies, typically in the relationship of one barony per hundred. An average county has three or four earls with around two baronies comprising his earldom. A number of earls are tenants-in-chief of certain Royal castles, such as Castle Alsby, whereof the Earl of Alsby is tenant-in-chief.

The major earl in a county is traditionally appointed the Lieutenant of the County, which is a grouping of earldoms, baronies and viscounties. He is addressed "My Lord" and referred to as "The Right Honourable" and "His Lordship". His formal title is "The Right Honourable, Most Noble and Truly Puissant Prince". The wife of an earl is known a countess. There are 98 earls in Great Nortend, not including subsidiary titles. A notable earl is the Earl of Parrum, held by the King of Aswick, William I.

Baron

A baron is the tenant-in-chief of one or more baronies. Whilst many barons are elevated to higher levels of peerage, they are still barons and must continue to hold the title to their lands to remain peers.

For example, the Earl of Hamberwick is also the Viscount of Fourton and the Baron of Fourton, the Baron of Hamberwick, the Baron of Hayington, the Baron of Ludderstow, as the Earldom of Hamberwick, which includes the Barony of Hamberwick (which consists of eighteen parishes or manors) and the Barony of Hayington (which consists of sixteen parishes or manors), was raised to the status of an earldom by letters patent and the Barony of Fourton (which consists of one parish or manor) to the status of a viscounty. He also holds the Barony of Ludderstow (which consists of twenty-one parishes or manors), which has not been raised to a higher status and thus he is simply Baron of Ludderstow. Hence, the Earl of Hamberwick holds a total of 56 parishes or manors.

On the other hand, the Viscount of Mastingbrook is only the Baron of the Barony of Mastingbrook (which consists of one parish or manor), however is also a mesne lord of much of the Earl of Roseham's hundreds. The Baron of the Barony of Pethwaight (which consists of fifteen parishes or manors) is an example of a simple baron, whose barony has not been elevated.

It is the case that many baronies have been elevated into earldoms, marches and dukedoms; however, there still remain a a number of single baronies that are held by barons. Baronies, excluding nominal baronies, usually correlate to a single hundred, and are named for the caput baroniae, which is the major or most important parish therein. These single barony hundreds, though not under the feudal lordship of an earl, are still considered to be part of the county. He is addressed as 'My Lord', and referred to as 'The Very Honoured' and 'His Lordship'. His formal title is 'The Very Honoured and Truly Noble Lord'. There are 102 barons in Great Nortend (not including subsidiary titles), who hold a total of 1530 parishes, with a total of 2142 manors held in tenure per baroniam.

Viscount

Originating in the Latin title, vices comes or vice count, a viscount is theoretically the deputy of an earl. Viscounts generally hold land within a given earldom, often being the mesne lord of one of the earl's baronies. He, however, must also hold land per baroniam in order to be considered a peer. Most viscounts therefore are not technically peers although it is a hereditary title; however a number of baron-viscounts exist. Viscounts, however, rank higher than barons though they may not sit in Parliament.

The High Sheriff of a county or borough, being the King's judicial representative within the county or borough, is appointed from the ranks of viscounts, often for periods of a few years. He is addressed as "Your Worship", and referred to as "The Right Worshipful" and "His Worship", with his formal title being "The Right Worshipful the Viscount of X". The wife of a viscount is titled a viscountess. There are 147 viscounts in Great Nortend, excluding subsidiary titles, making them the most common form of nobility; however, only 23 of them are considered peers, included within the ranks of barons.

Knight banneret

A knighthood banneret, abbreviated 'Bart' and commonly known as a banneretcy, is a hereditary knighthood. Ordinarily, a knight is not a peer and cannot by virtue thereof sit in the House of Lords. However, the first holder of a banneretcy is allowed to sit in the House of Lords through a legal fiction whereby the knight banneret is granted a life estate per baroniam of a nominal fief as tenant-in-chief of a 'tile of one square yard of the chequered floor' of the Royal Armoury. The tile granted is replaced with a tile bearing the coat of arms of the knight banneret, which is returned to the heir upon death when the 'fief' reverts to the Crown.

A knight banneret is titled 'Sir', and his wife 'Lady', as with all knighthoods. A knight banneret ranks socially above all other knights, except Knights Companion of the Order of Saint Edmund. Banneretcies are typically granted for service to the Crown or to honour outstanding officers or soldiers. One special case of banneretcies is that awarded to persons elevated from the Commons to serve as a minister of the Crown which is required to be drawn from the House of Lords. The former Prime Minister, Sir Benjamin Davies, is one example, being elevated from the House of Knights and made a knight banneret in order to become Lord High Treasurer. Banneretcies are also used to create lords justices of the Court of Counsellours.