Nobility of Great Nortend

The nobility of Great Nortend consists of the peerage as well as the ennobled gentry created in the Kingdom of Nortend, Cardoby and Hambria, and its predecessors, the Kingdom of Nortend and Cardoby, and the Kingdom of Hambia. Peerages and nobility are the personal gift of the Sovereign, presently Alexander II, from time to time, and are, subject to certain rules, hereditary.

History

The system of nobility is founded on the principle of baronage, where all peers are barons holding fiefs directly from the Crown per baroniam. The entire territory of the Realm is divided into 30,345 manors. A typical ancient barony is a collection of around five to fifteen manors, not always coterminious. 14,479 of the 30,345 manors are divided into baronies held by lay nobles forming the Lords Temporal.

When ennobling a commoner as a peer, a manor must be granted to him to hold per baroniam. This may be an existing manor held by him by another tenure, or a different manor entirely. A statute passed under the Great Seal with the consent of the House of Lords is required to convert lands held from a mesne lord into an estate per baroniam held directly of the Crown.

All male peers have the presumptive right to sit in the House of Lords as Lords Temporal. Female peeresses holding a peerage in their own right are not permitted to sit in the House of Lords. Twelve diocesan bishops, as corporations sole sit in the House of Lords as Lords Spiritual as well as two abbots, although they are not peers.

Ranks

The temporal ranks of the Erbonian nobility are duke, count, viscount, lord, knight and esquire. Dukes, counts, viscounts and lords form the peerage, while knights and esquires form the gentry. Royal titles such as king, queen, prince or princess are not peerages, although the holders thereof may also hold peerages. Peers are generally summoned to sit in the House of Lords, although this is in principle the gift of the Sovereign.

The spiritual equivalents of the temporal nobility are the cardinals, archbishops, bishops and abbots.

Cardinals

A cardinal holds a personal dignity conferred by the Sovereign. Each cardinal has a titular benefice held in commendam to which he is incardinated. Such benefices are in the patronage of the Sovereign and located in Lendert-with-Cadell, being a prebendary of a Chapel Royal. A cardinal is styled „The Most Honourable Cardinal”. However, all cardinals hold ecclesiastical titles as well, which are combined with the titles of a cardinal. For instance, the Lord Archbishop of Sulthey is also Cardinal Rector of All Hallows’ Church, Grenham. As the cardinalate is a personal dignity, it attaches principally to the name of the holder—thus his full style is „The Most Honourable and Most Reverend Lord Archbishop of Sulthey, Cardinal Dr. Sebastian Williams &c. &c.”.

Archbishops

An archbishop, who heads a province or archdiocese, ranks highest above all other temporal ranks of nobility and below the Officers of State and Cardinals. The Lord Archbishop of Sulthey, however, as Primate of Erbonia ranks first above the Officers of State and Cardinals. As Church of Nortend only has one archbishop, the Lord Archbishop of Sulthey, this means only foreign archbishops recognised by the Church actually rank here.

An archbishop is addressed as „my Lord [Archbishop]” and styled „The Most Reverend Lord [Archbishop of X]” or „his Lordship”. He is formally styled „the Most Reverend Father in God Lord [Archbishop of X]”, and is also referred to as „your Grace” or „his Grace” or „reverend Father”.

Dukes

A duke holds a duchy as tenant-in-chief, and ranks above a bishop, underneath an archbishop who is the spiritual equivalent to a duke. There are six dukes in Great Nortend of ancient origin—Allells, Caune, Bockwell, Saithsey, Marcaster and Flemey—and three of new elevation—Limmes, Derham and Bailmorden.

The wife of a duke is titled a duchess. A duke is addressed as „my Lord [Duke]” and styled „The Most Noble Lord [Duke of X]” or „his Lordship”. A duke is formally styled „the Most High, Most Mighty and Most Noble Lord [Duke of X]” while a duchess is styled „the Most High, Most Mighty and Most Noble Lady [Duchess of X]”. A duke is also referred to as „your Grace” or „his Grace”.

Bishops

A bishop is the head of a see or diocese, and ranks above a count and below a duke. There are six bishops in Great Nortend of ancient origin—Chepingstow, Mast, Keys, Staithway, Rhise and Echester, and six of new creation—Lanchester, Tow, Rhighton, Corring, Lendert and Cadell, and Scode. An abbot or abbess ranks as a bishop.

A bishop is addressed as „my Lord [Bishop]” and styled „The Right Reverend Lord [Bishop of X]” or „his Lordship”. His formal style is „The Right Reverend Father in God [Lord Bishop of X]”. He may also be called „reverend Father”.

Counts

A count is the tenant-in-chief of a county, and ranks above a dean and below a bishop. Counties vary in size, but an average shire consists of three or four counties along with smaller baronies. There are 98 counts in Great Nortend, not including subsidiary titles. A notable count is the Count of Parrum, held by the King of Aswick, William I. A number of counts are tenants-in-chief of certain Royal castles, such as Castle Alsby, whereof the Count of Alsby is tenant-in-chief, although most tenants-in-chief of castles non-royal are only viscounts. The major count in a shire is often appointed the King’s Lieutenant of the Shire.

A count is addressed as „my Lord [Count]” and styled „The Right Noble Lord [Count of X]” or „his Lordship”. His formal style is „The Right High, Right Mighty and Right Noble Lord [Count of X]”, while a countess is styled „The Right High, Right Mighty and Right Noble Lady [Countess of X]”. A prince is styled similarly, being „The Right High Right Mighty and Right Excellent Lord” or „his Highness”.

Viscount

Originating in the Latin title, vices comes or vice count, a viscount ranks below a count and above a lord. A viscount is usually the tenant-in-chief of a castle barony or borough town. The High Sheriff of a shire or borough, being the King's judicial representative within the shire or borough, is appointed from the ranks of viscounts, often for periods of a few years.

A viscount is addressed „my Lord [Viscount]” and referred to as „The Very Noble Lord [Viscount of X]” or „His Lordship”. His formal style is „The Very High, Very Mighty and Very Noble Lord [Viscount of X]”, while a viscountess is styled „The Very High, Very Mighty and Very Noble Lady [Viscountess of X]”.

Lords

A lord is typically the tenant-in-chief of one or more baronies. Whilst many barons are elevated to higher levels of peerage, they are nonetheless barons. The ancient baronies usually correspond to a single hundred, and are named for the caput baroniae, being the major or most important parish therein.

There are 102 lords baronial in Great Nortend (not including subsidiary titles), who hold a total of 1,530 parishes, with a total of 2,142 manors held in tenure per baroniam.

A lord is addressed as „my Lord”, and referred to as „the Noble Lord [of X]” and formally styled as „the High, Mighty and Noble Lord [of X]”. A lord’s wife is styled a lady. There are also a number of lordships of honour, such as various lords mayor, lords chancellours, lords justices and lords banneret &c. which rank variously as dukes, counts, viscounts or lords, albeit they are not noble ex officio. Such lords are generally styled as „the Right Honourable Lord” or „the Honourable Lord”.

Gentry

Archdeacon

An archdeacon is the head of an archdeaconry, a subdivision of a diocese, and acts as the bishop’s deputy. He ranks below a dean. An archdeacon is addressed as „the Reverend [Archdeacon of X]”.

Banneret

A banneret is a hereditary title, originally a form of knighthood. A banneret ranks above all other knights, except Knights 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. A banneret is addressed as „Your Honour” and titled „Knight”, and his wife, a banneress, as „Dame”. He is styled „the Honourable Knight A. B., Banneret”, almost always abbreviated to „Bart.”.

A knight is not a peer and cannot by virtue thereof sit in the House of Lords. However, as the King is empowered to summon any person to Parliament by a writ of ad parlamentum mandamus, bannerets may be summoned and sit for life in the House of Lords, non-status as a baron notwithstanding. Such a banneret is known as a Lord Banneret, and has the title of Lord and his wife Lady. Note that only bannerets may be summoned, per the Carta Erboniæ Libertatum which forbids the summons of knights batchelor, commoners &c. as suitours of the House of Lords.

The former Prime Minister, Lord Benjamin de Davies, is one example of a Lord Banneret, being elevated from the House of Knights and made a lord banneret in order to become Lord High Treasurer. The present Lord High Treasurer, Lord Spencer de Stornton, is also a lord banneret.

Banneretcies are also used to create Lords Justices of the Court of Counsellours.

Dean

A dean is the head of a deanery, which can either be a chapter of clerics in a collegiate foundation, or a rural deanery of around ten parishes. A dean is styled „the Very Reverend [Dean of X]”.

Knights

An ordinary knighthood is not hereditary. A knight is addressed as „Knight” and his wife as „Dame”.

Esquires

An esquire is any person who is entitled to the noble particle „de” or „a” in his name. Sometimes, „Esquire” is placed after the name to designate such an honour.