Baronage of Scotland
Scottish feudal barons, and a list of baronies / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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In Scotland, a baron or baroness is the head of a feudal barony, also known as a prescriptive barony. This used to be attached to a particular piece of land on which was situated the caput (Latin for "head") or essence of the barony, normally a building, such as a castle or manor house. Accordingly, the owner of the piece of land containing the caput was called a baron or baroness. According to Grant, there were around 350 identifiable local baronies in Scotland by the early fifteenth century and these could mostly be mapped against local parish boundaries. The term baron was in general use from the thirteenth century to describe what would have been known in England as a knight of the shire.[1]
A Scottish barony is the only UK title of nobility able to be legally alienated from the bloodline of its previous possessor and is not subject to the Honours (Prevention of Abuses) Act 1925 as Scottish baronies by their nature were erected in crown charters as a free barony so freely assignable, unlike other hereditary noble titles with rules of succession. The dignity of baron is preserved in law by the Scottish Parliament after the abolition of the feudal system in the "Abolition of Feudal Tenure, etc (Scotland) Act 2000" coming into force in 2004.
Heraldry for Scottish baronies is governed by the court of the Lord Lyon. The Court of the Lord Lyon issued a ruling in April 2015 that may recognise a person possessing a barony and other feudal titles (lordship/earl/marquis see Scottish feudal lordship) on petition. The Lord Lyon King of Arms now prefers the approach of recognising the particular feudal dignity as expressed in the Crown Charter that the petitioner presents.[2] These titles are recognised as the status of a minor baron or baroness, but not a peer. Scottish baronies may be passed to any person, of either sex, by inheritance or assignation.[3]
Scotland has a distinct legal system within the United Kingdom. Historically, in the Kingdom of Scotland, the Lord Lyon King of Arms, as the Sovereign's minister in matters armorial, is at once herald and judge. The Scottish equivalent of an English baron is a Lord of Parliament.