Peers of the Realm
Article I, Section 9, Clause 8 of the U.S. Constitution is very clear – No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.
These words were included in the Constitution because titles such as dukes, barons, viscounts, etc., are in direct contradiction of the words in the Declaration of Independence that states “all men are created equal.” In the years before, during, and after the American Revolution, the United Kingdom a.k.a., England, was ruled by a king – George III.
Under George III, there was an elected Parliament, but most, if not all, Members of Parliament were peers of the realm, so to speak. In other words, they had a title.
The Prime Minister for much of the war, Fredrick North, was Lord North, or to use his official title, 2nd Earl of Guilford. A major player during the American Revolution was George Germain, 1st Viscount Sackville, and referred to as Lord Germain. He was the Secretary of State for the Colonies. Then there was Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, a general in the British Army.
Back in the United Kingdom of England, Scotland, and Wales (Ireland was added in 1801), a title was more important than money. If you had a title, you could borrow money and run for Parliament.
No title, you were a commoner and a lower rung in British society. Rarely could you run for parliament. Commoners had their own social strata, which is beyond the scope of this post.
Not all titles are created equal. There have been many books written about this, this post is about the period between 1775 and 1816. Once awarded by King George III, a title was hereditary and passed from the individual to whom it was given to his oldest son. Any title could be revoked by the king.
At the top of the five-level peerage pyramid, one step below King George III were Dukes whose spouses became Duchesses. The first one was granted in 1337 by Edward III to his eldest son. The proper form of address of either a Duke or Duchess, is “Your Grace.”
The second-highest rank is Marquess, introduced by Richard II in 1385. The first Marquess was Robert de Vere, who was elevated from the Earl of Oxford to the Marquess of Dublin. The wife of a Marquess is a Marchiconess, and one formally addresses them as “Lord Marquess” followed by the last name.
Earls, their spouses are known as Countess, were titles first given by King Canute, a Danish Viking who ruled England from 1016–1035. When speaking to an Earl, the format is the same as a Marquess, i.e., “Lord Earl” followed by their last name.
One rung down are Viscounts and Viscountesses. Introduced in 1440 by Henry VI when he made Baron John Beaumont, Viscount Beaumont. The word comes from the Latin and vicecomes, meaning a deputy of a count. The proper address is Viscount and last name.
Bottom of the pecking order are the Barons and Baronesses. If you should meet one, officially, they are addressed as Baron followed by the name of their Barony, i.e., Baron Gurnsey.
The point of the discussion on peerages was that our Founding Fathers, who were fans of John Locke, thought that peerages and the stratification and classes they created in society were not what they wanted in the new United States. This was over a hundred years before a chap by the name of Karl Marx began talking about classless societies.
Image of the crowns of British nobility is from the website of The Noble and Most Singular Order of the Blue Carbuncle, a site dedicated to Sherlock Holmes.