The Much Honoured
The Much Honoured (abbreviated to The Much Hon.) is an honorific that is bestowed on members of Scotland's feudal nobility, which comes within the jurisdiction of the Court of the Lord Lyon in Edinburgh.
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This includes Scottish feudal barons, who generally bear titles granted before the 1707 Act of Union created within the ancient baronage of Scotland.
In addition, there are seven feudal earldoms (Arran, Breadalbane, Crawfurd-Lindsay, Errol, Nithsdale, Rothes, Wigtown), one feudal marquessate (Huntly) and one feudal dukedom (Hamilton), all held in baroneum, where there is entitlement. Of these, four of the earldoms are extant, two are unclaimed, one is in dispute and the dukedom and marquessate are held by senior members of the Scottish peerage.
By tradition, certain territorial lairds were permitted to style themselves "The Much Honoured", but this practice is now considered archaic.
There is a convention that title holders resident outside Scotland may style themselves “The Much Honoured” when they are "outwith the Realm of Scotland". However, north of the border, the honorific is normally dropped in favour of the traditional territorial designation. It is thought this convention may have its origins in the regularisation of titles of nobility that took place after the publication of The New Peerage by John Debrett in 1769.
The highest-ranking feudal baron in Scotland is The Much Hon. The Baron of Renfrew, His Royal Highness The Duke of Rothesay; by tradition both titles being held concurrently by the heir apparent to the British throne.
The Marquess of Huntly and The Earl of Eglinton and Winton are other notable holders of feudal titles.
Entitlement
There are three classes of entitlement:
- Scots feudal barons. For example, The Much Hon. David Leslie, Baron of Leslie, or The Much Hon. The Baron of Leslie
- Scots feudal earls. For example, The Much Hon. James Leslie, Earl of Rothes or The Much Hon. The Earl of Rothes
- Lairds. Use by lairds is now considered archaic.
Online purchase of a lairdship title - with or without a tiny patch of Scottish land - does not entitle the purchaser either to claim lairdship, or indeed to use this style of address.[1]
The eldest son of a Scots baron is entitled to be addressed by courtesy as the Younger (abbreviated to the Yr); the eldest daughter of a Scots baron, if heir apparent, is entitled to use the courtesy title The Maid of [name of barony] (e.g. David Leslie the Younger and The Maid of Leslie).
The honorific "The Much Honoured" should not be confused with those attaching to Peers of the Realm:
- Barons, Viscounts and Earls are The Right Honourable
- Marquesses are The Most Honourable
- Dukes are The Most Noble (formerly “The Most Noble and Puissant”) or His Grace
References
- Highland Titles, a company registered in the Channel Islands, is a prime purveyor of such 'titles', https://www.highlandtitles.com