by this new flood of nobility, the Barons were obliged to perform many of their duties in their several districts; consequently they held courts for the decision of causes and the punishment of crime, in which capacity they supplied the places of the Saxon Thanes. They also formed the Conqueror's Council or Parliament; for, William seeing that there would be no security for him on the throne unless there was something like a restoration of the great Council of the nation, as it was under the Saxon Kings, formed a Council of his own friends and dependents; knowing that no persons would so readily further his designs of completely extinguishing the patriotism and love for the rival dynasty, which still glowed in the hearts of the people, as his feudal tenants. William's Parliament then consisted of about seven hundred persons, all tenants in chief of the Crown, as we find recorded in DoomsdayBook*. In process of time, however, so many of these were found to have alienated their grants wholly or in part, and to have become so impoverished, as to be unable to furnish the King with aids and services as before; consequently the privilege of sitting by right in the King's Council began gradually to decay, and they were further degraded into an inferior rank, being styled Barones Minores; those only who retained their territories unspoiled, viz. the Barones Majores, being now in the habit of assisting in the legislative Councils of the nation. Thus stood the case till the reign of Henry III., when the system of plurality of Baronies prevailed to so great a degree, and the Barones Majores were so few in number, that out of two hundred and fifty Baronies, there was hardly one half which were really possessed by the original tenants of the Crown. The consequence was, that many disputes arising as to the right of the new proprietors to sit in Parliament on account of having the tenure of alienated Baronies, (and particularly in those cases where the PluralistBarons, by bestowing them on their sons, contrived by such means to strengthen their Parliamentary and other interests), it was at last In the time of Henry II. there were in England no less than 1115 Castles belonging to the Feudal Barons, great and small, and each Castle had a Manor attached to it. During the Civil Wars, however, many of these were demolished; and it was the policy of Henry VII., during the whole of his long reign, to render the towns large and populous, and to weaken the baronial interest throughout the kingdom, by every means in his power, as his son did that of the Clergy. The consequence is, that ruins, only, exist now to indicate the strongholds of the ancient chieftains of England. settled that no Baron nor other Tenant should in future come to the National Council who was not summoned thereto by the King's writ. Thus, a great revolution was effected in the constitution of Parliament; for, a proprietorship of land, though still depending on fealty, homage, and service to the Sovereign, no longer entitled the Lord to take a part in his Councils. On the other hand the King's writ (which was of course addressed principally to the Barones Majores) not only entitled the person summoned to the rank of nobility, and confirmed those already ennobled, but also conveyed with it an hereditary right, for ever, to sit in the House of Peers. The only Barons by Tenure, therefore, which remained, were the Lords Spiritual, who, by having Baronies annexed to their Bishoprics, are thus entitled to sit in the Upper House, as Lords of Parliament. With them may be mentioned the Feudal Tenure of the Castle of Arundel, which was specially confirmed by Act of Parliament, in the reign of Charles I., in the right of conferring on its proprietor the dignity and privileges of an Earl. Barons by writ are also styled Barons by prescription; because they and their ancestors have continued Barons beyond the memory of man; and they generally have their surnames added to the title of Lord.-One summons and one sitting are sufficient to establish such a Barony, and to render it heritable either by heirs male or female. In cases where there is only one female and no male heir, the former of course succeeds; but where there are two or more females, or co-heiresses, neither can succeed during the lifetime of the other; for the Barony is then said to fall into abeyance; or to be, for such time, in a dormant state. This abeyance, in some cases, continues not only during the lives of all the co-heiresses, but also during those of their progeny male and female, perhaps for several generations; that is, until the posterity of all but one becomes extinct; in which case, the eldest male, or an only female, succeeds by prescription, as the representative of the first Baron; but if there be more than one female, the Barony again falls into, or continues in, abeyance, as before. The Sovereign, however, has the prerogative of terminating at his pleasure an abeyance, in favour of any of the co-heirs, or coheiresses; but he cannot alienate the Barony to any other person, to their prejudice; it being imperative that the dignity should be conferred A writ is a writing on parchment, signed by the King, closed with yellow wax bearing the impression of the Great Seal of England. on one of them. When terminated in favour of a male, the custom is to summon such person to take his seat in the House of Peers, by the title of the dormant Barony: to an heiress, however, as the only mode of confirming her right, letters-patent are issued by the Crown. The latter is likewise the course observed towards Peers already in the House, but who may happen to become heirs to Baronies in abeyance. Since the reign of Richard II. letters-patent have superseded writs in the creation of Baronies and other Peerages for, thereby, the succession may be regulated according to the pleasure of the Sovereign, or the wish of the person upon whom the dignity is conferred, so as to make it hereditary on heirs male to perpetuity or to indicate by name the elder or younger sons, or brothers, o nephews, and their heirs, to whom it shall descend; and in defaul of issue in the line so indicated, such peerage becomes extinct. A Barons by writ are styled "by prescription," and as their surnam are added to their titles; so, those by letters-patent (as well higher dignities) are styled "by creation," and they have the name of their Baronies (or otherwise) added to their rank of Peerag Notwithstanding the long discontinuance of writs of summons Parliaments in the creation of new Peerages, such are occasional resorted to when it is the Sovereign's pleasure to call up to t House of Peers the eldest sons of Dukes, Marquesses, Earls, even Pluralist Barons :-such are always summoned in Baroni belonging to their fathers; but the peerages are not thereby ma heritable. It is singular, that, in case a writ should issue to t eldest son of a Peer, summoning him to appear in Parliament, ir Barony not belonging to his father, though by mistake supposed be so, such writ is deemed a new creation, and heritable as a Barc by writ; for the Sovereign cannot recall his act of grace. When addressed officially by the Crown, Barons are styled “Ru trusty and well beloved."—Their robes and caps correspond with the of Viscounts, in all respects, except that the former have only t guards of white fur and gold lace on each shoulder. Their corone which were granted to them in their present fashion by King Char the Second, have eight pearls set at equal distances on the circ Previously to his reign the Barons wore only plain circlets of gold: Letters-patent are open letters or writings, stamped with the Great Seal, c. firming or protecting the grantee in the enjoyment of any new or disputed privil ד יד PEERESSES IN THEIR OWN RIGHT. Wallia. 395. Her Ladyship, the Right Honourable Louisa, COUNTESS OF MANSFIELD, cre. Oct. 31, 1778. Georgio Tertio reg. Aged 72. 396. Her Ladyship, the Rt. Hon. Amabella, COUNTESS DE GREY, cre. Sept. 11, 1816. Administratione Regni, Georgii Principis Aged 79. 397. Her Ladyship, the Rt. Hon. Joan, VISCOUNTESS CANNING, tre. Jan. 17, 1828. Georgio Quarto reg. Aged 398. Her Ladyship, the Rt. Hon. Charlotte, BARONESS DE ROS, cre. Oct. 2, 1264. Henrico Tertio reg. Aged 399. Her Ladyship, the Rt. Hon. Harriet-Anne, BARONESS Zouche, cre. Jan. 13, 1308. Edwardo Secundo reg. Aged 43. 400. Her Ladyship, the Rt. Hon. Barbara, BARONESS GREY DE RUTHYN AND HASTINGS, cre. May 2, 1322. Eod. Reg. Aged 20. 401. Her Ladyship, the Rt. Hon. Sophia-Charlotte, BARONESS HOWE, ere. Aug. 19, 1788. Georgio Tertio reg. 402. Her Ladyship, the Rt. Hon. Mary, cre. June 19, 1802. Eod. Reg. Aged 68. BARONESS SANDYS, Aged BARONESS KEITH, 4. Her Ladyship, the Rt. Hon. Margaret, Aged 72. Presses in their own right (though their sex precludes them from sitting in Parliament) have all the immunities, privileges of precedence, exemption from legal forms and restraints, &c. &c., which are enjoyed by Peers of the same ranks. Their several dignities have devolved upon these Ladies in the same manner as upon Peers fe Realm; that is, by prescriptive or simple inheritance, or creation by patent; and they descend in like manner to their claire. Some of them have succeeded to their titles on the terariation of abeyance in their Baronies; whilst others have been created in account of the services in the field, on the ocean, or in the council, of their deceased husbands.-The latter takes place, generaly, in pursuance of the previous intention of the Sovereign to table the meritorious individuals themselves; but the hand of death interfering, the honours are conferred upon their widows or ENUMERATION OF LORDS HAVING SEATS. The total number of Lords Spiritual and Temporal, who have seats in the House of Peers, is 393, according to the following rank of precedence: viz. 4 Princes of the Blood Royal. 3 Archbishops. 19 Dukes. 22 Marquesses. 128 Earls. 26 Viscounts. 27 Bishops. 164 Barons. Total, 393 Of whom fourteen are not qualified to sit; ELEVEN being MINORS, and three lunatic. Several Peers reside abroad in the qualities of ambassadors, governors, &c. &c. Or, they may be divided into the following classes: |