Laird
Encyclopedia
Gentry
Gentry denotes "well-born and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past....
and is a heritable title in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. In the non-peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
table of precedence, a Laird ranks below a Baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
and above an Esquire
Esquire
Esquire is a term of West European origin . Depending on the country, the term has different meanings...
.
Etymology
The word Laird, known to have been used as far back as the 15th century and further, is a shortened form of 'laverd', which is an old Scottish word that comes from an Anglo-Saxon term meaning Lord. It also originated from the Middle EnglishMiddle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
word 'lard' also meaning Lord
Lord
Lord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a prince or a feudal superior . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'by courtesy'...
.
History and definition
A Laird is a member of the gentry; historically Lairds rank below a Baron and above an EsquireEsquire
Esquire is a term of West European origin . Depending on the country, the term has different meanings...
in the non-peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
table of precedence in the Statutes of 1592 and the Baronetcy Warrants of King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
. The title is granted to the owner of a substantial and distinctive landed estate in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, not part of a village or town and that lies outwith a burgh.
In the 15/16th century the title was used for land owners holding directly of the crown, and therefore were entitled to attend parliament. Lairds reigned over their estates like princes, their castles forming a small court. Originally in the 16th and 17th centuries the title was applied to the head chief of a highland clan and therefore was not personal property and had obligations towards the community. The title of Laird may carry certain local or feudal rights. A Lairdship carried voting rights in the ancient pre-Union Parliament of Scotland
Parliament of Scotland
The Parliament of Scotland, officially the Estates of Parliament, was the legislature of the Kingdom of Scotland. The unicameral parliament of Scotland is first found on record during the early 13th century, with the first meeting for which a primary source survives at...
, although such voting rights were expressed via two representatives from each county who were known as Commissioners of the Shires, who came from the Laird class and were chosen by their peers to represent them. A certain level of landownership was a necessary qualification (40 shillings of old extent). A Laird is said to hold a Lairdship. A woman who holds a Lairdship in her own right is styled with the honorific Lady
Lady
The word lady is a polite term for a woman, specifically the female equivalent to, or spouse of, a lord or gentleman, and in many contexts a term for any adult woman...
.
Though translated as Lord
Lord
Lord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a prince or a feudal superior . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'by courtesy'...
and signifying the same, Laird is not a title of nobility
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
. The 'title' of Laird is a 'corporeal hereditament' (an inheritable property that has an explicit tie to the physical land), i.e. the title can not be held in gross
Hereditary in gross
An office, not being held by serjeanty, or attached to some particular office or title, is said to be "in gross".Such offices are inherited in the same manner as a barony by writ: by sons in order of birth, and then by daughters...
, and cannot be bought and sold without selling the physical land. The title does not entitle the owner to sit in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
and is the Scottish equivalent to an English squire
Squire
The English word squire is a shortened version of the word Esquire, from the Old French , itself derived from the Late Latin , in medieval or Old English a scutifer. The Classical Latin equivalent was , "arms bearer"...
or Lord of the Manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
in that it is not a noble title, more a courtesy title meaning landowner with no other rights assigned to it. However, a Laird possessing a Coat of Arms
Scottish heraldry
Heraldry in Scotland, while broadly similar to that practised in England and elsewhere in western Europe, has its own distinctive features. Its heraldic executive is separate from that of the rest of the United Kingdom.-Executive:...
registered in the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland
Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland
The Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland was established by Act of the Scottish Parliament in 1672. The register is held at the Court of the Lord Lyon and contains every grant of arms since that date. Bearings that are not matriculated in the Register may not be used in Scotland...
is a member of Scotland's minor nobility. Such an individual can be recognised as a Laird, if not a Chief or Chieftain, or descendant of one of these, by the formal recognition of a territorial designation
Territorial designation
A territorial designation follows modern peerage titles, linking them to a specific place or places. It is also an integral part of all baronetcies...
as a part of their name by the Lord Lyon
Lord Lyon King of Arms
The Lord Lyon King of Arms, the head of Lyon Court, is the most junior of the Great Officers of State in Scotland and is the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grants of arms, and serving as the judge of the Court of the Lord Lyon, the oldest...
. The Lord Lyon is the ultimate arbiter as to determining entitlement to a territorial designation, and his right of discretion in recognising these, and their status as a name, dignity or title, have been confirmed in the Scottish courts.
Several websites, and internet vendors
Online auction business model
The online auction business model is one in which participants bid for products and services over the Internet. The functionality of buying and selling in an auction format is made possible through auction software which regulates the various processes involved.Several types of online auctions are...
on websites like Ebay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
, sell Scottish Lairdships along with small plots of land. The Court of the Lord Lyon
Court of the Lord Lyon
The Court of the Lord Lyon, also known as the Lyon Court, is a standing court of law which regulates heraldry in Scotland. Like the College of Arms in England it maintains the register of grants of arms, known as the Public Register of All Arms and Bearings in Scotland, as well as records of...
considers these particular titles to be meaningless because it is impossible to have numerous “Lairds” of a single Estate at the same time, as has been advertised by these companies.
Forms of Address
- Formally, a Laird is styled as "The Much HonouredThe Much HonouredThe Much Honoured is an honorific prefix that is given to Scottish feudal Barons and Lairds in the United Kingdom.-Entitlement:...
[Forename] [Surname] of [Lairdship]" or "The Much HonouredThe Much HonouredThe Much Honoured is an honorific prefix that is given to Scottish feudal Barons and Lairds in the United Kingdom.-Entitlement:...
The Laird of [Lairdship]" or "The Much HonouredThe Much HonouredThe Much Honoured is an honorific prefix that is given to Scottish feudal Barons and Lairds in the United Kingdom.-Entitlement:...
[Forename] [Surname], Laird of [Lairdship] - The wife of a Laird or a woman holds a lairdship in her own right is normally styled "LadyLadyThe word lady is a polite term for a woman, specifically the female equivalent to, or spouse of, a lord or gentleman, and in many contexts a term for any adult woman...
" and is formally styled as "The Much Honoured [Forename] [Surname] of [Lairdship]" or "The Much HonouredThe Much HonouredThe Much Honoured is an honorific prefix that is given to Scottish feudal Barons and Lairds in the United Kingdom.-Entitlement:...
The Lady [Lairdship]" or "The Much HonouredThe Much HonouredThe Much Honoured is an honorific prefix that is given to Scottish feudal Barons and Lairds in the United Kingdom.-Entitlement:...
[Forename] [Surname], Lady [Lairdship]" - The heir apparentHeir apparentAn heir apparent or heiress apparent is a person who is first in line of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting, except by a change in the rules of succession....
of a lairdship is entitled to use the courtesy titleCourtesy titleA courtesy title is a form of address in systems of nobility used for children, former wives and other close relatives of a peer. These styles are used 'by courtesy' in the sense that the relatives do not themselves hold substantive titles...
"The YoungerYounger (Title)Younger is a title traditionally granted to the Heir Apparent to a current Laird. The wife of a Younger is also known as a younger, as is a woman who is entitled to a Lairdship in her own right. A Younger is neither a title of nobility or a peerage and does not carry voting rights either in the...
" (abbreviation Yr) at the end of their name and the eldest daughter if heir apparent is entitled to use the courtesy title "MaidMaid (Title)Maid is a title granted to the eldest daughter of a Laird. The title is not often used today but can still be used. The title is customary and not automatically given....
of [Lairdship]" at the end of her name. Neither are titles of nobility or peerage. - The younger children of a laird are styled as "Mr [Forename] [Surname] if maleMaleMale refers to the biological sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
, and "Miss [Forename] [Surname] of [Lairdship] if female - A definite article is not used, and the "of" must be retained to distinguish from titles of the nobility. In some cases laird is translated as lord, but this can cause confusion.
See also
- Scottish feudal baronyScottish feudal baronyA Scottish feudal barony used to be attached to a particular piece of land on which is the "caput" , or the essence of the barony, normally a building, such as a castle or manor house...
- Forms of address in the United KingdomForms of Address in the United KingdomForms of address used in the United Kingdom are given below.Several terms have been abbreviated in the table below. The forms used in the table are given first, followed by alternative acceptable abbreviations in parentheses.-Abbreviations:*His/Her Majesty: HM...
- LordLordLord is a title with various meanings. It can denote a prince or a feudal superior . The title today is mostly used in connection with the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor countries, although some users of the title do not themselves hold peerages, and use it 'by courtesy'...
- Laird (surname)Laird (surname)Laird is a surname and a Scottish title. Notable persons with that surname include:*Bruce Laird , American pro football player*Bruce Laird , Australian cricketer*Carobeth Laird , American anthropologist...