Lord of Parliament
Encyclopedia
A Lord of Parliament was the lowest rank of nobility
automatically entitled to attend sessions of the pre-Union Parliament of Scotland
. Post-Union, it is a member of the lowest rank of the Peerage of Scotland
, ranking below a viscount
. A Lord of Parliament is said to hold a Lordship of Parliament.
Scotland
differs from the rest of the United Kingdom
in that the lowest rank of its peerage
is not the baron
. In Scotland
, the term "baron" refers to a feudal baron
. Therefore, the Scottish equivalent to the English baron is the Lord of Parliament.
A male holder of a Lordship is designated a "Lord
of Parliament," while there is no similar designation for female holders. Lords of Parliament are referred to as Lord X, while female holders of Lordships of Parliament are known as Lady
X (e.g. Flora Fraser, 21st Lady Saltoun
). The wife of a Lord of Parliament is also Lady X. Children of Lords of Parliament and female holders of Lordships of Parliament are styled
The Honourable [Forename] [Surname], except that the heir apparent is styled The Master of [peerage title]. Where succession by females is allowed an heiress presumptive may be styled The Mistress of [peerage title]. After the death of the father or mother, the child may continue to use the style.
The creation of Lordships of Parliament ceased when Scotland and England
combined into Kingdom of Great Britain
in 1707 and their parliaments were merged.
From 1707 to 1963 they were represented in the British House of Lords by only representative peer
s. From 1963 to 1999 they were all entitled to sit. The House of Lords Act 1999
removed the entitlement of hereditary peer
s, including Lords of Parliament, automatically to sit in the House of Lords. However, a number of hereditary peers do still sit following election by fellow peers. This includes two Lord of Parliament, the Lord Reay
and the Lady Saltoun
.
No provision was made for Lords of Parliament to be specially represented in the current Scottish Parliament
, but the Scotland Act 1998
provides that a person is not disqualified from membership of the Parliament merely because he is a peer (whether of the United Kingdom, Great Britain, England or Scotland).
The term Lord of Parliament may also be used to refer to any member of the House of Lords
: in particular, the Standing Orders of the House of Lords state "Bishops to whom a writ of summons has been issued are not Peers but are Lords of Parliament."
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...
automatically entitled to attend sessions of the 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...
. Post-Union, it is a member of the lowest rank of the Peerage of Scotland
Peerage of Scotland
The Peerage of Scotland is the division of the British Peerage for those peers created in the Kingdom of Scotland before 1707. With that year's Act of Union, the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England were combined into the Kingdom of Great Britain, and a new Peerage of Great Britain was...
, ranking below a viscount
Viscount
A viscount or viscountess is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl or a count .-Etymology:...
. A Lord of Parliament is said to hold a Lordship of Parliament.
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...
differs from the rest of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in that the lowest rank of its 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...
is not the 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"...
. 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...
, the term "baron" refers to a feudal baron
Feudal baron
Feudal baron may refer to:*English feudal barony*Scottish feudal barony*Irish feudal barony...
. Therefore, the Scottish equivalent to the English baron is the Lord of Parliament.
A male holder of a Lordship is designated a "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'...
of Parliament," while there is no similar designation for female holders. Lords of Parliament are referred to as Lord X, while female holders of Lordships of Parliament are known as 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...
X (e.g. Flora Fraser, 21st Lady Saltoun
Flora Fraser, 21st Lady Saltoun
Marjorie Flora Fraser, 21st Lady SaltounIt has recently been determined that Margaret Abernethy succeeded her brother, Alexander Abernethy, 9th Lord Saltoun in 1668, but only survived him by about 6 weeks and had not been counted in the title's numbering. This new information has resulted in the...
). The wife of a Lord of Parliament is also Lady X. Children of Lords of Parliament and female holders of Lordships of Parliament are styled
Forms of Address in the United Kingdom
Forms 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...
The Honourable [Forename] [Surname], except that the heir apparent is styled The Master of [peerage title]. Where succession by females is allowed an heiress presumptive may be styled The Mistress of [peerage title]. After the death of the father or mother, the child may continue to use the style.
The creation of Lordships of Parliament ceased when Scotland and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
combined into Kingdom of Great Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
in 1707 and their parliaments were merged.
From 1707 to 1963 they were represented in the British House of Lords by only representative peer
Representative peer
In the United Kingdom, representative peers were those peers elected by the members of the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords...
s. From 1963 to 1999 they were all entitled to sit. The House of Lords Act 1999
House of Lords Act 1999
The House of Lords Act 1999 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. The Act reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. For centuries, the House of Lords had included several hundred members who inherited their seats;...
removed the entitlement of hereditary peer
Hereditary peer
Hereditary peers form part of the Peerage in the United Kingdom. There are over seven hundred peers who hold titles that may be inherited. Formerly, most of them were entitled to sit in the House of Lords, but since the House of Lords Act 1999 only ninety-two are permitted to do so...
s, including Lords of Parliament, automatically to sit in the House of Lords. However, a number of hereditary peers do still sit following election by fellow peers. This includes two Lord of Parliament, the Lord Reay
Lord Reay
Lord Reay, of Reay in the County of Caithness, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. Lord Reay is the hereditary Clan Chief of Clan Mackay, whose lands in Strathnaver and northwest Sutherland were known as the Reay Country. The land was sold to the Earls of Sutherland in the 18th century...
and the Lady Saltoun
Lord Saltoun
Lord Saltoun, of Abernethy, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. It was created in 1445 for Sir Lawrence Abernethy. The title remained in the Abernethy family until the death in 1669 of his great-great-great-great-great-great-granddaughter, the tenth Lady Saltoun. She was succeeded by her cousin...
.
No provision was made for Lords of Parliament to be specially represented in the current Scottish Parliament
Scottish Parliament
The Scottish Parliament is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland, located in the Holyrood area of the capital, Edinburgh. The Parliament, informally referred to as "Holyrood", is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament...
, but the Scotland Act 1998
Scotland Act 1998
The Scotland Act 1998 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is the Act which established the devolved Scottish Parliament.The Act will be amended by the Scotland Bill 2011, if and when it receives royal assent.-History:...
provides that a person is not disqualified from membership of the Parliament merely because he is a peer (whether of the United Kingdom, Great Britain, England or Scotland).
The term Lord of Parliament may also be used to refer to any member of 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....
: in particular, the Standing Orders of the House of Lords state "Bishops to whom a writ of summons has been issued are not Peers but are Lords of Parliament."