Baronet

A hereditary rank but a degree below the peerage, it was instituted by King James the First in 1611 as a reward for service in Ireland, and to protect the province of Ulster in particular; each person, 50 created, furnishing an aid or supply sufficient to provide and maintain thirty foot soldiers for the term of three years. The creation is by patent under the Great Seal, and generally limited to the heirs male of the person created baronet, though sometimes entailed upon others in default of such issue. Baronets rank among themselves according to creation, and follow next to the younger sons of barons, taking precedence of all knights, as well of the Bath as knights bachelors, except those of the Garter.

The addition of Baronet (abbr. Bart) follows the surname, and the title of Sir is prefixed to the Christian name. Their wives have the dignity of Lady, Madam, or Dame, according to the manner of speaking. The precedence of the wives, sons, and daughters of baronets, is settled by the patent of creation,—the wives ranking next to the wives of the younger sons of barons, the eldest sons after knights bachelors, and the younger sons after knight's eldest sons,—the daughters, among women, claiming the same rank as their brothers among men. By a clause in the patent of creation, the eldest son, or heir male apparent to the title, can claim the honour of knighthood, in the life-time of his father, or grandfather, upon attaining the age of twenty one years, his Majesty covenanting for himself, his heirs and successors, to create such firstborn sons, or heirs male apparent, knights.

Baronets, for their greater distinction and honour, bear on their own paternal coats the arms of Ulster on an escutcheon or canton, This is emblazoned Arg a sinister hand erect couped at the wrist and apaumé gu.*  In the royal army under the terms of the patent, baronets were to have place near the royal standard, and were allowed in their funeral solemnities one principal mourner and four assistants. It was also covenanted that no other degree, order, or dignity would be created between that of a baron and a baronet.

King James, at the first institution, engaged that the number of baronets should not exceed two hundred, and when any of them should become extinct, others should not be created to fill the void, but the number diminish, to the greater honour of those that remained. However, a later commission issued to fill up the vacancies and create others, and the number is now unlimited.

Baronets of Scotland, commonly called Nova Scotia Baronets, is also a degree of hereditary dignity, and was projected by King James I to encourage the plantation and cultivation of the province of Nova Scotia in Canada, the first settlement made by the Scots beyond the Atlantic, but that monarch dying before the accomplishment of his intentions, his son and successor, Charles I upon his accession to the throne, instituted this order in 1625. The patent to each baronet contained a grant of eighteen square miles of land in that province, three miles in extent along the sea shore, or navigable rivers, and six miles inland. These lands were erected into baronies, with the most ample privileges, and granted to the patentees, their heirs and assigns, etc. enfeoffment taken on the Castle Hill of Edinburgh was declared sufficient to complete the conveyance. Like the baronets of England, the eldest sons, or heirs male apparent to these baronies, were entitled to the honour of knighthood upon attaining the age of twenty-one years. Four years after the institution of the order, Charles I by royal warrant, dated l7th Nov. 1639, granted these baronets the privilege of wearing a ribbon and badge, which was presented to each of them by the King himself. All the privileges, particularly that of wearing the badge and ribbon, were confirmed at the request of the King dated at Nonsuch, l4th July, 1630.

* Note. The escutcheon seems best adapted for bearing the badge of baronet, and is often placed in the middle chief point and sometimes occupies the fess point of the shield, as may be most convenient, to avoid confusion with the charges of the family arms, with which it is less likely to interfere than the canton, as other cantons frequently occur in coats of armour.

Where the shield contains several quarterings, the badge of baronet should be borne on the first, or paternal coat, and not placed, as it sometimes is, upon the intersection, or partition of the shield. But where the baronet has two surnames, bearing arms for each quarterly, it should then be placed on the centre division of the four coats.

WILLIAM BERRY (Edited)

See Peer