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Earl (/ ɜːr l, ɜːr əl /) [1] is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. [2] A feminine form of earl never developed; [note 1] instead, countess is used. The title originates in the Old English word eorl, meaning "a man of noble birth ...
In the English language, an honorific is a form of address conveying esteem, courtesy or respect. These can be titles prefixing a person's name, e.g.: Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms, Mx, Sir, Dame, Dr, Cllr, Lady, or Lord, or other titles or positions that can appear as a form of address without the person's name, as in Mr President, General, Captain, Father, Doctor, or Earl.
The law applicable to a British hereditary peerage depends on which Kingdom it belongs to. Peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom follow English law; the difference between them is that peerages of England were created before the Act of Union 1707, peerages of Great Britain between 1707 and the Union with Ireland in 1800, and peerages of the United Kingdom since 1800.
While most of us commoners (like myself) are familiar with terms like queen, king, princess and prince, there are a handful of other titles used in the British royal family that are slightly less ...
The two are not to be confused. Historically, they were held by one and the same person, but the baronage title may subsequently have been disponed according to Scots property law, whereas the peerage title always descends according to the destination in the letters patent of creation of the peerage and the rules of peerage law.
If he had a single daughter, his son-in-law would inherit the family lands, and usually the same Peerage; more complex cases were decided depending on circumstances. Customs changed with time; Earls were the first to be hereditary, and three different rules can be traced for the case of an Earl who left no sons and several married daughters.
In legal documents, the courtesy title is implied, but not used directly – that is, the name of the person is given, followed by "commonly called [title]". For example, the Duke of Norfolk is also Earl of Arundel and Baron Maltravers. His eldest son is, therefore, styled "Earl of Arundel" ("the" does not precede it, as this would indicate a ...
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