England Nobility

England Nobility

Introduction
The nobility is a class of people who had special political and social status. Nobility is inherited or granted by the Crown as a reward to people who perform a heroic deed, achieve greatness in some endeavor, or hold a prominent government position.

British nobility has a well-defined order. The highest noblemen are peers, which include the titles of (in descending rank) duke, marquis, earl, viscount, and baron. This is followed by the gentry, whose titles are baronet, knight, esquire, and gentleman. Both peers and gentry are entitled to coats of arms.

The noble class forms less than five percent of England’s population. England limits the growth of the noble class. The eldest son inherits the father’s title, and younger sons may or may not have lesser titles. Younger sons do, however, have the right to use the father’s coat of arms altered with cadency, a mark showing birth order. When a nobleman dies without sons, the title may pass to a brother, cousin, or uncle. It may also lapse unless the Crown awards the title to a daughter’s husband.

Most family traditions of having a noble ancestor who was disinherited and then emigrated are not true since most noblemen did not emigrate. Contrary to popular belief, few nobles disowned family members for unacceptable behavior. Thus, most traditions of an ancestor’s being "erased" or "eliminated" from all records are unfounded.

Illegitimate children are not entitled to noble status and often do not appear on family pedigrees. They may, however, be granted a variation of the father’s coat of arms.

Visitations, Heraldic
Because of frequent false claims to coats of arms, kings’ heralds required descents to be documented. These pedigrees are called "visitations." Many visitations from the 16th and 17th centuries have been published by the Harleian Society and other private groups. Those available at the Family History Library are listed in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under:

ENGLAND, [COUNTY] - VISITATIONS, HERALDIC

Websites

 * http://freespace.virgin.net/sheldon.stevens/nobsofe.html
 * https://kcl.ac.uk/schools/humanities/history/ug/modules/gp2/nobility.html
 * "Nobility -- England" http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22Nobility%20--%20England%22
 * Directory of Royal Genealogical Data
 * A genealogical survey of the peerage of Britain as well as the royal families of Europe thepeerage.com/