Feudal earldom facts for kids

A feudal earldom is a very old Scottish title. It means that the person who holds it, called a feudal earl, is also a type of feudal baron. It's an ancient noble title in Scotland.

Sometimes, a feudal earl might also have been a Lord of Regality. This meant they were chosen by the king or queen and had the power to make important legal decisions, including those about serious crimes.

A feudal earl ranks higher than a feudal lord or a simple feudal baron. However, they rank below an earldom that is part of the Peerage of Scotland. Feudal earldoms are quite rare. Also, because of old Scottish laws, sometimes the person holding a feudal earldom might be different from someone holding a peerage title with the same name.

People with a peerage title are usually called 'Lord Placename' or 'Lord Such-and-so'. But those holding a feudal earldom are called 'Earl of Placename'.

Scottish titles, from highest to lowest, are: Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, Lord, Baronet, Knight, feudal Baron, Clan Chief, and Esquire/Gentleman. Some experts, like Wallace, said that titles like Lordships, Earldoms, Marquisates, and Dukedoms were just different names for Baronies. But he also said that a person with a Lordship was more important than a simple Baron. And someone with an Earldom was more important than a Lordship, and so on. Another expert, Lord Stair, said that Lordships or Earldoms are simply "more noble titles of a Barony."

What's the Status Today?

In 2014, the Lord Lyon King of Arms made an important decision called the "Note on the Petition of George Menking." The Lord Lyon is the official in Scotland who deals with coats of arms and noble titles. He decided that he would accept requests for coats of arms for feudal titles, including Earldoms. This is because these titles have always been seen as a higher form of a barony and fall under his authority.

This 2014 decision was a big change. It went back to how things were before a temporary ruling in 2010. In 2010, a man named Willi Ernst Sturzenegger, who bought the feudal Earldom of Arran, wanted to be called "Sturzenegger of Arran, holder of the territorial Earldom of Arran."

Before 2010, in 2006, an earlier Lord Lyon had recognized three people as "Feudal Countess of Crawfurd-Lindsay," "Feudal Earl of Breadalbane," and "Feudal Earl of Rothes." But in 2010, the Lord Lyon said that while past decisions should usually be followed, he couldn't agree with these. He felt the reasons for those decisions hadn't been properly checked. He stated that titles like "feudal Earl" or "territorial Earl" hadn't really existed until recently.

He also pointed out that the Abolition of Feudal Tenure Act of 2000 separated feudal baronies from land ownership but kept the title of baron. However, he believed this wasn't the case for "territorial" or "feudal earldoms." He said there was a clear break between old territorial earldoms and later ones. So, he didn't think that just because a feudal baron was recognized, someone with a "territorial earldom" should be recognized as an "Earl" or "Countess."

However, the 2014 Menking Note changed this again. The Lord Lyon effectively removed the 2010 rules. This means that the recognition of these feudal titles and their traditional names is now allowed again for those who properly hold them.

See also

• Peerage of Scotland
• List of feudal baronies

List of Feudal Earldoms (Created Before 1707)

Here is a list of some Scottish feudal earldoms created before 1707. This list is not complete.

a: The creation date is the earliest known date for the Earldom and might change.