List of dukes in the peerages of Britain and Ireland facts for kids

Have you ever wondered about dukes and duchesses? This article will tell you all about the 30 dukes who currently hold titles in the United Kingdom and Ireland. These special titles are part of what's called the "peerage," which is a system of noble ranks. We'll explore dukes from different historical periods, like the Kingdom of England, Kingdom of Scotland, Kingdom of Great Britain, Kingdom of Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

Dukes Through Time: A Brief History

The title of duke is one of the highest ranks in the British nobility. It has a long and interesting history! In England, the title of duke was created 74 times over the centuries. Many of these titles no longer exist today. Some ended because there were no more heirs, some were taken away, and others became part of the Crown (meaning the monarch holds them).

Women as Duchesses

Did you know that sometimes women could become duchesses in their own right? This happened a few times in history. For example, Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland was given the title by King Charles II. Also, Anne Scott, 1st Duchess of Buccleuch, who was married to the King's son, became a duchess. The Dukedom of Marlborough was also passed down to a woman, Henrietta Godolphin, 2nd Duchess of Marlborough, because of special rules. The royal Dukedom of Fife was even created so it could be inherited by a woman, and Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife later inherited it.

The Oldest Dukedoms

The very first dukedoms were created a long, long time ago, between 1337 and 1386. These included the Duke of Cornwall (1337), Duke of Lancaster (1351), Duke of Clarence (1362), Duke of York (1385), Duke of Gloucester (1385), and Duke of Ireland (1386).

The title of Duke of Ireland was only used for two years. It's important not to confuse it with dukedoms from the later Peerage of Ireland. The title of Clarence hasn't been used since 1478. However, Clarence has been part of a double title, like the Duke of Clarence and Avondale.

The titles of Duke of York and Duke of Gloucester have been created and re-created many times. Today, these titles are usually given to princes of the royal family and their children. The Duke of Lancaster title is now held by the monarch directly.

Besides Cornwall and Lancaster, the oldest duke title that still exists today is the Duke of Norfolk, created in 1483. The Duke of Norfolk is considered the most important duke in England. In Scotland, the most important duke is the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon. For Ireland, it's the Duke of Leinster.

Who Comes First? The Order of Importance

A picture of the special crown (coronet) that a British duke wears.

Dukes have a specific order of importance, called "precedence." Generally, the older the title, the higher the duke ranks. Here's how it usually works:

• Dukes from the Peerage of England come first, in the order their titles were created.
• Then come dukes from the Peerage of Scotland, also by creation date.
• Next are dukes from the Peerage of Great Britain.
• After that, dukes from the Peerage of Ireland created before 1801.
• Finally, dukes from the Peerage of the United Kingdom and Irish dukes created after 1801.

However, the monarch can sometimes decide to give a duke a higher rank than their title's age would suggest. For example, royal dukes (who are closely related to the monarch) rank higher than other dukes. The Duke of Cornwall is always the highest-ranking duke of all, even above other royal dukes. He is also known as the Duke of Rothesay in Scotland and the Duke of Cambridge.

Meet the Dukes: Current Titles

Here is a list of the dukes who hold titles today. You'll see their title, when it was created, who currently holds it, and which peerage it belongs to. Some dukes hold more than one title!

#	Title	Creation	Arms	Current holder	Age	Acceded	Peerage	Notes
1.	Duke of Cornwall	1337		Prince William, 25th Duke of Cornwall	42	2022	England	Also Duke of Rothesay in Scotland (1398) and Duke of Cambridge in the UK (2011).
2.	Duke of Norfolk	1483		Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk	68	2002	England	This duke is the hereditary Earl Marshal of England, in charge of royal ceremonies.
3.	Duke of Somerset	1547		John Seymour, 19th Duke of Somerset	72	1984	England
4.	Duke of Richmond	1675		Charles Gordon-Lennox, 11th Duke of Richmond	70	2017	England	Also Duke of Lennox in Scotland (1675).
5.	Duke of Grafton	1675		Henry FitzRoy, 12th Duke of Grafton	47	2011	England
6.	Duke of Beaufort	1682		Henry Somerset, 12th Duke of Beaufort	73	2017	England
7.	Duke of St Albans	1684		Murray Beauclerk, 14th Duke of St Albans	86	1988	England
8.	Duke of Bedford	1694		Andrew Russell, 15th Duke of Bedford	63	2003	England
9.	Duke of Devonshire	1694		Peregrine Cavendish, 12th Duke of Devonshire	81	2004	England
10.	Duke of Marlborough	1702		James Spencer-Churchill, 12th Duke of Marlborough	69	2014	England
11.	Duke of Rutland	1703		David Manners, 11th Duke of Rutland	66	1999	England
—	Duke of Rothesay	1398		Prince William, 24th Duke of Rothesay	42	2022	Scotland	Also Duke of Cornwall in England (1337).
12.	Duke of Hamilton	1643		Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, 16th Duke of Hamilton	47	2010	Scotland	Also Duke of Brandon in Great Britain (1711).
13.	Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry	1663 / 1684		Richard Scott, 10th Duke of Buccleuch	71	2007	Scotland
—	Duke of Lennox	1675		Charles Gordon-Lennox, 11th Duke of Lennox	70	2017	Scotland	Also Duke of Richmond in England (1675).
14.	Duke of Argyll	1701		Torquhil Campbell, 13th Duke of Argyll	57	2001	Scotland	Also Duke of Argyll in the UK (1892).
15.	Duke of Atholl	1703		Bruce Murray, 12th Duke of Atholl	65	2012	Scotland
16.	Duke of Montrose	1707		James Graham, 8th Duke of Montrose	90	1992	Scotland
17.	Duke of Roxburghe	1707		Charles Innes-Ker, 11th Duke of Roxburghe	44	2019	Scotland
—	Duke of Brandon	1711		Alexander Douglas-Hamilton, 13th Duke of Brandon	47	2010	Great Britain	Also Duke of Hamilton in Scotland (1643).
18.	Duke of Manchester	1719		Alexander Montagu, 13th Duke of Manchester	62	2002	Great Britain
19.	Duke of Northumberland	1766		Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland	68	1995	Great Britain
20.	Duke of Leinster	1766		Maurice FitzGerald, 9th Duke of Leinster	77	2004	Ireland
21.	Duke of Wellington	1814		Charles Wellesley, 9th Duke of Wellington	79	2014	United Kingdom
22.	Duke of Sutherland	1833		Francis Egerton, 7th Duke of Sutherland	85	2000	United Kingdom
23.	Duke of Abercorn	1868		James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Abercorn	90	1979	Ireland
24.	Duke of Westminster	1874		Hugh Grosvenor, 7th Duke of Westminster	34	2016	United Kingdom
—	Duke of Gordon	1876		Charles Gordon-Lennox, 6th Duke of Gordon	70	2017	United Kingdom	Also Duke of Richmond (England, 1675) and Duke of Lennox (Scotland, 1675).
—	Duke of Argyll	1892		Torquhil Campbell, 6th Duke of Argyll	57	2001	United Kingdom	Also Duke of Argyll in Scotland (1701).
25.	Duke of Fife	1900		David Carnegie, 4th Duke of Fife	64	2015	United Kingdom
26.	Duke of Gloucester	1928		Prince Richard, 2nd Duke of Gloucester	80	1974	United Kingdom
27.	Duke of Kent	1934		Prince Edward, 2nd Duke of Kent	89	1942	United Kingdom
28.	Duke of York	1986		Prince Andrew, 1st Duke of York	65	1986	United Kingdom
—	Duke of Cambridge	2011		Prince William, 1st Duke of Cambridge	42	2011	United Kingdom	Also Duke of Rothesay (Scotland, 1398) and Duke of Cornwall (England, 1337).
29.	Duke of Sussex	2018		Prince Harry, 1st Duke of Sussex	40	2018	United Kingdom
30.	Duke of Edinburgh	2023		Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh	61	2023	United Kingdom	This dukedom was granted for his lifetime only.

Who's Next in Line? Heirs to the Dukedoms

When a duke passes away, their title usually goes to their closest male relative. This person is called the "heir apparent" if they are definitely going to inherit the title. If someone might inherit but could be replaced by a closer relative (like a future son), they are called an "heir presumptive."

Heirs Apparent

Here are some of the heirs who are next in line for various dukedoms:

Dukes Without Heirs

Sometimes, a duke might not have a direct heir. Here are a few examples:

See also

• British nobility
• Dukes in the United Kingdom
• List of dukedoms in the peerages of Britain and Ireland
• Royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom
• Duchies in England
• Category:Coats_of_Arms_of_UK_Dukes

Sources

• Burke′s Peerage and Gentry