Title of nobility due to procedural errors
The term nobility due to procedural errors refers to titles of nobility, particularly in the British Isles , that have been awarded to a person who was in fact not the heir to the title.
The errors are rare and are mostly based on wrong decisions by the Committee for Privileges and Conduct (a committee) of the British House of Lords or a clerk regarding dormant ( Abeyance ) or extinct titles .
A mistake was made, for example, when the English Barony Wharton was transferred to an applicant in the belief that it had been created as a barony by writ and therefore could have been transferred to female heirs, although it was actually created by Letters patent and therefore only could pass to male heirs of the original title holder. In this case the original documentation was lost.
Since the early 20th century, the Committee has been very reluctant to revive older English baronies. This has significantly reduced the risk of new nobility titles being created due to procedural errors or a lack of research.
The most famous mistake the House of Lords made in awarding a title was made in the case of the Earl of Mar , a Scottish dignity bestowed on a distant male relative rather than the heir to the title. As a result, there are two peers today who hold the title of Earl of Mar , Margaret of Mar, 31st Countess of Mar and James Erskine, 14th Earl of Mar and 16th Earl of Kellie . Another mistake happened when, on March 7, 1628, James Stanley received a Writ of Summons from King Charles I of England calling him Baron Strange to the House of Lords.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Leigh Rayment's Peerage, Article Strange