The Peerage of Great Britain comprises all extant

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks. Peerages include: Australia * Australian peers Belgium * Be ...

s created in the

Kingdom of Great Britain The Kingdom of Great Britain (officially Great Britain) was a sovereign country in Western Europe from 1 May 1707 to the end of 31 December 1800. The state was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and ratified by the Acts of Union 1707, wh ...

between the Acts of Union 1707 and the Acts of Union 1800. It replaced the Peerage of England and the

Peerage of Scotland The Peerage of Scotland ( gd, Moraireachd na h-Alba, sco, Peerage o Scotland) is one of the five divisions of peerages in the United Kingdom and for those peers created by the King of Scots before 1707. Following that year's Treaty of Unio ...

, but was itself replaced by the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1801. The ranks of the Peerage of Great Britain are

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are r ...

, Marquess,

Earl Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant " chieftain", particu ...

, Viscount and

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or kn ...

. Until the passage of the House of Lords Act 1999, all peers of Great Britain could sit in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminst ...

. Some peerages of Great Britain were created for peers in the

and Peerage of Ireland as they did not have an automatic seat in the

until the Peerage Act 1963 which gave Scottish Peers an automatic right to sit in the Lords. In the following table of peers of Great Britain, holders of higher or equal titles in the other peerages are listed. Those peers who are known by a higher title in one of the other peerages are listed in ''italics''.

Ranks

The ranks of the peerage are

, Marquess,

, Viscount, and

Titles

Marquesses, earls, viscounts and barons are all addressed as 'Lord X', where 'X' represents either their territory or surname pertaining to their title. Marchionesses, countesses, viscountesses and baronesses are all addressed as 'Lady X'. Dukes and duchesses are addressed just as 'Duke' or 'Duchess' or, in a non-social context, 'Your Grace'.

Creation of peers

The last non-royal dukedom of Great Britain was created in 1766, and the last marquessate of Great Britain was created in 1796. Creation of the remaining ranks ceased when the

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was a sovereign state in the British Isles that existed between 1801 and 1922, when it included all of Ireland. It was established by the Acts of Union 1800, which merged the Kingdom of Grea ...

was formed; subsequent creations of peers were in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The last 8 (6 non-royal and two royal) people who were created hereditary peers (from 1798 to 1800) were:

Lists of peers

* 30 dukes: see '' List of dukes in the peerages of Britain and Ireland'' * 34 marquesses: see ''

List of marquesses in the peerages of Britain and Ireland This is a list of the 34 present and extant marquesses in the peerages of the Kingdom of England, Kingdom of Scotland, Kingdom of Great Britain, Kingdom of Ireland, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland which became the United Kin ...

'' * 191 earls and countesses: see '' List of earls in the peerages of Britain and Ireland'' * 111 viscounts: see '' List of viscounts in the peerages of Britain and Ireland'' * 1,187 barons: see '' List of barons in the peerages of Britain and Ireland'' * Women: see '' List of peerages created for women'' and '' List of peerages inherited by women''

Lists of extant peerages

Extant dukedoms

* *

Extant marquessates

* *

Extant earldoms

* *

Extant viscountcies

* *

Extant baronies

* *

Extinct peerages since the passage of the House of Lords Act 1999

Extinct baronies

Current titles without heirs

Current peers of Great Britain

Current Scottish and Irish peers with British titles

''Currently none''

Notes

References

The Roll of the Peerage
The Crown Office, Ministry of Justice {{Kingdom of Great Britain

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...