The Much Honoured (abbreviated to The Much Hon.) is an
honorific
An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an honorary academic title. It ...
style applied to the holders of certain
Scottish feudal baronies.
Overview
There were around 350 identifiable local baronies in Scotland by the early fifteenth century and these could mostly be mapped against local parish boundaries. In addition, there are a small number of
feudal earldoms (Aboyne, Angus, Arran, Breadalbane, Crawfurd-Lindsay, Dunbar, Errol, Lennox, Nithsdale, Orkney, Rothes, Wigtown), one feudal
marquessate (Huntly) and one feudal dukedom (Hamilton), all held ''in baroneum'', where there is entitlement. Of these, two earldoms are unclaimed, one is in dispute and the dukedom and marquessate are held by senior members of the Scottish peerage.
The highest-ranking feudal baron in Scotland is The Much Hon. The
Baron of Renfrew, HRH
The Duke of Rothesay; by tradition both titles being held concurrently by the
heir apparent to the British throne. The
Marquess of Huntly
Marquess of Huntly (traditionally spelled Marquis in Scotland; Scottish Gaelic: ''Coileach Strath Bhalgaidh'') is a title in the Peerage of Scotland that was created on 17 April 1599 for George Gordon, 6th Earl of Huntly. It is the oldest existi ...
and The
Earl of Eglinton and Winton are other notable title holders.
Historically, certain territorial
lairds were permitted to style themselves "The Much Honoured". This practice is now considered obsolete. The official use of titles and honorifics in Scotland comes under the jurisdiction of the
Court of the Lord Lyon in Edinburgh.
Usage
Historically, the honorific was used in association with three groups:
*
Scots feudal barons. For example, ''The Much Hon. David Leslie, Baron of Leslie'', or ''The Much Hon. The Baron of Leslie''
*
Scots feudal earls. For example, ''The Much Hon. James Leslie,
Earl of Rothes'' or ''The Much Hon. The
Earl of Rothes''
*
Lairds. Now considered obsolete.
The eldest son of a Scots baron is entitled to be addressed by courtesy as ''the Younger'' (abbreviated to ''the Yr''); the eldest daughter of a Scots baron, if
heir apparent
An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
, is entitled to use the courtesy title ''The Maid of
ame of barony' (e.g. ''David Leslie the Younger'' and ''The Maid of Leslie'').
The honorific "The Much Honoured" is distinct from honorifics attaching to
Peers of the Realm.
See also
*
Forms of address in the United Kingdom Forms of address used in the United Kingdom are given below.
Terminology
Abbreviations
Several terms have been abbreviated in the tables below. The forms used in the table are given first, followed by alternative acceptable abbreviations in paren ...
*
Style (manner of address)
A style of office or form of address, also called manner of address, is an official or legally recognized form of address for a person or other entity (such as a government or company), and may often be used in conjunction with a personal title. ...
*
The Honourable
''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' ( American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certa ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Much Honoured
Styles (forms of address)
Scottish titles