In England the second highest title within the peerage was a Marquess, although in Scotland before the 18th century it was more commonly spelled Marquis. Having searched a number of contemporary publications, the spelling as Marquess or Marquis seems fairly relaxed in the early 19th century, with both spellings used interchangeably, depending on the author.
A woman holding a marquessate in her own right, or the wife of a marquess, is called a Marchioness.
The title came from the old French word Marchis, which described someone whose land bordered hostile or enemy territory. Their land was known as a March. The original Marquesses were given responsibility for defending their country's borders.
The first Marquess - the Marquess of Dublin - was created in 1385 by King Richard II. It was a life peerage only and was withdrawn as soon as the Marquess fell out of favour with the king.
The first hereditary peerage given to a woman in her own right was the Marquessate of Pembroke, which was granted to Anne Boleyn by Henry VIII. As she died without a male heir, the title died with her.
Creating a Marquess
The creation of a marquess was almost identical to the creation of a duke. The monarch would invest a marquess in Parliament by fastening a ceremonial sword to a belt or girdle.
This title has always been created by Letters Patent. Each individual letters patent specifies the rules for who can inherit the title. In most cases it will be passed to "the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten and to be begotten". This means any legitimate male descended from the original title holder.
Marquessates were generally territorial, meaning the title was often also a place name from England, Scotland or Ireland. The family did not have to live in, or have any connection to, the location, but it was often the name of a county, town or even a village where they held property. In these cases they were known as "Marquess of ...(placename)". An example of this was the Marquess of Northampton, created in 1812, as the family held land in Northamptonshire.
However, there were a handful of Marquessates that were not territorial. These were styled "Marquess ... (title)", such as the Marquess Cornwallis, created in 1792. The Cornwallis family already had the Barony of Cornwallis and the Earldom of Cornwallis, so King George III gave them a marquessate to match.
Between 1795 and 1820 there were less than 56 Marquesses in the whole of England, Scotland and Ireland. Of those, five became extinct or dormant by the end of 1820. Seventeen were newly created over the 25 year period by King George III or the Prince Regent. George III created more marquesses during his reign than any other monarch before or since.
Order of Precedence
Marquesses ranked below all the dukes and above all the earls. They also had their own "order of precedence" within their own rank. Their place in the order was decided based on when the marquessate was created, and what part of the country it came from.
At the top of the list were all the marquesses created in England before the Act of Union in 1707, in order of creation. The oldest surviving title was the Marquess of Winchester, and he was considered the Premier Marquess of England.
Below them were the marquesses in the Peerage of Scotland, before the Act of Union, in order of creation. After that came those who had been created in England and Scotland after 1707, and then the marquesses of Ireland.
Beneath all those were the marquesses created after the Union with Ireland in 1801 - the marquesses in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
Between 1801 and 1820, eight new marquessates were created, the last being the Marquess of Hastings in February 1817.
Homage Fees
Although his elevation might have been an honour granted by the king, there were fees involved for receiving or succeeding to a marquessate.
A newly created marquess would pay £272 for the privilege of becoming a marquess. When he was introduced to the House of Lords he would pay a further £19, which would have covered the cost of the ceremony and the paperwork involved. All subsequent heirs would also pay for their introduction into the House of Lords.
Even if he was already a peer, he would still have to pay the same for his 'promotion'. The new marquess would also have the further expense of buying the robes appropriate for his rank.
Robes of a Marquess
When a king or queen is crowned, a marquess will attend in his ceremonial robes, which differ very slightly for each rank. The mantle and surcoat for a marquess is crimson velvet, lined with white taffeta. The mantle (a kind of elbow length cape) is covered with ermine fur, and has four rows of spots on the right shoulder and three on the left. The coronet for a marquess is a gold band, set round with alternate strawberry leaves and pearls of equal height.
A marquess' parliamentary robes, worn on other state occasions, are of fine scarlet cloth, lined with taffeta and doubled with three and a half bands of ermine and gold lace, set at equal distances apart. It is tied with a white ribbon. His cap is crimson velvet, lined with ermine, with a gold tassel on the top.
A new set of robes was very expensive, and they were often handed down to the heir where possible. Parliamentary robes were worn on state occasions, but the coronation robes were only used at the coronation of the monarch, which might not happen during a peer's lifetime.
Addressing a marquess
[Our example here will be the Marquess of Anglesey, Henry Paget. His subsidiary title was Earl of Uxbridge]
A marquess and marchioness would be announced as:
The Marquess of Anglesey.
The Marchioness of Anglesey.
The Marquess and Marchioness of Anglesey.
If you were speaking to them face to face, you would address them as "Lord Anglesey" and "Lady Anglesey". After that, you could call them "my lord" and "my lady".
Their eldest son would be announced as: The Earl of Uxbridge. You would address him in speech as "Lord Uxbridge", and subsequently as "my lord".
Their daughter would be announced as Lady Caroline Paget. You would address her as "Lady Caroline". All daughters of marquesses are addressed in the same way.
Their younger son would be announced as Lord William Paget. You would address him as "Lord William". All sons of marquesses (apart from the eldest living son) are addressed in the same way. In the case of Lord William he later became a naval captain, so he would then be announced as Captain Lord William Paget.
If Lord William Paget was married, his wife would be announced as Lady William Paget. You would address her as "Lady William". This identifies her as the marquess' daughter-in-law, rather than a daughter by birth.
~~~
[Image: A marquess in his Parliamentary robes, taken from "A book explaining the ranks and dignities of British society", by Charles Lamb, published 1805. [Public Domain]]
Edited to add section on Homage Fees
YOU ARE READING
Reading the Regency
Non-FictionA guide to Regency England for readers of classic literature or historical fiction set in the early 19th century. England, as it was in the early 1800's, can sometimes be as confusing to a modern reader as travelling to a foreign country. Their clot...
