Baronet

Not to be confused with Barony (county division), Baronage, or Baronette.

Part of a series on
Imperial, royal, noble,
gentry and chivalric ranks in Europe
Neck decoration for baronets of the United Kingdom, depicting the Red Hand of Ulster

A baronet (/ˈbærənɪt/ or /ˈbærəˌnɛt/;[1] abbreviated Bart or Bt[1]) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (/ˈbærənɪtɪs/,[2] /ˈbærənɪtɛs/,[3] or /ˌbærəˈnɛtɛs/;[4] abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th century; however, in its current usage it was created by James I of England in 1611 as a means of raising funds for the crown.

Baronets rank below barons, but seemingly above all knights grand cross, knights commander and knights bachelor of the British chivalric orders, that are in turn below in chivalric precedence than the most senior British chivalric orders of the Garter and the Thistle.

Like all British knights, they are addressed as "Sir" (or "Dame" in the case of baronetesses). They are conventionally seen to belong to the lesser nobility, even though William Thoms claims that:

The precise quality of this dignity is not yet fully determined, some holding it to be the head of the nobiles minores, while others, again, rank Baronets as the lowest of the nobiles majores, because their honour, like that of the higher nobility, is both hereditary and created by patent.[5]

Comparisons with continental titles and ranks are tenuous due to the British system of primogeniture and because claims to baronetcies must be proven; currently the Official Roll of the Baronetage is overseen by the Ministry of Justice. In practice this means that the UK Peerage and Baronetage consist of about 1,200 families (some peers are also baronets), which is roughly less than 0.01% of UK families.

  1. ^ a b "Baronet". Collins Dictionary. n.d. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  2. ^ "Baronetess". Dictionary.com Unabridged. n.d. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  3. ^ "baronetess". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  4. ^ "Baronetess". Collins Dictionary. n.d. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  5. ^ William J. Thoms (1844). The Book of the Court (2nd edition). London: Henry G. Bohn, York Street, Covent Garden, p. 132