Overview

A hereditary peer is an individual who holds a noble title in the peerage of the United Kingdom or its predecessor realms by inheritance rather than by personal appointment. Titles commonly associated with hereditary peers include duke, marquess, earl, viscount and baron. Many such titles have long family histories and are part of the British system of honours and social hierarchy.

Ranks and numbers

At a recent count (2020) there were several hundred hereditary peers across the ranks. The broad categories are:

  • dukes
  • marquesses
  • earls
  • viscounts
  • barons

Different creations and historic peerages (England, Scotland, Great Britain, Ireland and the United Kingdom) are treated separately for matters of precedence and some legal arrangements.

Hereditary titles usually pass according to the terms set out when the title was created. Many follow male-preference primogeniture or limiting inheritance to heirs male, but some older baronies created by writ can descend to females and fall into abeyance between co-heirs. Titles may become extinct if no eligible heir exists, dormant if an heir has not proved a claim, or forfeited historically by attainder in extreme cases. A peer entitled to sit in Parliament is summoned by a writ of summons when applicable.

History and reform

Hereditary peers trace their origins to the medieval feudal aristocracy and the evolution of royal writs and letters patent. Over centuries their legal and political roles changed: some sat automatically in the House of Lords until substantial reforms in the 20th century. The Life Peerages Act 1958 created life peers who do not pass titles to descendants. Most consequentially, the House of Lords Act 1999 removed the automatic right of most hereditary peers to sit in the upper chamber. As a result, only a limited number remain in Parliament—ninety elected hereditary peers plus two who sit by virtue of certain offices—while others may sit if separately created as life peers.

Contemporary role and significance

Today hereditary peers continue to have social, ceremonial and local roles beyond parliamentary membership: many are landowners, patrons of institutions, or involved in civic life. Debate about the place of hereditary privilege in modern governance and about further reform of the second chamber remains active. For the current arrangements and the Lords' procedure involving peers, see the House of Lords.