Aristocracy UK. An unofficial guide to Aristocracy in the UK

Members of the British peerage are titled (duke, marquess, earl, viscount, baron), frequently referred to as peers or lords.

Before the twentieth century, peerages were generally hereditary and (with a few exceptions), descended in the male line.

English peers were entitled to sit in the House of Lords, but only a limited number of Scottish and Irish peers could do so. A member of the House of Lords could not be a member of the House of Commons.

During the 1960s, the government introduced (non-hereditary) life peers and stopped creating hereditary peers. This convention was not observed by Margaret Thatcher who created a few new hereditary peers. The reform of the House of Lords under Tony Blair reduced the number of hereditary peers entitled to sit in the Lords. 

• Duke
• Marquess
• Earl
• Viscount
• Baron