Author’s Note
In the early 18th century, there were over two hundred barons in Scotland, many dating from the late Middle Ages. The title in Scotland means something different from what it means in England, however. Scottish barons are part of the nobility, but are not peers. They are not part of the Scottish Parliament. In Scotland, baron is a minor title, and ranks below Scottish baronets in the hierarchy of titles.
The title historically derived from the land, which meant whoever held the land and manor (or caput) was the baron. A baron in Scotland is the Baron of X (land holding), not Baron X as in England. If someone lost the land he ceased being a baron. The title did not follow blood lines unless the estate continued down as well. This tie between the land holding and the title continued until 2004 when it was ended by law.
These feudal baronies could be bought and sold, since the land might be bought or sold. If a baron died without heir, and in Scotland a daughter could be an heir, the lands reverted to the Crown because the charter of erection for the barony came directly from the Crown.
A baron was and is not the same thing as a laird. As the Lord Lyon has made explicit, laird is not a title, but a description. It was a term used for the owner of an estate, usually by those who lived or worked on the estate rather than by the estate owner himself. So barons were also lairds, but not all lairds were barons. While laird is a Scots word for lord, a laird is not a lord in the official meaning of the word. A baron is.
This holiday season, steal away with the reigning queens of Regency romance . . . plus one or two dukes, one heiress, and one headstrong beauty—to a surprise snowstorm, the comfort of a blazing fire, and the heat of a lover’s kisses . . .
Don’t miss
Seduction on a Snowy Night
by
Madeline Hunter
Sabrina Jeffries
and Mary Jo Putney
Available everywhere books are sold in Fall, 2019!
photo credit: Studio 8
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Madeline Hunter is a New York Times bestselling author with more than six million copies of her books in print. She has thirty nationally bestselling historical romances in print, including most recently, A Devil of a Duke. A member of RWA’s Honor Roll, she has won the RITA Award twice and been a finalist seven times. Her books have appeared on the bestseller lists of the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly, and have been translated into thirteen languages. She has a PhD in art history, which she has taught at the university level. Madeline also writes the Romance Unlaced column for USAToday.com’s Happy Ever After site. Madeline loves to hear from her readers, and can be reached through her website at www.madelinehunter.com, on Facebook, www.facebook.com/madelinehunter, and at twitter.com/madelinehunter.
Never Deny a Duke Page 27