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2 Source of Precedence 3 The Royal Family 4 Officers 5 Nobles 6 Clergy 7 Baronets and Knights 8 See also |
The Order of Precedence is determined by various methods. The Precedence Act (which technically applies only to determine seating in the House of Lords Chamber) and the Acts of Union with Scotland and Ireland generally set precedence for members of the nobility. The Statutes of the various Orders of Chivalry set precedence for their members. In other cases, precedence may be decided by the Sovereign's Order, by a Royal Warrant, by letters patent, by Acts of Parliament, or by custom.
One may acquire precedence due for various reasons. Firstly, one may be an office-holder. Secondly, one may hold a particular title such as Duke. Thirdly, in the case of women, one may be the wife of a title-holder. (Note that wives acquire precedence due to their husbands, but husbands do not gain any special precedence due to their wives). Finally, one may be the son or daughter of a title-holder. One does not gain precedence as a daughter of a lady, unless that lady be a member of the Royal Family or a peeress in her own right. Furthermore, if a daughter of a peer who marries a commoner, then she retains her precedence as a daughter of a peer. However, if she marries a peer, then her precedence is based on her husband's status, and not on her father's.
The Sovereign, whether a King or Queen, is first in the order of precedence. If the Sovereign is male, then his wife, the Queen or Queen Consort is first in the order of precedence for women. The reverse, however, is not always true. The Prince Consort, husband of a female Sovereign, has precedence over all other males, "except where otherwise provided by Act of Parliament." The only such Act applies for the determination of seating within the House of Lords Chamber, and therefore, the Prince Consort, in most situations, precedes other men.
The remaining members of the Royal Family do not rank in the same order as in the Line of Succession. (See the pages noted above for details.)
In England and Wales, the Archbishop of Canterbury is the highest in precedence following the Royal Family. Then come the Lord Chancellor, and then the Archbishop of York. Next come certain officers: the Prime Minister, the Lord President of the Privy Council, the Speaker of the House of Commons, and the Lord Privy Seal.
The precedence of other officers - the Lord Great Chamberlain, Earl Marshal, Lord Steward, and Lord Chamberlain - is based on the degree of their peerage. These officers rank above all other peers of their rank. Thus, if the Lord Steward were a Duke, he would outrank other Dukes, and if a Marquess, would outrank other Marquesses, and so forth. The precedence of the Master of the Horse is linked directly to that of the Lord Chamberlain, for the Master follows immediately after the Lord Chamberlain. However, if the Master is of a higher degree of peerage than the Lord Chamberlain, he would rank among his fellow peers of that degree, and not below the Lord Chamberlain.
In Scotland, the officers of state are different. The Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland and the Keeper of the Privy Seal of Scotland, if they are peers, rank after the Speaker of the House of Commons. If not, they rank after younger sons of Dukes. The Hereditary High Constable of Scotland and the Master of the Household in Scotland rank above Dukes. If the Keepers of the Seals are peers, then the Keepers precede the High Constable and Master.
Nobles rank in the following order: Dukes, Marquesses, Earls, Viscounts, and Barons. Within each degree, peers rank according to the seniority of the creation of their peerages, but peers of England (created prior to 1707) precede peers of Scotland (prior to 1707), who together precede peers of Great Britain (prior to 1801), who together precede peers of Ireland (prior to 1801), who together precede peers of Ireland or of the United Kingdom (after 1801). However, the rules regarding the country of peerage apply only within particular ranks; an Earl of the United Kingdom, for instance, would outrank a Viscount of England.
Wives of peers rank along with peeresses in their own right according to the ancientcy of the peerage (subject to the rules regarding countries mentioned above), whether it is the ancientcy of the peeress' own peerage or of her husband's peerage. However, a Dowager peeress (an ancestress of the present title-holder who was also the wife of a former holder of that title) would always precede the present peeress. Thus, the Dowager Duchess of X would come before the present Duchess of X.
As has been noted, the Archbishop of Canterbury is the highest non-royal, and the Archbishop of York is the third-highest, the second-highest being the secular Lord Chancellor. Bishops of the Church of England rank immediately above the Barons. First come the Bishops of London, Durham, and Winchester, followed by the other Diocesan Bishops in order of seniority, and then the Suffragan Bishops in order of seniority.
In Scotland, there are no Archbishops and Bishops, given the structure of the Church of Scotland. The Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, if male, ranks immediately below the Prince Consort, and if female, ranks immediately below the Sovereign, but only when the General Assembly is in session. The Moderator of the General Assembly, regardless of whether it is in session or not, ranks immediately after the Lord Chancellor.
In Northern Ireland, due sensetivities regarding the conflict between Catholics and Protestants, no distinction is made between Catholic and Anglican Archbishops and Bishops. The Archbishops of Armagh and Dublin, whether of the Catholic Church or of the Anglican Church of Ireland, all rank above the Lord Chancellor, in the order of seniority. Bishops rank above Barons, as in England and Wales.Determination of Precedence
Source of Precedence
The Royal Family
Officers
Nobles
Clergy