How to Name an English Lord | Regency Noble Titles & the Victorian Peerage Explained

[@EllieDashwood]

Are you team Lord Mayo or Lord Sandwich? -- Plus, correction: The first English Duke was the Black Prince, not his son. ☺️

[@usdutchkitty]

Sounds like it should be an episode of Veggie Tales

[@marroosh]

Lord Tuna and Mayo Sandwich

[@Thegiddyowl]

I’m Lord Not Using Ai

[@thomas_stromberg]

Let's add Earl Grey and have very steamy breakfast romance.

[@faithful2thecall]

They both lose when the heroine elopes with Lord Bacon instead.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

To quote the Dowager Countess in ‘Downton Abbey’: “If I were to ever search for logic, I wouldn't look for it among the English upper class.”

[@EllieDashwood]

😂😂😂

[@eric2500]

Lady Violet nails it again...

[@IsaacIsaacIsaacson]

The sandwich is actually named after the Lord Sandwich, specifically John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, itself named after the village of Sandwich in Kent.

[@EllieDashwood]

Well, that is definitely points on his side in this love triangle debate. 😂

[@neilbuckley1613]

Lord Sandwich had a famous exchange with the radical MP John Wilkes [ presumably Lincoln's assasin was named after him ]. Lord Sandwich said Wilkes morals were so bad he would either be hanged or die of the pox. Wilkes immediately responded with " That depends on whether I embrace your Lordship's principles or mistress."

[@janwel74]

Thank you! Interesting as always. I would love a video about the propper rules to introduce and address people of different social status, gender and/or age, and how to navigate the order of precedence in gatherings. Also how to arrange seats in a dinner in mixed company 😊

[@EllieDashwood]

I was thinking about making that video but was worried no one would want it. 🙈 So I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks that’s interesting! 😄

[@janwel74]

@ are you kidding?? I would be thrilled to know how to introduce Mrs Elton (Emma) to Mrs Clay (Persuasion)! 😄 And see in the same table Mrs Norris (Mansfield Park), Mrs Jennings (Sense and Sensibility), Mr and Mrs Gardiner (Pride and Prejudice) and Frederick Tilney (Northanger Abby). Please do unveil the mistery of how and when is it propper to introduce two people and the rules of precedence in such situations, I’m convinced a gaffe in this regard could ruffle a few feathers!

[@babygirllss]

This!!

[@RebelLeigh]

I woul also like to see that video​@EllieDashwood

[@themadowl9224]

I would also love a video like that! ​@@EllieDashwood

[@IsaacIsaacIsaacson]

Another add on, if your title is "Lord [last name]", and your lesser title is also Lord [Last name], your son would have to skip that title and use whatever next highest title you have that isn't your name. The same rule applied if you for example were both Marquess of Dashwood and Earl of Dashwood as two seperate titles - your son wouldn't get to be Earl Dashwood, because then you'd both be Lord Dashwood, which would be confusing. Further, for Dukes and (sometimes Earls), if you have enough titles, your eldest son's son would also get a courtesy title that is the next lowest after the one being used by your son. The Duke of Dashwood's son is the Earl of Smith and his grandson is the Viscount McRich. In a real example where this can get really confusing, the 1st Duke of Wellington's son used the title Marquess Douro. However, all other titles held by the duke were also called Douro and Wellington, and his surname, Wellesley, was in use as a title by his cousin the Marquess Wellesley, which would've left his grandson without a courtesy title to use.

[@HTAZ2010]

Lord Mayo and Lord Sandwich as love interests would be great for a regency romance parody. I can't imagine them being used otherwise.

[@EllieDashwood]

I could see that. 😄

[@royami8627]

I need that love triangle between Lord mayo and Lord sandwich in an actual historical romance 😂

[@ashleydavis1937]

I always love the way Elle asks for likes. Lol Also, an explanation of what and why a military commission is and why it has to be purchased would be great. ❤

[@PokhrajRoy.]

14:39 Lady Diana Spencer was the daughter of Earl Spencer

[@janleonard3101]

And her brother Charles inherited the title and is the current Earl Spencer.

[@TophTheMelonLord]

The timing of this video was perfect. I'm reading a novel right now with a titled character and I was very confused at his father still being alive.

[@EllieDashwood]

Awww! I’m so glad it was helpful! 🤍

[@malcagottlieb6084]

I love your quirky and whimsical style both in video making and fashion choices.

[@EllieDashwood]

Aw, thank you! 🙈💕

[@velzanna2281]

The current Earl of Sandwich has an American daughter-in-law, actually :) she’s Viscountess Hinchingbrooke (her husband is using one of those courtesy titles).

[@faithful2thecall]

Very interesting content. It does make sense that Lord names wouldn't be the most romantic sounding in reality when you consider how the naming system worked. Keep being awesome, Ellie!

[@EllieDashwood]

Aw, thank you so much! I think that the King should have done a better job historically of only handing out romantic sounding titles. That would make all writers’ jobs easier. 😂

[@LusiaEyre]

A love triangle between Lord Mayo, Lord Sandwich, and Lady Lettice. Yum!

[@bernadmanny]

Lady Leticia Dallop, the second daughter of the Viscount Dallop.

[@katmaresparkles9578]

Setting is Chicken Snitchzel

[@inwalters]

2 side stories 1. this is an LOL and why you should always keep track of your family tree. The 11th Earl of Essex is an 80 years old childless former school teacher in the UK. His heir is his 4th cousin 5 times removed who is a retired grocery store clerk who lives in Yuba City, CA. 2. since William has become Prince of Wales as his chief title, Prince George could start using Duke of Cambridge as a courtesy title but I haven't seen any indication he will

[@PokhrajRoy.]

I loved learning about the ranking of titles in ‘Jane Austen for Dummies’. Also, there’s a reasons why Barons aren’t always nice in period dramas. Then again, neither is the aristocracy lmao

[@EllieDashwood]

😂 Jane Austen for Dummies references is part of your lasting legacy.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

@ You should read it for livestreams

[@kreeve0]

I've never been so early before! Thank you for always making my day Ellie

[@EllieDashwood]

Awww! ☺️ I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

[@Franka.1966]

The portrait of a family at time-stamp 11:03 is the bomb...💣💥 Your video presentation is truly spot on 🤩👍

[@Franka.1966]

PS: The painting is called "portrait of Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck and his family", by Pierre Prud'hon, 1801 - 1802

[@susanpilling8849]

As I was born in England and of an earlier generation this was something I was already aware of. However, I'm so glad you put it out there because some of the more modern Regency romances are very annoying. Georgette Heyer was my favourite author back in the 1960's. Anyone writing one of these books should study her work. The only slight criticism I have is your pronunciation. Please - 'patent is pay-tent and puissant is p-wee-sont (it's French). If it helps anyone there were a lot of Irish nobility with the same titles, as Ireland was part of Britain back then. My personal fictional nobleman has always been Lord Ravenwood!😅🩵

[@ThanksHermione]

Please do separate videos on the careers of gentlemen in the Regency era.

[@MarkTeltscher-l6b]

I have a fun inference for you:) I suggest in Northanger Abbey that Austen infers it was the Marquis of Longtowns second Son ( First Son was often referred to as a Viscount until they become Marquis ) who was the person Eleanor had feelings for and eventually married . 'Her partiality for this gentleman was not of recent origin; and he had been long withheld only by inferiority of situation from addressing her. His unexpected accession to title and fortune had removed all his difficulties;'

[@PokhrajRoy.]

7:48 “How many Marquesses of Flintshire are there?”

[@DavidMacDowellBlue]

I wrote a play set in 1840, in which the Earl of Fogbowe had a son called Lord Warlockshire (I presumed he was a Viscount).

[@EllieDashwood]

Oooo! That sounds so exciting!

[@Turquerina]

This is the perfect video since I've been racking my mind with ideas on how to create a fictitious peeress. So for my imaginary noblewoman, she is actually the daughter of an English Earl and wealthy American heiress born towards the tail end of the 19th century. So she could be Lady Eleanor while her mother would legally be a Countess! Although her father might have an estate or county name to which he could be the Lord of, it has unfortunately not been decided since it really is hard making up an English name for me weirdly.

[@EllieDashwood]

Oooo, that that sounds so exciting! And English names can be so needlessly difficult.

[@thomas_stromberg]

Liked the video. Now I just need to kick back and wait Royal Mail. 😁

[@Pardesland]

A very interesting vid. And, by the way: You look *GORGEOUS.* ♥️♥️♥️

[@MegaMetroGirl]

Now someone has to write the Mayo vs. Sandwhich book! This has satirical absurdist romcom written all over it!

[@roadrunnercrazy]

"They're their whole own problem. " Yes, indeed.😂

[@delphinidin]

Period fiction writers thank you!!!

[@EllieDashwood]

Aw, yay! My aspirations have all been fulfilled!

[@jillianmakes]

Question, can you have different peerage levels for the same place, such as The Earl of Kent, and Vicount of Kent?

[@EllieDashwood]

Yes! You can. At which point the oldest son would have to use an alternate name so their titles aren’t the same. Either an even lower rank’s title like a barony, or some families legit just made up an alternate name. 😄

[@JaneHornsby-iz9ob]

I always use Dorothy Sayers fictional Wimsey Family as examples of use of courtesy titles: Gerald, the head of the family = The Duke of Denver,. His wife = The Duchess of Denver. His mother (widow of the previous duke) = the Dowager Duchess of Denver. His oldest (and only) son = Lord Saint George (the Duke's secondary title). His sister (daughter of previous Duke) = Lady Mary Wimsey (and later Lady Mary Parker). His brother (younger son of previous duke) Lord Peter Wimsey (short form Lord Peter, never Lord Winsey). And finally, Peter's wife (nee Harriet Vane) Lady Peter Wimsey (Lady Peter, never Lady Wimsey, nor Lady Harriet). Only Gerald has a seat in the Hoyse of Lords

[@InaMacallan]

Me too! Writers of period detective fiction need to know this stuff too (there are so many 1920s detective novels currently on the market that get this wrong.)

[@dorisschneider-coutandin9965]

A marquess was someone who'd been overseeing land in the so called "marches" (border lands between England and Scotland, or England and Wales, way back in the day). That's how the title was created. As the estates were vast/large, mostly larger than that what Earls had to look after, the marquess title was ranked higher. Today, it's only via inheritance for somebody to become a marquess.

[@michellekinder3051]

A great book that describes that time is What Jane Austin Ate And Charles Dickons Knew, by Daniel Pool. It is about England in the 18th century.

[@chaepark8720]

Have you watched Austenland with Keri Russell and JJ Feld?

[@EllieDashwood]

I haven’t in years! But I love the book series!

[@chaepark8720]

@ it was so funny. JJ looked wonderful!🔥🔥🔥💖💖💖

[@angelogarcia2189]

A Count ruled a county. That's where the term comes from.

[@Pardesland]

You've just given me *a Great Idea* with the Mayo Sèmvich. 😂

[@Pardesland]

Had the Earl of Orville used to sit to Dinner with Bortus? Was he Best Friends with Yaphit?

[@mariar3767]

One thing to consider is to avoid give your character the name of a real person . That may create some legal problems . I saw some stories were famous people from the past were inserted as characters but is still different than having an actual person as your main character. I know some use real kings and people from history but i am not sure how good that usualy works . Maybe if you are already a big Hollywood writer 😅. If the Lord of X realy exists , his family may still exist and sue you .

[@EllieDashwood]

That’s so interesting!

[@mariar3767]

@EllieDashwood I dont know how many of us would be happy if we found ourself or our family members used as characters . Lord X was a drunk and cheat on his wife and those are someone's real grand grandparents . The family will not risk the fact that many readers will not bother to make a difference between a character made up and a real person . Also verify no one else has a character with the same name 😅.

[@AdrianColley]

Austen occasionally uses a long dash (-) instead of a name, when the rank of the character was too high for a fictional name to be believable.

[@mittenista]

I ship Sandwich with Mayo. Miss Hamncheese will have to fend for herself.

[@catherinedonley2781]

I might name mine Lord Mustard and plot a love triangle between him and the daughters of Lord Mayo and Lord Sandwhich🤣

[@doublequilI]

I like What a Girl Wants, so I'll go with Lord Dashwood. lol. That movie is better than it gets credit for.

[@EllieDashwood]

I completely forgot about that movie!!! I loved it so much when I was a teen.

[@lauramathews3151]

Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Mick Jagger, Sir Bono, Sir Michael Caine, Sir Patrick Stewart, Sir Ian McKellan, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Dame Emma Thompson, Dame Judy Dench, Dame Maggie Smith, Dame Helen Mirren...

[@cherylruhr6001]

The best upperclass names are found in PG Wodehouse

[@nancyheitmeyer9976]

The current Earl of Sandwich has an American daughter-in-law who has KZbin channel the American Viscountess. She films tours of historic British homes. Also she and her husband Viscount Hinchingbrook run the family home Mapperton and have a KZbin Channel about the running of Mapperton. Interesting channels for anyone who loves the historical homes.

[@qienna6677]

A woman inheriting would also be dependent on whether the title had an entail, yeah? It was what blocked Mary from inheriting, if and when her Father died.

[@bernadmanny]

Titles were not regulated by entail, but by descent. Entails were related to cash and property. Which is why they sometimes became seperated from the title.

[@katmaresparkles9578]

I find the whole Earl/ Countess thing disconcerting. So I came up with a solution for that. Earl is a separate and higher title than Count. Therefore making an extra level for titles to come from. So 3 upper and 3 lower nobility titles. Duke/ Duchess, Marquess/ Marchioness, Earl/ Earletess, Count/ Countess, Viscount/Viscountess, Baron/ Baroness. I also thought about Baronet/ Baronetess, as well as Sir/Dame.

[@aksez2u]

The current Earl of Sandwich has an American wife who is a KZbinr. She has a channel called Mapperton Live: This (un)Aristocratic Manor Life. It's like a Hallmark movie come to life. I feel like you might know about them, but would you have said their title was weird and ugly if you knew they worked in the same office as you? 😄 LOL Edit: Oops, I think his dad may still be alive and he is HEIR to the title.

[@ElectraDashwood]

Why is Lord Mayo terrifying?

[@EllieDashwood]

I was wondering the same thing. I think he is up to no good.

[@magical11]

Wasn't earl one of the oldest English titles? It's an old anglo-saxon/norse word "Jarl" and predates viscounts, dukes, and marquess; the title was established after 1000 something by cnut. It might even predate baron in its strictest form.

[@EllieDashwood]

That’s interesting!

[@JaneHornsby-iz9ob]

Yeah, it's the Anglo-Saxon equivalent of "Count" which is why an Earl's wife is a "Countess" (We wouldn't want her to be "earless", poor girl!) And why the next lower rank is "Viscount" like Vice-Count or lesser Count (Count-let, perhaps?)

[@JaneHornsby-iz9ob]

The title "Duke"could be given to a royal, but eventually become non-royal. For instance, Prince Harry's son Archie can inherit Harry's title "Duke of Sussex" and pass it on if he has a son. Archie is a Prince (son-of-a-son-of-the sovereign).But Archie's son -assuming he has one - will NOT be a Prince (the royalty evaporates in the third generation - or we'd all be royal by way of Charlemagne) but will be Duke of Sussex (if titles and royalty still even exist then.) Oddly, this seems to have has never happened to the title Duke of York - which is traditional for the Monarch's second son. Seems the Duke of York always winds up having no sons (like Prince Andrew, current Duke of York, only daughters) or becomes King himself (previous Duke of York, aka George VII, father of Queen Elizabet II). The title reverts to the crown and is then available for the Sovereign to parcel out again -as Elizabeth did - to his/her own second son.

[@AdrianColley]

It was originally ealdorman (Anglo-Saxon, meaning "senator"), but it was shortened to earles to better match the word jarl (Old Norse, meaning "chieftain") after the Norse invasion. When the Norman invasion brought the title of Count, and its pronunciation happened to collide with a very unsavoury Anglo-Saxon word, the invaders decided to replace Count with Earl to avoid any unwanted comedy.

[@JaneHornsby-iz9ob]

@@AdrianColley What was the unsavory Anglo-Saxon wor . . . .OH!

[@nome2057]

lord lordi mclord face ?

[@EllieDashwood]

Does he own Boaty McBoat Face?

[@AdrianColley]

1st Earl of Lordhamshire

[@yoMC18]

Omg I never clicked so fast

[@RonJohn63]

Given that it's "Lord ", not "Lord ", a better video title: "How to *Title* an English Lord".

[@molinajay4938]

Why choose between Mayo and Sandwich? Polyamory for the win! (...mayonnaise is a topping...)

[@AdrianColley]

Fun earl fact: formal royal letters or writs traditional refer to an earl with the phrase "trusty and well-beloved cousin". This tradition started with king Henry IV, whose earls were literally all related to him. (Source: Blackstone's Commentaries, book 1, "of the Civil State", at 398).

[@janiecehamblen933]

So, an imaginary King could make Darcy a Lord.

[@EllieDashwood]

Indeed, he could!

[@LaLayla99]

Why do married women get the feminized form of the title (ie Duke/Dutchess) except for wives of Earls? How does Countess match up with Earl? Aren't there Counts and Countesses?

[@adorabell4253]

Earl is an English title equivalent to that of Count and a female form never developed. Count is not an English title perhaps because it sound squire a bit like fanny. Why Countess, which has a similar issue, was chosen for women I don’t know. I suspect that at the time when the titles came into use England just didn’t title women of that status and imported a title when it became relevant.

[@InaMacallan]

If you were the wife of an Earl, would you be happy being called 'Earless' (ear-less)?

[@ameliecarre4783]

So nobody was duke in England before the reign of Edward III ? I guess it was still a very powerful title in the rest of Europe at the time, dukes were practically kings in their own right.

[@EllieDashwood]

I guess they were just late to the Duke game. 😂

[@ameliecarre4783]

@EllieDashwood Not really, if you consider that kings of England also claimed the title of Duke of Normandy (still do to some extent), and also sometimes Duke of Anjou and Aquitaine. Making fancy dukes that weren't any sort of monarch was a 14th century modernism.

[@adorabell4253]

Britain didn’t have dukes. A ton of kings but no dukes. England just didn’t have provinces big enough to need dukes as governors under an emperor which is where the title comes from (dux).

[@xiaoxue3541]

Is that Ai art? Quite disappointing if so. I would expect respect for artists from someone whose channel is about literature. Not to mention be environmental ramifications

[@EllieDashwood]

I live to disappoint. 😄 But as an artist myself, I don’t feel disrespected. I suppose all artists have their own feelings on the topic.

[@charlylimph]

please don't use AI art.

[@artschoolglasses]

Ugh, no, not AI images in the video 😩

[@EllieDashwood]

Unfortunately, it is difficult to find authentic historical pictures of a Victorian Lord holding a jar of Mayo.

[@artschoolglasses]

@ editing an image yourself is always an available option. Instead of using the art theft machine that wastes energy and has a massively negative impact on the environment. But you do you, I guess…