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Hereditary Peerages

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The House of Lords in the Palace of Westminster

The Peerage of England

The Peerage of Scotland

The Peerage of Ireland

The Peerage of Great Britain

The Peerage of the United Kingdom

Before the Union of England and Scotland in 1707 there were three separate and distinct parts or elements to what is generally called "the peerage":  the Peerage of England, the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland.

After the Union with Scotland in 1707 there were no further creations within the English or Scottish Peerages, and any new creations were either in the Peerage of Great Britain or in the continuing Peerage of Ireland.

Since the Union of Great Britain and Ireland in 1800 there have been no further creations within the Peerage of Great Britain and any new creations have been either in the Peerage of the United Kingdom or in the continuing Peerage of Ireland.  However creations within the Peerage of Ireland became infrequent towards the end of the nineteenth century and none have been created since the foundation of the Irish Free State later the Republic of Ireland.  Irish Peerages created since the Union with Ireland rank with Peerages of the United Kingdom in order of precedence.

To give an example of this latter point, the Irish Dukedom of Leinster (created 1766) ranks in precedence before all non-royal dukedoms within the Peerage of the United Kingdom, whereas the Irish Dukedom of Abercorn (created 1868) ranks in precedence before all non-royal dukedoms within the Peerage of the United Kingdom created after that date (i.e. Westminster and Fife) but after the non-royal dukedoms in that Peerage created before that date (i.e. Wellington and Sutherland).

Peers of England take the first rank in the order of precedence, the order being as follows:  Dukes (etc.) of England, of Scotland, of Great Britain, of Ireland (pre 1800), and, finally, of the United Kingdom and Ireland (post 1800).  Royal dukedoms within the Peerage of the United Kingdom take precedence over all other peerages, whatever their date of creation.

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