the Lady Windermere's Fan study guide. - Shaw Festival Theatre

A Who’s Who of the British Peerage
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Lady Windermere’s Fan takes place in the world of England’s aristocracy, a ruling class that numbered
about 1500 families. There was a fixed order of ‘precedence’ which was always observed: the King or
Queen at the top, followed by dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts and barons. The ‘peerage’ is this
system of formal titles, which represents the upper ranks of British nobility. The holder of a noble title
(a peerage) is known as a ’peer’. Hereditary peers such as these automatically held a seat in the House
of Lords. A peer’s title generally passed to his eldest son, though the term “Lord” might apply sometimes
to his other sons.
A ‘commoner’ is someone without a noble rank or title.
Below is a list of noble titles ranked in order from highest to lowest:
Duke and Duchess
Either a monarch ruling over a duchy or the highest ranking form of non-Royal nobility.
HOW TO ADDRESS A DUKE/DUCHESS: as ‘Your Grace’ or ‘His/Her Grace’. Never call a Duke a ‘Lord’ as
that would be terribly insulting, implying a lower title.
Marquess and Marchioness
A senior title. The second highest rank of dignity.
HOW TO ADDRESS A MARQUESS/MARCHIONESS: ‘The Marchioness of Winchester’ or ‘The Most
Honorable The Marchioness of Winchester’.
Earl and Countess
The third-highest rank of dignity in the peerage.
HOW TO ADDRESS AN EARL/COUNTESS: He is addressed as ‘The Earl of Sandwich’ or , if you were good
friends with him, you could call him ‘Lord Sandwich’. She is addressed as ‘The Countess of Sandwich’
or ‘The Right Honorable The Countess of Sandwich’.
Viscount and Viscountess
The second lowest rank of peerage. Viscounts do not have an ‘of’ in their title.
HOW TO ADDRESS A VISCOUNT/VISCOUNTESS: Lord/Lady Coldwater
Baron and Baroness
The lowest rank of dignity in the peerage.
HOW TO ADDRESS A BARON/BARONESS: ‘Lord’ and ‘Lady’
A Lady who is a Baroness in her own right, can be referred to as Baroness as well as Lady.
In direct address they can also be referred to as ‘My Lord’, ‘Your Lordship’, or ‘Your Ladyship’, but
never as ‘My Lady’.
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