Peers - Ministry of Justice

The tables below show you how to address Peers both verbally and in writing.

There are five ranks or degrees in the Peerage. These are in descending order of dignity: Dukes, Marquesses, Earls, Viscounts and Barons. "The Right Honourable" should be applied only where the peer is a member of the Privy Council.

"The" must in every case be applied before the name of a Peer, except in the cases of Marquesses, Earls, Viscounts and Barons who use one of those dignities as a courtesy title.

Dukes, Marquesses and Earls

Address (in correspondence)	Example	Dear...
All Dukes have the preposition "of" before their title	His Grace The Duke of Westminster	Duke
Most Marquesses have the preposition "of" before their title	The Most Honourable The Marquess of Ailesbury	Lord Ailesbury
Except:	The Most Honourable Marquess Townshend	Lord Townshend
Except:	The Most Honourable Marquess Camden	Lord Camden
Most Earls have the preposition "of" before their title:	The Earl of Snowdon	Lord Snowdon
...except for example	The Earl Grey	Lord Grey

Viscounts and Barons

Address (in correspondence)	Example	Dear...
The Preposition "of" does not appear before the title of a Viscount:	The Viscount Astor	Lord Astor
Except:	The Viscount of Arbuthnott	Lord Arbuthnott
Except:	The Viscount of Oxfuird	Lord Oxfuird
The expression "Baron" is never applied when addressing a Baron.	The Lord Brown	Lord Brown
However, "Baroness" is used when the lady is a Baroness in her own right.	The Baroness Brown	Lady Brown
The junior female rank in the Peerage of Scotland is not "Baroness"	The Lady Macbeth	Lady Macbeth

Please note:

The wife of a Baron is not addressed as "Baroness", but instead "Lady".
The husband of a woman who becomes a peeress does not assume any additional title.

Territorial Designation

Address (in correspondence)	Example	Dear...
Where a place name forms part of a peerage title (but see note below*)	The Lord Doe of Fulham	Lord Doe

*Nomen Dignitatis (the name actually used):
A Peerage name, style and title below the rank of Earl consists of the rank and name (the Nomen Dignitatis) and the territorial designation, which associates the Peerage and indicates the connection of the Peer with a place in the United Kingdom. Where the Nomen Dignitatis is a surname, it is usually the actual surname of the recipient. If that surname has never been borne in a Peerage before, then such a surname is borne as the title itself, as in VISCOUNT DOE of London and note the title must still be associated with a place, even though it does not form part of the title actually used. If however, the surname has already been used as a Peerage title it can only be granted to a new Peer in association with the name of a place, and in this case it then forms part of the title, eg. VISCOUNT DOE OF BRIGHTON. The use of a territorial designation alone may sometimes be granted, eg. LORD BRIGHTON.

Please note: The correct form of a Peer's title may be obtained from Who's Who, Vacher's, Debrett's or Burke's Peerage but the final authority is the peer's writ of summons and, if any doubt remains, the Crown Office should be consulted.

Peers who are Privy Counsellors

Address (in correspondence)	Example	Dear...
The Right Honourable The Lord Doe		Lord Doe
Dukes and Marquesses who are Privy Counsellors are not addressed as "The Right Honourable" but as:	His Grace The Duke of Devonshire PC	Duke
	The Most Honourable The Marquess of Abergavenny PC	Marquess

Peers who are knights of an Order of Chivalry

Care must be taken to see that, if a peer is a knight of an Order of Chivalry, the appropriate letters are placed as a suffix to his name. (see Honours and Decorations)

Peeresses

The forms of address for Peeresses are the same, mutatis mutandis, as for Peers except in the case of Baronesses, who may elect to be known as Baroness... or Lady...