Scottish Laird: What’s in the Title?

The Scottish title of Laird is not really a rare title, and it is interchangeable with the similar term for an English Lord. The only difference is that you (the English Lord) entitles you to a place in your Peerage, while Scottish Lairds are generally mainly landowners, and are probably not members of the nobility. While an English Head of the family may sell his lands nevertheless still keep his identify, in Scotland the Lairdship is inextricably linked to the land, and the title is not really retained when the land comes. The history of that this Scottish Lairdships came to be so closely tied in using their lands makes for fascinating reading.

The name Laird has its origins inside phrase Laverd, an Old Scots word containing its basis in an Anglo-Saxon phrase, hlaf-weord, meaning an individual that has lands and electrical power over others. The English word ‘Lord’ proceeds from the same root-word. The spelling ‘Laird’ came to prominence in the fifteenth Century, when the Laird kept the title to lands that they controlled. The term described someone who held their lands directly in the Scottish crown, and were allowed to attend parliament. In Scotland, in which the monarchy was much weaker, the Lairds ruled their lands much like mini-kings, each with his well-known establishment and feudal servants which owed loyalty firstly to your Laird of their geographic area. In practice, this meant that Lairds were often independent health of their Kings, and often fought against them. The Stewart kings get hold of struggled to hold the crown relating to the warring factions of Lairds.

With the 16th Century, Lairds were important highland titles, getting still semi-rulers, living in small clan-based areas inside wilder areas of Scotland. They were still considered to be very powerful, and in 1592 we were looking at given a status which often marked them as just below barons (the cheapest title in Scotland of the time) and just above esquire. The title of Laird would probably equal the English phrase ‘Gentleman’ at the same period, which denoted someone that held lands but hasn’t been of noble status. Within Scotland, they were offered the privileges of landowners, but were still regarded as being minor peers, since they held some sort of coat of arms and the title was inherited through the male line.

Although the importance of inheritance through some sort of son was still high on a Scottish Laird’s head, if he did give only daughters, the inheritance would pass to their eldest daughter. She would then be known as the Lady of her lands, and the rights of her Lairdship would pass to her heirs, male or female, in the same approach. This is different with English law, where the title is likely to diverge to the nearest male heir, or be re-created for a new peerage for the eldest daughter’s husband. Both Lairds and Ladies can be called ‘most honourable’, although this can be a courtesy title and is not necessary under law. If the Laird or even Lady sell the land associated with the Lairdship, they must transfer usage of the title as well.