PRECEDENCY
The order of precedency due to each individual according to rank is a
matter of great importance at official banquets and at ceremonious
dinner-parties, when its correct observance should be strictly adhered
to.
=As regards Precedency amongst Royal Personages=, the Sovereign takes
precedence of all others in the realm; the King takes precedence of
Queen Mary. The Prince of Wales takes precedence of the Duke of
Connaught. Queen Alexandra takes precedence of the Royal Princesses. The
Royal Princesses take precedence of their husbands, Prince Christian and
the Duke of Argyll.
=The Precedency accorded to Foreign Royal Personages= in this country
very much depends upon their individual rank. Imperial Highnesses and
Royal Highnesses take precedence of Serene Highnesses.
=The Precedency accorded to Eastern Princes= is generally synonymous
with that accorded to Serene Highnesses; but in some instances the
claims of individual precedency are so difficult to define, that in
official cases it is sometimes necessary to make a special rule as to
the amount of precedency to be allowed.
=As regards General Precedency=, archbishops, ambassadors, The Lord High
Chancellor, The Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor of Ireland, Lord
President of the Council, and Lord Privy Seal, take precedence of
dukes; dukes take precedence of earls, and so on throughout the various
degrees of nobility.
=Foreign Ministers and Envoys= take precedence next after dukes, in the
order of their seniority of service in England. In all cases where
precedency is to be established between persons of equal rank it is
necessary to refer to a Peerage for date of creation of title, as this
actually decides all precedency.
=For Precedency due to Baronets= and their wives a Baronetage should be
consulted.
=For Precedency due to Knights= and their wives a Knightage should be
consulted in reference to each order of knighthood.
=For the Precedency due to the Legal Profession= a Law List should be
consulted when it is not defined by office or birth.
=For the Precedency due to the Clergy= a Clergy List should be consulted
when superior preferment or birth does not define it.
=For the Precedency due to Officers= in the army and navy an Army List
and a Navy List should be consulted to determine the precedency due to
each in the separate Services.
=Officers should be sent in to Dinner= according to the dates of
commission, but no branch of the Army takes precedence over the other as
regards rank of officers; that is to say, a colonel of 1901, of say, a
West India regiment, would precede a colonel of Guards, artillery or
cavalry of 1902 promotion. Drawn up on a brigade parade, the cavalry
take the right of the line; thus: Artillery, Royal Engineers, foot
guards and regular regiments, regiments and West India regiments, in the
order named in the Army List.
=As regards Precedency between Officers= of the combined Services a
table of "Relative Rank and Precedency in the Army and Navy" should be
consulted, as a captain in the navy after three years' service ranks
with a colonel in the army, a lieutenant of the navy of eight years'
standing ranks with a major in the army, and a lieutenant under that
standing in the navy, ranks with a captain in the army, etc.
Consulate officers also take precedence according to seniority of
service in England and date of official arrival. The Foreign Office List
of the current year should be consulted for date in each instance.
=As regards the Precedence due to Widows= bearing titles who have
married again: The widow of a peer married to a commoner retains her
title by courtesy, and the precedency due to the title is accorded to
her.
=When the Widow of a Duke= marries a person of lower rank than that of
her late husband, she still retains her precedency.
=The Daughter of a Peer= if married to a baronet or a commoner retains
her precedency, but if married to a baron her precedency is merged in
that of her husband.
=The Widow of a Baronet= married to a commoner retains her title by
right and not by courtesy.
=The Widow of a Knight= married to a commoner retains her title by
courtesy only, but the precedency due to the widow of a knight is
accorded to her.
=When the Daughter of a Duke= marries a peer she takes the precedency
due to the rank of her husband; if she marries a commoner, precedency is
accorded to her due to the daughter of a duke.
=Age confers no Precedency= on either sex. Equals in rank from the
highest to the lowest take precedence according to the creation of their
title and not as regards the age of the person bearing the title. As,
for instance, a youthful duke would take precedence of an aged duke, if
the title of the youthful duke bore an earlier date than that of the
aged duke. The same rule applies equally to baronets and knights.
When two earls are present at a dinner-party, the date of their
respective patents of nobility decides the order of precedency due to
them.
A host or hostess should always consult a "Peerage" or a "Baronetage" if
in doubt as to the precedence due to expected guests bearing titles;
wealth or social position are not taken into account in this matter, it
being strictly a question of date.
=The Precedence due to Ladies of Equal Rank= takes effect in the same
manner. Thus, a young wife of a baronet takes precedence over the
elderly wife of a baronet if the creation of her husband's title bears
an earlier date.
=When the Claims to Precedency of Persons of Equal Rank= clash, the
claims of a gentleman should be waived in favour of those of a lady,
should the persons be of opposite sexes. Thus, if two couples of
superior rank to the other guests were present at a dinner-party, the
host should take down the lady of highest rank, and the hostess should
be taken down by the gentleman of highest rank, in which case the lady
second in rank should go in to dinner _before_ her husband, although
the gentleman taking her down to dinner were of lower rank than her
husband.
=Esquires, and the Wives of Esquires=, take precedence according to
their social position. Members of Parliament have no precedence, though
it is often accorded to them as a matter of courtesy, especially in the
county which they represent; the wives of members of Parliament are
likewise entitled to no precedence on the ground of their husbands being
members of Parliament.
=The High Sheriff of a County= takes precedence over all other gentlemen
in the county, of whatever rank, save the lord-lieutenant, according to
the Royal warrant issued by His late Majesty King Edward, giving
precedence to lord-lieutenants of counties before high sheriffs.
=The High Sheriff= out of his particular county has no precedence,
neither has a lord-lieutenant; and the wives of either lords-lieutenants
or high sheriffs take no precedence on account of their husbands'
official dignity.
=An Assize Judge= takes precedence over the high sheriff as the assize
judge represents the Sovereign of the Realm.
=Clergymen, Barristers-at-Law=, officers in the army and navy take
precedence over esquires on account of such rank; and in each profession
precedence should be accorded them according to dignity, date of
ordination, date of call, and date of commission in their several
professions, assuming that the rank is equal.
=High Clerical and Legal Dignitaries= take special precedence; for
instance, the Archbishop of Canterbury takes precedence of all dukes,
and the Lord Chancellor takes precedence of the Archbishop of York, who
also takes precedence of dukes; bishops take precedence of all barons,
whatever their date of creation. The Lord Chief Justice, the Master of
the Rolls, when not peers, and all judges of the High Court of Justice
in their various divisions, take precedence after Privy Councillors and
before baronets and all knights, save the Knights of the Garter.
=The Relative Rank between Officers of the Army and Navy= and doctors of
divinity is somewhat difficult to determine as regards the precedence to
be given them at a dinner-party. "Dod" places "esquires by office,
which, of course, includes all officers of the army and navy," next
_before_ the younger sons of knights and before doctors in divinity, who
follow next in order; while "Lodge" places "officers of the navy and
army" _after_ the younger sons of knights bachelor, clergymen, and
barristers-at-law.
=Precedency at Dinner-Parties.=--When royalty is present at a
dinner-party, a prince of blood royal takes precedence of a princess,
and leads the way with the hostess, the host following next with the
princess. On the other hand, a princess of the blood royal takes
precedence of a foreign prince--her husband--and leads the way with the
host.
=The Host should take down the Lady of Highest Rank=, and lead the way
with her to the dining-room. The guests should follow the host in
couples according to the degree of precedence due to them, and the
hostess should follow the last couple with the gentleman of highest rank
present.
=When a Greater Number of Gentlemen= than ladies are present at a
dinner-party, as is often the case, these gentlemen should follow the
hostess to the dining-room and not precede her.
=When a Widow or Maiden Lady is Hostess=, and there is no gentleman of
the family present to act as host, the gentleman second in rank should
take down the lady of highest rank, leading the way with her to the
dining-room, the hostess following last, with the gentleman of highest
rank.
=In the Case of either a Husband's Sister= or a wife's sister being
required to act as hostess, precedence should be given to the wife's
sister.
=An Eldest Son's Wife= should take precedence of her husband's sisters
in his father's house.
As regards the precedence due to the relatives of a host or hostess, it
should give way in favour of that due to the guests not related to the
host or hostess, although their relatives might be, perhaps, of higher
rank than the guests themselves.
Occasionally, the eldest son of the house acts as second host, taking
down a lady second or third in rank; but the daughters of the house
should always be taken down to dinner after the other ladies present,
and in no case before them.
No precedence is accorded to either a lady or a gentleman by virtue of a
mother's rank.
No precedence is accorded to brides in society, though occasionally in
the country old-fashioned people consider it due to a bride to send her
in to dinner with the host on the occasion of her first dining at a
house within three months of her marriage.
Table of General Precedency
GENTLEMEN
The King.
The Prince of Wales.
The Sovereign's younger sons.
The Sovereign's grandsons.
The Sovereign's brothers.
The Sovereign's uncles.
The Sovereign's nephews.
Ambassadors.
Archbishop of Canterbury.
Lord High Chancellor.
Archbishop of York.
The Prime Minister.
Lord Chancellor of Ireland.
Lord President of the Council.
Lord Privy Seal.
Dukes who may happen to hold either of these five offices--
1. Lord Great Chamberlain.
2. Earl Marshal.
3. Lord Steward.
4. Lord Chamberlain.
5. Master of the Horse.
Dukes in order of their patents of creation--
1. Dukes of England.
2. " " Scotland.
3. Dukes of Great Britain.
4. " " Ireland created before the Union.
5. Dukes created since the Union.
Eldest sons of Dukes of Blood Royal.
Marquesses who may hold either of the Offices of State named above.
Marquesses in same order as Dukes.
Dukes' eldest sons.
Earls holding either of the five Offices of State.
Earls in same order as Dukes.
Younger sons of Dukes of Blood Royal.
Marquesses' eldest sons.
Dukes' younger sons.
Viscounts who may hold either of the five Offices of State.
Viscounts in same order as Dukes.
Earls' eldest sons.
Marquesses' younger sons.
Bishop of London.
" " Durham.
" " Winchester.
Other English Bishops in order of their consecration.
Moderator of the Church of Scotland.
Barons holding either of the five Offices of State.
Barons who may be Secretaries of State or Irish Secretary.
Barons in same order as Dukes.
The Speaker of the House of Commons.
Treasurer of the Household.
Comptroller of the Household.
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household.
Secretaries of State below the rank of Barons.
Viscounts' eldest sons.
Earls' younger sons.
Barons' eldest sons.
Commoners who are Knights of the Garter.
Privy Councillors of rank lower than the foregoing, according to date
they were sworn in.
Chancellor of the Exchequer.
" " " Duchy of Lancaster.
Lord Chief Justice of England.
Master of the Rolls.
Lords Justices of Appeal and President of Probate Court.
Judges of the High Court of Justice.
Viscounts' younger sons.
Barons' " "
Sons of Life Peers.
Baronets according to dates of patents.
Knights Grand Cross of Bath.
Knights Grand Commanders, Star of India.
Knights Grand Cross of St. Michael and St. George.
Knights Grand Commanders of Indian Empire.
Knights Grand Cross of Royal Victorian Order.
Knights Commanders of above Orders in same sequence.
Knights Bachelors of above Orders in same sequence.
Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order.
Judges of County Courts in England and Ireland, and Judges of the City
of London Court.
Masters in Lunacy.
Companions of Orders of Bath, Star of India, SS. Michael and George,
and Indian Empire in same sequence.
Members of 4th class of Royal Victorian Order.
Companions of Distinguished Service Order.
Eldest sons of younger sons of Peers.
Baronets' eldest sons.
Knights' eldest sons, in order of their fathers.
Members of 5th class of Royal Victorian Order.
Younger sons of Peers' younger sons.
Baronets' younger sons.
Knights' younger sons, in order of their fathers.
Naval, Military, and other Esquires by Office.
Gentlemen entitled to bear Coat Armour.
LADIES
The Queen.
The Queen Mother.
The Sovereign's daughters.
Wives of Sovereign's younger sons.
Sovereign's granddaughters.
Wives of Sovereign's grandsons.
Sovereign's sisters.
Wives of Sovereign's brothers.
Sovereign's aunts.
Wives of Sovereign's uncles.
Sovereign's nieces.
Wives of Sovereign's nephews.
Duchesses (in same order as Dukes).
Wives of eldest sons of Dukes of Blood Royal.
Marchionesses.
Wives of eldest sons of Dukes.
Daughters of Dukes.
Countesses.
Wives of younger sons of Royal Dukes.
Wives of eldest sons of Marquesses.
Daughters of Marquesses.
Wives of younger sons of Dukes.
Viscountesses.
Wives of eldest sons of Earls.
Daughters of Earls.
Wives of younger sons of Marquesses.
Baronesses.
Wives of eldest sons of Viscounts.
Daughters of Viscounts.
Wives of younger sons of Earls.
Wives of eldest sons of Barons.
Daughters of Barons.
Maids of Honour.
Wives of younger sons of Viscounts.
Wives of younger sons of Barons.
Daughters and sons' wives of Life Peers.
Wives of Baronets.
Daughters of Baronets.
Wives of eldest sons of Knights.
Daughters of Knights.
Wives of younger sons of Peers' younger sons.
Wives of younger sons of Baronets.
Wives of younger sons of Knights.
Wives of Esquires.
Wives of Gentlemen.