Birmingham.
_Commoner marrying a Peeress._--Formerly, when a commoner married a
peeress in her own right, he assumed her title and dignity. The right
was, I believe, disputed during the reign of Henry VIII., in the case of
the claimant of the barony of Talbois, when it was decided that no man
could take his wife's titles unless he had issue male by her, but, if
there were such issue, he became, as in cases of landed property,
"tenant by curtesy" of her dignities. Can any of your correspondents
inform me whether any subsequent decision has deprived of this right a
commoner marrying a peeress and having issue male by her?