What Is a Baron?

What a Baron is

Baron is the fifth and lowest degree of the peerage, yet also the original one. A baron is a full member of the nobility, though in everyday speech he is addressed not as Baron but as Lord.

Where a Baron ranks

It sits below viscount and above the honours that fall outside the peerage. Because it is the most numerous rank, most Lords are, strictly speaking, barons. See the order of precedence.

A little history

In the feudal age a baron was a tenant-in-chief who held his land directly from the king in return for supplying knights for war. Their summons to the king's great council grew, over centuries, into Parliament itself. The barons who forced King John to seal Magna Carta in 1215 are the most famous of all.

Examples:Lord Byron · Lord Tennyson · Lord Sugar

How to address a Baron

A baron is written to as The Lord [Surname], a letter opens Dear Lord [Surname], and in person he is My Lord. Full detail in how to address a Lord or Lady.

Baron and Baroness

The female equivalent is Baroness, the rank now held by many life peers. Read what is a Baroness.

How to become a Baron

A barony is inherited or granted by the Crown, and cannot be bought. What you can do is legally change your title to Baron through a title pack, which gives you a personalised Certificate of Title on parchment and a sealed Master Title Deed. See how to become a Lord and are titles real and legal?