Baron of Renfrew is a dignity in the Baronage of Scotland held by the heir apparent to the British throne, currently Prince William, Duke of Rothesay.[1] It has been held by the Scottish heir apparent since 1404. It is closely associated with the title Duke of Rothesay. An act of the Scottish Parliament passed in 1469 confirmed the pattern of succession.[2] Renfrew, a town near Glasgow, is sometimes called the "cradle of the royal Stewarts".
| Barony of Renfrew | |
|---|---|
 Prince William, Duke of Rothesay, the current Baron | |
| Creation date | 1398 |
| Created by | Robert III |
| First holder | David Stewart |
| Present holder | Prince William, Duke of Rothesay |
| Heir apparent | Prince George |
In Scotland, barons hold titles in the Baronage of Scotland, not peerages: a Scottish Lord of Parliament equates to an English or British baron. Some, however, claim that the Act of 1469 effectively elevated the Barony of Renfrew to the dignity of a peerage.[3] Others suggest that the barony became a peerage upon the Union of the Crowns in 1603. Finally, some scholars argue that the uncertainty surrounding the text of the 1469 Act leaves the barony as only a baronage dignity, not a peerage dignity. The official position is given in Hansard (House of Lords – written answers) for 18 May 1999:[4] "The Barony of Renfrew is not a peerage dignity at all; it is a feudal or minor barony of Scotland." Note that since the abolition of feudalism in 2004 these feudal titles became personal baronage titles.
The title of Lord Renfrew was used by the traveling Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII,[5] and by Prince Edward, Duke of Rothesay, later King Edward VIII and then Duke of Windsor, when he traveled in a private capacity or when he wished to pay visits 'incognito'.[6]
In the early stages of her relationship with the then Prince of Wales Charles, Diana Spencer gave "Charles Renfrew" to her friends as the name of the man she was dating.[7]
| Heir apparent | Parent | From | To | Titles held in addition to Duke of Rothesay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Stewart | Robert III | 1398 (created) | 1402 (death) | Earl of Atholl (1398), Baron Renfrew (?), Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (trad.) |
| James Stewart | Robert III | 1404 (created) | 1406 (acceded as James I) | Earl of Carrick (1404), Baron/Lord Renfrew, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1404) |
| Alexander Stewart | James I | 1430 (birth?) | 1430 (death) | |
| James Stewart | James I | 1431 (created) | 1437 (acceded as James II) | |
| James Stewart | James II | 1452 (birth?) | 1460 (acceded as James III) | |
| James Stewart | James III | 1473 (birth) | 1488 (acceded as James IV) | Earl of Carrick and Baron/Lord Renfrew, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1469) |
| James Stewart | James IV | 1507 (birth) | 1508 (death) | Earl of Carrick and Baron/Lord Renfrew, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1469) |
| Arthur Stewart | James IV | 1509 (birth) | 1510 (death) | Duke of Albany (1509), Earl of Carrick and Baron/Lord Renfrew, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1469) |
| James Stewart | James IV | 1512 (birth) | 1513 (acceded as James V) | Earl of Carrick and Baron/Lord Renfrew, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1469) |
| James Stewart | James V | 1540 (birth) | 1541 (death) | Earl of Carrick and Baron/Lord Renfrew (1469), Lord of the Isles (1540), Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1469) |
| James Stuart | Mary I | 1566 (birth) | 1567 (acceded as James VI) | Earl of Carrick and Baron/Lord Renfrew (1469), Lord of the Isles (1540), Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1469), Duke of Albany, Earl of Ross, and Lord of Ardmanoch (1566) |
| Henry Frederick | James VI | 1594 (birth) | 1612 (death) | Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1610), Duke of Cornwall (1337), Earl of Carrick and Baron Renfrew (1469), Lord of the Isles (1540), Prince and Great Steward of Scotland (1469) (The italicised henceforth "Earl of Carrick, etc. 1469 & 1540)" |
| Prince Charles, Duke of York and of Albany | James VI | 1612 (death of brother Henry) | 1625 (acceded as Charles I) | Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1616), Duke of Cornwall (1337), Duke of Albany (1600), Duke of York (1605), Marquess of Ormond (1600), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540), Earl of Ross, Lord Ardmannoch (1600) |
| Prince Charles James | Charles I | 1629 (birth) | 1629 (death) | Duke of Cornwall (1337), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540) |
| Prince Charles | Charles I | 1630 (birth) | 1649 (acceded as Charles II) | Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1638), Duke of Cornwall (1337), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540) |
| Prince James Francis Edward | James VII | 1688 (birth) | 1702 (attainted) | Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1688–1702), Duke of Cornwall (1337–1702), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540) |
| The Prince George, Duke of Cambridge | George I | 1714 (father's accession) | 1727 (acceded as George II) | Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1714), Hereditary Prince of Hanover, Duke of Cornwall (1337), Duke of Cambridge, Marquess of Cambridge (1706), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540), Earl of Milford Haven, Viscount Northallerton, Baron Tewkesbury (1706) |
| The Prince Frederick, Duke of Edinburgh | George II | 1727 (father's accession) | 1751 (death) | Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1729), Duke of Cornwall (1337), Duke of Edinburgh, Marquess of Ely (1726), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540), Earl of Eltham, Viscount Launceston, Baron Snowdon (1726) |
| The Prince George | George III | 1762 (birth) | 1820 (acceded as George IV) | Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1762), Duke of Cornwall (1337), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540) |
| The Prince Albert Edward | Victoria | 1841 (birth) | 1901 (acceded as Edward VII) | Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1841), Duke of Cornwall (1337), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540), Earl of Dublin (1850) |
| The Prince George, Duke of York | Edward VII | 1901 (father's accession) | 1910 (acceded as George V) | Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1901), Duke of Cornwall (1337), Duke of York (1892), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540), Earl of Inverness, Baron Killarney (1892) |
| The Prince Edward | George V | 1910 (father's accession) | 1936 (acceded as Edward VIII) | Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1910), Duke of Cornwall (1337), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540) |
| The Prince Charles | Elizabeth II | 1952 (mother's accession) | 2022 (acceded as Charles III) | Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (1958), Duke of Cornwall (1337), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540), Duke of Edinburgh (1947) |
| The Prince William | Charles III | 2022 (father's accession) | Current | Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester (2022), Duke of Cornwall (1337), Earl of Carrick, etc. (1469 & 1540), Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, and Baron Carrickfergus (2011) |
See also
edit- Colin Renfrew, Baron Renfrew of Kaimsthorn, known as "Lord Renfrew", a life peer whose title derives from his surname not from the barony of Renfrew
References
edit- ^ "The Royal Family - HRH The Prince of Wales", Burke's Peerage.
- ^ Chamber's Encyclopedia (1880). "By act of the Scottish parliament of 1469, the titles of prince and high steward of Scotland, duke of Rothesay, earl of Carrick, baron of Renfrew, and lord of the isles were vested in the eldest son and heir apparent of the crown of Scotland."
- ^ "British titles -- Baron", Burke's Peerage. "it has sometimes been argued that the Barony of Renfrew which is one of the PRINCE OF WALES's Scottish titles such by virtue of a law of 1469 settling it on the eldest son of the King of Scots or by virtue of the union of English and Scottish crowns in 1603."
- ^ Column 228: Lord Williams of Mostyn (Home Office Minister)
- ^ Virginius Dabney Richmond: The Story of a City 1990 Page 142 - "He was the nineteen-year-old Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, traveling under the name of "Baron Renfrew." The youthful prince arrived on October 7th 1860,"
- ^ "Prince of Wales home again", Reading Eagle, Oct 21, 1923.
- ^ Leonard Downie Jr. (24 July 1981). "The Royal Wedding". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.