The Association
About the Baronage of Scotland Association
An independent, voluntary and non-profit honourable body, dedicated to preserving the historical integrity of Scottish baronies.
Our Mandate
In service of heritage and society
- Advocacy for the titles of the Baronage of Scotland, one of the historic Three Estates.
- Legal protection of the historic rights and heritage of the baronage, upholding the principles of honour.
- Keeper of the open-source verification Roll of Scottish Barons.
- Offering barons The Pledge — converting a barony into a pledged hereditary title, bound by the Baronial Code.
- Representing barons in their engagement with government.
- Updating baronial descriptors to reflect the law: since the 2000 Act, titles are personal and non-territorial, and the term “feudal” baron is no longer correct for extant baronies.
- Lobbying for HRH the Baron of Renfrew as patron, for a royal warrant recognising the Roll, and for the modern relevance of the Lord Lyon office.
- Signing Memorandums of Understanding with other baronial and noble organisations, at home and on the Continent.
The heir to the British throne holds the baronage titles Lord of the Isles and Baron of Renfrew, and around thirty Scottish clan chiefs are also barons — titles rooted deep in antiquity. As Lord Lyon Sir Thomas Innes of Learney observed, Scottish barons are equivalent to the Continental barons.
About Us
An impartial, voluntary honourable body
The Roll of Scottish Barons and Baronage of Scotland Association (baronage.com), “the Roll,” is an independent, voluntary non-profit dedicated to preserving the historical integrity of Scottish baronies. Since 2004, there has been no legal requirement to record baronies in Scotland, leading to false or questionable claimants appearing in sources like Debrett’s. We address this by maintaining a strict and verified, public record, ensuring succession is documented with accuracy and legal precision.
As a non-political and impartial honourable body, we collaborate with recognised authorities, researchers, and institutions to authenticate claims. Inclusion on the Roll is voluntary but requires adherence to rigorous criteria—only dignities with proven legitimacy are recognised. Non-recognition of unverified titles is fundamental. By safeguarding the historical record and upholding the traditions of the Scottish Baronage—part of the Three Estates—we provide a trusted resource for scholars, genealogists, and those interested in Scotland’s heritage.
Our Emblem
In Liberam Baroniam · Per Cartas Nostras
“Into a free barony · By our charters”
Our emblem takes the form of an engraved seal — recalling the wax seals appended to the Crown charters by which every Scottish barony was created. The motto around its ring preserves the very words of those grants: lands were erected in liberam baroniam — “into a free barony” — conferring the rank and dignity of baron upon the grantee and their heirs.
Per cartas nostras — “by our charters” — records the source of that honour: the sealed charters of the Crown, from which every baronial dignity flows. The shield at the seal’s centre stands for the baronage itself — the ancient Feudal Nobility of Scotland, whose titles the Association and the Roll exist to verify and preserve.
Governance
Three separate entities
To ensure proper checks and balances, our work is held across three distinct bodies.
The Association
A non-profit honourable body owned by its members, with ownership and votes. Membership is optional and open to those who share our values and heritage.
The Roll
A non-membership register of verified titles within the Baronage of Scotland — free, for life, to verify an entry.
The Baron’s Trust
A separate, independent charitable entity being established for donations to good causes, in collaboration with all baronage stakeholders.
Recognised in Law
A noble dignity, affirmed
The status of the Scottish Baronage is recognised in the nobiliary court, the Court of Session and within UK legal frameworks.
Finds and Declares that the Barons of Scotland are recognised as a “titled nobility,” of the ancient Feudal Nobility of Scotland.
A barony falls into the class of noble — as opposed to ignoble — feus: a territorial dignity conferred by the Crown.
Craig, Stair and Bankton confirm that a grant of lands with rank attached ennobles the grantee — nobility following the dignity of the estate.
On the abolition of the feudal system, the dignity of baron was expressly preserved as a non-territorial, “floating” dignity, protected in Scots law.
Legal Status
Baronage of Scotland Association is a non-profit honourable body owned by its members — not a charity. A separate, independent charitable entity is being formed for donations from barons to good causes, in collaboration with other stakeholders.