Brits: Is the styling of this title incorrect?
Asked by
Jeruba (
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June 16th, 2013
I’m reading a novel that takes place in England and has several titled characters. One of them has a name something like Sir Henry Williston. Sometimes the author refers to him as “Sir Henry” and sometimes as “Sir Williston.” Wouldn’t “Sir Williston” be incorrect?
The author is an Australian-born American. I would have expected any author setting a novel in the U.K. to have done his homework on the peerage, but this looks flat wrong to me. Yes or no?
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13 Answers
A genuine knight of the realm would be referred to as Sir followed by their christian/first name or by their full name.
It is entirely incorrect to use just a surname in this regard, as you suspected.
I recall in “Upstairs Downstairs” the endless and very unclear discussions about Lady Marjorie and her husband, Lord Bellamy. If I am remembering correctly, she was the daughter of a peer, and so he was married to a daughter of a peer. (Can that possibly be right?)
A lord is something different altogether, boring old farts with their own house in parliament.
They are addressed by their title & surname for reasons which remain unclear.
Highly complicated peerage system that includes Knights, Lords, Dukes, Earls, Viscounts & of course, their female equivalant…very pompous, but there you go.
Sir Henry is the correct form to use when addressing the individual verbally or discussing them in conversation, but Sir followed just by the surname is wrong. Just to be awkward his wife would be Lady Williston not Lady first name or Lady first name Williston.
I wonder if this is where the southern US gets Miss FirstName from? I know some words and expressions used in the south are sayings with British backgrounds.
@ucme Do you know if these same rules are the same with royalty in other countries? Or, do they vary?
@JLeslie I’m not a royalist, quite the opposite in fact, only reason I know of the Brit system is because i’m an intellectual colossus, so no, i’m unaware of the procedure amongst foreign gentry/royals/toffs.
Oh oh, can we ask more Brit questions?
I’m a huge fan of the English novel, writers. I just read one where one of the characters was in the service but also an Earl, so they called him Lieutenant the Earl Fitzherbert, which is long, but is that correct usage?
So is the peerage still a big deal, @ucme? Have you ever been to the House of Lords or Parliament? Ever kissed a girl in a garden at a ball? lol
*Masters and Servants was possibly one of the best books I’ve ever read.
Haha, i’ve done more than kissing, but that’s a whole different story.
It’s certainly important to those involved, from business folk to celebrities & sports stars, all given a title in suitably grand surroundings.
Never been inside the parliament building, not my bag man, been passed it on my way to a football match, that’s more my thing…you know, common as muck :)
@ucme Hahahaha, I can do this all day, but I’ll leave you alone. I would love to come over some day to visit all the places I’ve read about.
@KNOWITALL yes. Lieutenant the Earl Fitzherbert is the correct form of address.
@Lightlyseared Thanks, that kind of thing intrigues me.
I love my country of course, but I’d love to go to England and live for a week with chamber pots and maids and butlers and ballgowns and ringlets and ribbons and high tea and thumbing my nose at the commoners from my fancy coach and matched four. LOL
You should see how complicated when you need to start putting academic and religious titles into the mix.
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