Canadian peers and baronets

Canadian peers and baronets (French: pairs et baronnets canadiens) exist in both the peerage of France recognized by the Monarch of Canada (the same as the Monarch of the United Kingdom) and the peerage of the United Kingdom.

Flag of New France from 1663 to 1763
Flag of Canada from 1868 to 1921

In 1627, French Cardinal Richelieu introduced the seigneurial system of New France. Almost all of the early French Canadians who came as officers in the military or filled important official positions within the colony in New France came from the ranks of the French nobility. Under the Ancien Régime, several of these men were promoted to more senior ranks within the peerage of France. From the early 1700s, it became customary for the governors of New France to be given the title marquis. Except for the Marquis de Vaudreuil and the Marquis de Beauharnois, most were in Canada only for a few years before returning to France and are therefore not counted as Canadians.

The Baronetage of Nova Scotia (a British hereditary title, but not a peerage) had been devised by King James VI and I in 1624 as a means of settling Nova Scotia. Except for Sir Thomas Temple, almost none of them came to Nova Scotia, therefore they are counted as British, not Canadian.

Following the British Conquest of New France in 1763, the likes of The 1st Baron Amherst and The 1st Baron Dorchester were raised to the Peerage of Great Britain for their part in the taking of Canada and as Governors General of Canada, but they were not Canadians. As the colony grew under British rule both in terms of geography and economy, baronetcies began to be conferred upon various Canadian politicians, military commanders and businessmen.

In 1891, Lord Mount Stephen became the first Canadian to be elevated to the peerage of the United Kingdom. The significant losses of the First World War included many direct heirs to titles and some replacements were found in Canada, resulting in the acquisition of titles by Canadians.

After the controversial elevation of Lords Atholstan and Beaverbrook to the Peerage of the United Kingdom, the Nickle Resolution was presented to the House of Commons of Canada in 1917 requesting the Sovereign not to grant knighthoods, baronetcies or peerages to Canadians. This triggered the Canadian titles debate and led to a separate system of orders, decorations, and medals for Canada. Canadians who were granted peerages after that date had to hold or acquire British citizenship, such as The 1st Baron Thomson of Fleet. However, the 1946 Canadian Citizenship Act provided that Canadians who acquired another citizenship by any means other than marriage had renounced their Canadian citizenship. The 1977 Citizenship Act undid this provision.

Canadian nobility in the French aristocracy

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Extant

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Arms of the Barons de Longueuil, holders of the only current French colonial title recognized by King Charles III[citation needed] [dubiousdiscuss]

Unknown

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Extinct

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The Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal was the first Canadian-born Governor General of New France. He was a first cousin of the father of the Marquis de Lotbinière
 
The Marquis de Lotbinière was the first native Canadian to be elevated to a Marquisate in the Peerage of France. He was the uncle of the Vicomte de Léry; a first cousin of the Marquis de Fresnoy; and his father was a first cousin of the Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal
 
The Vicomte de Léry was the Canadian Engineer-in-Chief of Napoleon's Armies. He married a daughter of the Duc de Valmy and was a nephew of the Marquis de Lotbinière

Canadian nobility in the aristocracy of the United Kingdom

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Peerages awarded before the Nickle Resolution

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Lord Strathcona, referred to as "Uncle Donald" by King Edward VII in reference to his philanthropy. He was a first cousin of Lord Mount Stephen.
 
Lord Mount Stephen, the capitalist behind the creation of the Canadian Pacific Railway and a first cousin of Lord Strathcona. In 1891, he became the first Canadian to be elevated to the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
 
Agnes Macdonald, 1st Baroness Macdonald of Earnscliffe, was the only Canadian lady to be granted a peerage, in lieu of her deceased husband, Sir John A. Macdonald, the 1st Prime Minister of Canada after Confederation in 1867.
 
Lord Atholstan was the only Canadian in the Peerage of the United Kingdom to have been born and lived his whole life in Canada, but his was also the most controversial of all the Canadian Peerages.

Extant

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Extinct

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Peerages awarded after the Nickle Resolution

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Extant

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Extinct

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Life peerages

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A life peerage is not an hereditary title. The title lasts as long as the recipient of the honour is alive. The recipient's children can style themselves with the prefix 'honourable' but they cannot inherit the baronial title.

Current

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  • Baron Black of Crossharbour, of Crossharbour in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. In 2001, Tony Blair advised Queen Elizabeth II to confer on Conrad Black the dignity of a life peerage with the title of Baron Black.[18] Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien gave the opinion to his government's nationality department that a Canadian citizen should not receive a British titular honour, citing the 1919 Nickle Resolution. Black at the time held both Canadian and British citizenship. After the Federal Court of Canada ruled against Black in his suit against Chrétien, Black renounced his Canadian citizenship in 2001, remaining a citizen of the UK. In 2007, in Chicago, Conrad Black was sent to jail for six years after being convicted of defrauding investors. He was released in May 2012 following an appeal, after spending three years in a prison in Florida.[19][20] He has since been expelled from the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and removed from the Order of Canada. In an interview with Peter Mansbridge in May 2012, Black said he would consider applying for Canadian citizenship "within a year or two" when he hoped the matter would no longer be controversial and he could "make an application like any other person who has been a temporary resident."[21] Black regained his Canadian citizenship in April 2023.[22] Black ceased to be a member of the House of Lords on 9 July 2024 under the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 because of non-attendance in the preceding session of Parliament.[23]
  • Baron Wasserman, of Pimlico in the City of Westminster. Created 2011 for Gordon Wasserman, retired Assistant Under Secretary of State (i.e. two grades lower than Permanent Secretary in Civil Service) at the Home Office. Lord Wasserman sits in the House of Lords as a Conservative.

Former

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Canadian baronetcies

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Chief Justice Sir John Beverley Robinson, a native of Quebec, dominated the politics of Upper Canada and was the undisputed leader of the Family Compact.
 
General Sir William Fenwick Williams was a native of Nova Scotia who won his fame during the Crimean War and later served as Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia.
 
Dundurn Castle was the home built in his native Ontario by Sir Allan Napier MacNab, Premier of Canada before Confederation.
 
Sir William Osler was a native Canadian dubbed "the father of modern medicine". He is arguably Canada's most famous physician
 
Sir Vincent Meredith, a member of a notable Canadian family, was the first Canadian-born president of the Bank of Montreal, then Canada's national bank.

Although a baronet is not a peer, it is a British hereditary title and an honour that was conferred upon several Canadians.

Extant

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Dormant

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Extinct

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Canadians with hereditary titles

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Canadian peers by marriage

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Canadians married to royalty in the line of succession

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Russian peers

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Rachel Grant biography at: "About Rachel Grant". Archived from the original on 2013-02-12. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
  2. ^ Cokayne, George Edward (1982). The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant. Vol. VIII. Gloucester: A. Sutton. pp. 126–7. originally published by the St Catherine Press Ltd, London, England from 1910–1959 in 13 volumes; reprinted in microprint, 13 volumes into 6
  3. ^ Cormier, Clément (1979) [1966]. "Mius d'Entremont, Philippe". In Brown, George Williams (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. I (1000–1700) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
  4. ^ Famille de Juchereau de Sany-Denys, Juchereau du Chesnay/Duchesnay
  5. ^ Drolet, Antonio (1979) [1969]. "Juchereau de Saint-Denys, Charlotte-Françoise, Comtesse de Saint-Laurent". In Hayne, David (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. II (1701–1740) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
  6. ^ Eccles, W. J. (1979). "Rigaud de Vaudreuil de Cavagnial, Pierre de, Marquis de Vaudreuil". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. IV (1771–1800) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
  7. ^ a b Famille de Vaudreuil
  8. ^ "Les familles pionnières de la Nouvelle-France dans les archives du Minutier central des notaires de Paris, par Marcel Fournier; Quebec; 2016, p. 188" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-03-04. Retrieved 2017-09-19.
  9. ^ Wikisource: "Chapais - Jean Talon, Intendant of New France (1665-1672), 1904.djvu / 506"
  10. ^ Les Seigneuries de Vaudreuil et de Soulanges Archived 2012-02-13 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ Hamelin, Marcel (1987). "Chartier de Lotbinière. Michel-Eustache-Gaspard-Alain". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. VI (1821–1835) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
  12. ^ a b Notables of Annet-sur-Marne Archived 2012-07-11 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Napoleon's Generals
  14. ^ a b The Order of Canada: Its Origins, History, And Development By Christopher McCreery
  15. ^ "No. 26192". The London Gazette. 14 August 1891. p. 4378.
  16. ^ "No. 30120". The London Gazette. 8 June 1917. p. 5639.
  17. ^ "No. 35225". The London Gazette. 22 July 1941. p. 4213.
  18. ^ "No. 56379". The London Gazette. 5 November 2001. p. 12995.
  19. ^ Conrad Black released from prison – Daily Telegraph, May 4, 2012
  20. ^ House of Lords
  21. ^ Robertson, Dylan C. (May 21, 2012). "Conrad Black mulls over applying for citizenship". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  22. ^ "Conrad Black regains Canadian citizenship given up in House of Lords spat with Jean Chrétien". nationalpost. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  23. ^ The Lord Speaker (10 July 2024). "Retirements of Members and Cessation of Membership". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 839. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Lords. col. 5–6.
  24. ^ "Cacrofts Peerage". Archived from the original on 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2012-12-18.
  25. ^ The Gentleman's Magazine. Vol. 167. p. 206.
  26. ^ Sir George-Étienne Cartier, 1st Baronet
  27. ^ Tuteur, Amy (2008-11-19). "Listen to your patient". The Skeptical OB. Archived from the original on 2012-03-19. Retrieved 2012-04-09.
  28. ^ Starling, P H (March 2003). "The case of Edward Revere Osler". Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps. 149 (1): 27–29. doi:10.1136/jramc-149-01-05. PMID 12743923.
  29. ^ Canadian Encyclopedia entry for Sir Gilbert Parker
  30. ^ Points of Interest Along Lost Streams: Toronto Pork Packing Plant. Lostrivers.ca. The Toronto Green Community and the Toronto Field Naturalists. Retrieved 2007-12-03.
  31. ^ From Sussex schoolboy to Scottish lord
  32. ^ "Michael Stonhouse". St. John's Minster Anglican Church. Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
  33. ^ William Addams Reitwiesner, "Persons eligible to succeed to the British Throne as of 1 Jan 2011"
  34. ^ "Baronage – Registry of Scots Nobility". Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  35. ^ "Government Notices published in Govt. Gazette No. 20,881 of 24th June 2022". www.gov.mt. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  36. ^ a b Bartlett, Steve (8 January 2011), "From Placentia to the Palace", The Telegram, archived from the original on 11 January 2011, retrieved 9 January 2011