1 FEBRUARY 1946, Page 13

Snt,—In consigning Mr. V. C. Clinton-Baddeley to the pit which

he is accused of digging for Miss Marguerite Steen, Mr. J. A. Gere has fallen into a fairly deep one of his own excavating. He writes: A lady in her own right marrying a peer by courtesy is entitled to retain, if she wishes, during her father-in-law's lifetime, her own courtesy title. For example, Lady Jane Palliser, marrying the Mar- quess of Barset, eldest son of the Duke of Omnium, though normally styled Marchioness of Barset, would be entitled to call herself Lady Jane Barset.

Both sentences contain mis-statements. For one thing, there is no such person as " a peer by courtesy." The only peers are the actual holders of peerages. Peerage titles are used as courtesy styles, but this does not make peers of those so designated, and so to describe them is in itself a solecism. For another, Lady Jane Barset would not " be entitled " to retain her own style in such circumstances, and, presumably having knowledge of the rules, would never dream of doing so.

Mr. Gere has confused a duke's heir with his younger brothers. In courtesy usage a duke's daughters rank on a level with his eldest son and have the degree of marchioness, but a duke's younger sons rank only with earls. Thus Lady Jane, marrying the ducal heir, would properly share her husband's courtesy style, and be Marchioness of Barset. But if she had married his younger brother, Lord John Minimum, her own courtesy rank would be superior to his, and she could elect to be known as Lady Jane Minimum, and got Lady John Minimum—unless, as she would be entitled to do, she chose to sink her own style in his. This differentiation between daughters and younger sons obtains in all three upper grades of the peerage, which explains why an earl's daughters are " Lady " while his younger sons are merely " the Honourable."

An instance illustrating the correct application of the custom which Mr. Gere has misapplied is that of the Marquess of Londonderry's sister, who married the then Lord Stavordale, heir to the Earl of Ilchester. As her own courtesy precedence, as daughter of a marquess, was that of countess, while her husband's, as heir to an earl, was that of viscount, she elected to retain her own precedence and was known as Lady Helen

Stavordale. VALENTINE HEYWOOD. Birch Hanger, Chalfont St. Giles, Bucks.