late dear father, with advyse of his Counsall, had agried upon; Thogh all the gentrie of that our kingdome had warning thairof by publict proclamation, yit we ar pleased in regaird of the reputatioun of your house to tak more particular notice of yow, and did pass a signature of the said honour in your name, wherein we thoght our favour would have bene acceptable unto yow: Therfoir these presents ar to requyre yow to pass the said signatur, and to performe the lyk conditions as others doe, or utherwayes doe not compleane heirefter of the precedencie of others, whom we will the rather preferr that by the embraceing of the said dignitie they be carefull to further so worthie a work as doeth depend therupon, and as it is a nixt steppe to a further title, so we will esteame of it accordinglie: Thus willing yow to certefie bak your resolution heirin, with all diligence, to Sir William Alexander, our secretarie, who will acquaint ws therwith. we bid you, &c.-Whythall, 24 March 1626. The social position of the three gentlemen to whom these letters were addressed shows that, anxious as the King was to carry out his scheme of colonisation in Nova Scotia, he was exceedingly particular in his selection of those who were to help him. Enough has, in fact, been said to prove beyond a doubt that there is no foundation for the assertion so commonly made by those who wish to depreciate the dignity, that it was conferred in the first instance on any who cared to purchase a title. It has been clearly shown that the first holders of this title were of ancient lineage and possessed of great territorial possessions, and who in return for receiving an hereditary dignity agreed to perform a military service to the State. The title does not appear to have been on any single occasion prostituted to reward Royal favourites, nor to have been sold, like certain Peerages, in order to provide for the private pecuniary necessities of Kings. CHAPTER II THE CREATION OF A BARONET THE Baronetage is divided into five classes or creations, styled as follows: 1. Baronets of England. 2. Baronets of Ireland. 3. Baronets of Scotland and Nova Scotia. 4. Baronets of Great Britain. 5. Baronets of the United Kingdom. The Baronets of England were created between the 22nd May 1611 and 1707, of whom Sir Nicholas Bacon was the first, and whose descendant the present Baronet, Sir Hickman Bacon, still remains the premier Baronet of England and of the Baronetage. The Baronets of Ireland were created between 30th September 1618 and 1801, of whom Sir Dominick Sarsfield was the first. The Reverend Sir Algernon Coote of Ballyfinn is now the premier Baronet of Ireland. The Baronets of Scotland were created between 28th May 1625 and 1707, of whom Sir Robert Glendonwyn Gordon of Gordonstown and Letterfourie is the premier, his ancestor having been the first created. After the Union of England and Scotland in 1707 no 24 further Baronets of England or Baronets of Scotland were created, the style being changed to Baronet' of Great Britain,' the first so created being Sir Francis Dashwood of West Wycombe. The date of creation was 20th June 1707, and the descendant of Sir Francis, Sir Robert John Dashwood, still remains the premier Baronet of Great Britain. As Ireland remained a separate kingdom, the creation of Baronets of Ireland continued until Great Britain and Ireland were united in 1801 under the style of the United Kingdom. All holders of Baronetcies created after that date have borne the title of Baronets of the United Kingdom, Vavasour of Spaldington having been created, and still remaining, the premier Baronet holding this title. It may be interesting here to point out that while from the date of the Union of Ireland with Great Britain the creation of Baronets of Ireland entirely ceased, yet peerages of Ireland are still created, the reason being that, while conferring the full rank and social dignity of the Peerage by such a creation, it does not confer on the holder the right to a seat in the House of Lords, but leaves him free, should he so desire, to seek the right of election to represent a constituency in the House of Commons. The royal founder at the time of the erection of the dignity proposed to limit it to two hundred in number, and that when any of these Baronetcies became extinct others should not be created in their room, so that the number should diminish, to the greater honour of those that remained. This plan, however, was not adhered to, as shortly after a Commission was appointed to fill up the vacancies and create others. The Crown thereby revoked its engagement, and since then no limitation has been placed on the number of Baronets, additional creations being entirely in the discretion of the reigning sovereign. The institution of a Baronet is by Letters Patent under the Great Seal, to a gentleman, and the heirs male of his body lawfully begotten, for ever, and sometimes the dignity is further entailed, according to the pleasure of the sovereign, as referred to hereafter. Previous to the preparation of the early Letters Patent, the following Memorandum and Warrant were issued : 'After our very harty Comendacions Whereas of in the County of hath out of his good affeccion to his mates service, offered to charge himself wth the yearely intertaynement of 30tie foote for three yeares after the rate of 8d. per diem for the Plantacion of Ulster His Matie having gratiously accepted of this his good service, is pleased in Recompence thereof to conferr upon him the Dignity and place of a Baronnett wth all Titles Preveledges and preheminences wch by his Mates favor is graunted unto others in the like case. These shal be therefore to require yow to drawe a bill for that purpose fitt for us to subscribe according unto the direccion given you and the authority wch we have received by vertue of his Mates Comission in that behalfe, ffor wch this shal be yor warrant And soe we bid you hartely farewell. 'ffrom Whitehall this of "Yor very loving freindes 1611. 'R. Salisbury, T. Suffolke, Gibb, Shrewsbury, 'T. Ellesmere, Canc 'W. Knollys 'Jul. Cæsar.' E. Worcester, Fenton. " WARRANT in our Countie of 'Trustie and welbeloved wee greet yow well wheras wee are gratiouslie pleased to conferre uppon our trustie and welbeloved the Dignitie of Baronett of this our Kingdome and to entayle the same uppon the heire males of his bodie our will and pleasure is that you prepaire aswell a booke in due forme conteyneing our grant of the dignitie of Baronett unto the said and the heires males of his bodie as alsoe a warrant in usuall forme for discharging him of soe much money as is usuallie reserved in respect of that dignitie and that yow prepaire them both fitt for our signature for wch this shalbe yor warrant Given att 'To the Clarke of our Signett now attending.' The Patents of the first-created Baronets were in Latin and in the following form: 'Rex Omnibus ad quos, etc. Salutem. Cum inter alias Imperii nostri gerendi curas, quibus animus noster assidué exercetur, illa non minima sit, nec minimi momenti, de Plantatione Regni nostri Hiberniæ, ac potissimum Ultoniæ, amplæ et percelebris ejusdem Regni Provinciæ, quam, nostris jam auspiciis atque armis, fæliciter sub obsequii jugum redactam, ita constabilire elaboramus, ut tanta Provincia, non solum sincero Religionis cultu, humanitate civili, morumque probitate, verum etiam opum affluentia, atque omnium rerum copia, quæ statum Reipublicæ ornare vel beare possit, magis magisque efflorescat, Opus sanè, quod nulli progenitorum nostrorum præstare et perficere licuit, quamvis idipsum multa sanguinis et opum profusione sæpius tentaverint; In quo opere, sollicitudo nostra Regia, non solum ad hoc excubare debet, ut Plantatio ipsa strenuè promoveatur, oppida condantur, ædes et castra extruantur, agri colantur, et id-genus alia; Sed etiam prospiciendum imprimis, ut universus hujusmodi rerum civilium appartus, manu armatâ, prœsidiis videlicet et cohortibus, protegatur et communicatur, ne qua aut vis hostilis, aut defectio intestina, rem disturbet aut impediat : Cumque nobis intimatum sit, ex parte quorundá ex fidelibus nostris subditis, |