I know the basics of how this works: for peers who are Earls and higher, the eldest son usually uses a courtesy title, generally one rank below the highest title held by his father. And if that peer is a Marquis, then not only does his son hold a courtesy title, but his eldest son may also have a courtesy lordship of his own.
P.G. Wodehouse was familiar with the usages of titles and always scrupulously observed the rules, but I’m curious about the stories involving The Earl Of Worplesdon, his daughter Lady Florence Craye, and his son The Hon. Edwin Craye. Since there’s no mention of any other sons, shouldn’t Edwin be Viscount Something rather than just a mere Hon.? Or, is it because he’s a juvenile in these stories, and the sons don’t assume their courtesy titles until they come of age?
It might be that the son does not get the title other than Honorable until his father dies and he inherits.
Usually, if a son gets a title, it is a throwaway extra one laying about in the family coffers. If the family is not well loaded, he is an Honorable until Dad dies.
A peer’s eldest son can use the highest of the subsidiary titles belonging to his father (or mother if she’s a peeress in her own right). In effect, the father “lends” it out to his eldest son. This can only happen though if there are some subsidiary titles to be lent out. A random dip into the peerage discloses the Barony Derwent, created in 1881. The current Lord Derwent is the 5th, Robin Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone. There are no subsidiary titles. His eldest son is therefore known simply as the Hon. Francis Vanden-Bempde-Johnstone.
The eldest son can assume the courtesy title as a minor. He doesn’t have to wait until becoming an adult. I haven’t read the Wodehouse stories. I can only assume that the Earl of Worpleson does not have any subsidiary titles. Or the son in question is a younger son.
ahh, I think I get it. I’d just assumed that your “average” heritable title, if Viscount or higher, would almost always include some subsidiary titles. But I can see that a more recently created title would have just that one title.
Of course, Lord Derwent, being a mere bounder of a Baron, can’t have any lesser titles, since there are no lower ranks, can he? Hypothetically, there could be a Baronetcy, but my understanding is that Baronets are not considered part of the nobility proper. In noble families that have a Barony as their highest title, is it still possible for them to have any courtesy titles to lend?
Only Earls or higher may lend courtesy titles to their sons. All children of Viscounts and Barons are The Hon; the eldest son gets no special title. It’s unlikely that you get to be a Duke or Marquess without holding other titles (though ex-king Edward VII was only made Duke of Windsor; what if he had a son?). For holders of Scottish titles of all ranks the eldest son may be sytled Master of his fathers title eg the Viscount of Glasgow’s eldest son would be Master of Glasgow. And eldest daughter can be styled Mistress of the same if she has no brothers and the title can pass through the female line.