We find it impossible to reconcile Lady Kennedy's insistence on imprecision with her professional reputation as a Queen's Counsel.
Yours sincerely,
Jane Forbes
pp The Baronage Press
+++++++
There is an interesting story behind this one. The Spectator, the oldest and most acclaimed weekly in the British Isles, publishes regularly a small column by Dot Wordsworth. Recently she commented on another journalist's reference to Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws as Baroness Helena Kennedy and described it as ill-informed.
Lady Kennedy then wrote, and the journal published, a letter that attacked Dot Wordsworth in an injudicious manner and advanced views which, if she were to follow them in her court appearances, would make her appear inept. In short, she advocated the virtues of sloppy, imprecise language.
>>>>> Let me assure Ms? Miss? Mrs? Wordsworth that neither the journalist nor I are ill-informed. We just think the information as to what is proper is rather silly and a form of political correctness that has no place in the late 20th century. Social "rules" may be a matter of serious moment to the small-minded, but most people in the modern world feel that conventions should only exist as a way of extending consideration to others, and they should make sense. <<<<<
Lady Kennedy then continued with an ancient debating trick one would hope a distinguished lawyer could resist, that of suggesting her opponent might believe something else wholly irrelevant ~ so that the scorn poured on the irrelevant and unjustified suggestion might be spread across to the original controversy. (Ironically, Lady Kennedy's manoeuvre, which referred to the use of the prefix "Miss" before an unmarried lady's surname, clearly exposed her ignorance of its correct use ~ for she implied that this was restricted to the eldest daughter in a family, confusing it with the now largely discarded tradition that the eldest daughter is "Miss Surname" and her younger sisters "Miss Forename Surname".)
>>>>> A certain loss of dignity takes place when the Christian name is dropped, and I like mine and want to use it. Conventions should change with time. It seems ridiculous to me that we have a plethora of lords called Mackay who feel unable to distinguish themselves one from the other with a forename. Lords should be able to use their whole name if that is how they like it. <<<<<
"Conventions should change with time." ??????? Conventions most certainly do tend to change with time, but where is the imperative? Why should any one specific convention change without reason (other than, as Lady Kennedy insists, that time has passed since it was first introduced ~ a popular belief among the policy-formulators of the British Labour Party)? Is this really a lawyer's view?
And the "unhealthy repletion" (yes, she wrote "plethora") "of lords called Mackay who feel unable to distinguish themselves one from the other ....... " But they are adequately distinguished by their territorial designations ~ Mackay of Ardbrecknish, Mackay of Clashfern, and Mackay of Drumadoon ~ in a manner proved to be adequate and viable over several centuries. Their unhealthiness (Concise Oxford Dictionary) in the eyes of Lady Kennedy may be owed to their political complexion, all three, unlike the noble Lady, being of the "Conservative" persuasion, but even so it seems unkind of her to make their illnesses a point of discussion.
But to return to the fundamental issue. In her opening paragraph Lady Kennedy wrote that information as to what is proper is "rather silly and a form of political correctness that has no place in the late 20th century". If that had been the view of our ancestors during their centuries, we would today have no law. She continued, "Social 'rules' may be a matter of serious moment to the small-minded, but most people in the modern world feel that conventions should only exist as a way of extending consideration to others, and they should make sense". The "small-minded" is an interesting charge, and the "political correctness" is something more readily associated with Lady Kennedy's philosophies.
Now to the most significant of Lady Kennedy's views, on conventions having the purpose "of extending consideration to others". Does this include, we wonder, ensuring that one's own carelessness or contempt does not confuse others? Does it cover the situation in which a noble and learned Lady, who really does know better, adopts a style that misleads others to believe her to be the daughter of a duke, marquess or earl ~ to be, with the Kennedy name, the child of a Marquess of Ailsa? "Lady Helena Kennedy" can be no one else (other than the daughter of a duke, marquess or earl who has married a Kennedy), and "Baroness Helena Kennedy" would be the daughter of a duke, marquess or earl who has received a Writ of Summons as Baroness Kennedy.
If there are other baronesses who wish their Christian name to be used as part of their address, we would support the style of, for example, "Helena Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws" ~ on the basis that it would be an innovation that would not confuse. "Helena, Lady Kennedy" would suggest she was the divorced wife of a Lord Kennedy or of a baronet, or the dowager of a deceased Lord Kennedy or of a deceased baronet. It was once considered incorrect to refer to a baroness as "Baroness Xxx" rather than as "Lady Xxx", but modern usage among the life peers appears to have changed this. Accordingly, "Helena Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws" ~ note the absence of a comma after "Helena" ~ may be a formula sufficiently distinctive to eliminate confusion about the lady's exact rank and status.
CULINARIA ~ Sponsor for the Culinary Arts column
As mentioned earlier, in July we begin a new column dedicated to interesting and sometimes famous dinners in history. This is to be sponsored by Culinaria, specialist in premium quality olive oils, marinades and dressings (currently available only in the British Isles, but soon also in North America).
LOOKING AROUND: The Burlington Arcade
The magazine features occasional articles on shopping areas of genuine historical interest to ancestor-hunting tourists in the British Isles. One such is the famous Burlington Arcade, of which we have featured a description for several months.
HEIRLOOM & HOWARD
A few of those who respond to our invitation to read the Heirloom & Howard catalogues forget to add their postal address, thinking perhaps that these are online catalogues. They are, of course, printed catalogues with illustrations of armorial porcelain and heraldic antiques printed in full colour in the traditional way.
In addition to their stock of porcelain and antiques, identified and connected to the families that once owned these rare items, Heirloom & Howard have a fine collection of prints featuring old houses and castles and the ancestors (your ancestors ?) who once lived in them. Enquiries are welcomed.
PEGASUS ARMORIE
We continue to receive a large number of letters beginning - "Please send me a picture of my coat of arms." These show the widespread influence of the bucketshop heralds who have seemingly persuaded thousands of punters that coats of arms belong to family names.
Pegasus will supply pictures of arms that we are willing to certify as having been borne by named individuals (and those individuals are named on the picture), but Pegasus Armorie is not in the fraudulent business of supplying "arms for names" with the implication that the arms supplied may be lawfully used by the buyer as his or her own.
However, there is undoubtedly a market demand for armorial display. The colours and shapes of heraldry have been so long in our history that they are sunk deeply into our subconscious minds. We respond accordingly to their beauty.
And so Pegasus has begun to produce a series of illustrations that will be suitable for framing and hanging on the walls of bedrooms, halls, studies, libraries, etc. Initially these will be appropriate for Scottish names, and in each case they will feature the badge of the clansmen of that name surrounded by the arms of the families whose daughters have been the ancestors of the present chief of the name.
Additionally, Pegasus Armorie is to work with the Baronage Press to establish an online Register of Scottish Clans. Members of Clans who request that their name be recorded and pay the artists' fees will receive a high-resolution printed certificate embossed with the seal of The British Baronage. An example of one of these has been uploaded (but it is a large picture and may need a minute to download). It illustrates the crest-badge of Clan Stewart set against the scenery near the old Stewart Castle of Gloume. The cloth inside the strap-and-buckle and behind the crest is an old Stewart tartan. (The picture downloaded will be, of course, at low resolution, and unsuitable for printing.)
OUR SPONSORS AND ADVERTISERS
The Baronage Press magazine and this newsletter rely on the support of our Sponsors and Advertisers to fund research and editorial operations. We rely also on our readers in their turn to support our Sponsors and Advertisers on all occasions it is possible to do so.
In brief, support for our Sponsors and Advertisers supports the services we supply to our readers free of charge.
And if you enjoy your visits to the Baronage website, do please tell your friends and colleagues, or forward this newsletter to them.
**********************************************************************
SUBSCRIPTION
If you did not receive this free newsletter directly as e-mail, then you may subscribe to future issues by sending an e-mail message to:
subscribe@baronage.co.uk
The message title is of no importance.
The first line of the message text must be: "subscribe feudalherald" (without the quotation marks) followed with your first and last names. For example, if your name is John Smith, your message would read:
subscribe feudalherald John Smith
(Note the use of lower case.) Nothing else should be included in the message text.
To cancel a subscription, send an e-mail to:
signoff@baronage.co.uk
The message title is of no importance.
The text of the message must be exactly:
"signoff feudalherald" (without the quotation marks) followed with your first and last names.
Messages to subscribe@baronage.co.uk and unsubscribe@baronage.co.uk are read only by a computer. Any text other than that given here will be ignored.
Please copy this subscription information and pass it to any friend or colleague you believe might wish to have a free subscription to The Feudal Herald.
We have learned that some of the later browsers do not send text entered into the response space provided on the web pages. From these browsers we receive only the header. Browsers that do not provide a letter form when the "submit" button is clicked usually do send the text exactly as it has been entered. If, however, your browser pops up its own letter form you should copy and paste your text into the space provided on the browser's own form. A subject heading is not essential, so if you are pressed for one you may just click again on "send" and the browser will insert a "No Subject" heading.
**********************************************************************
**********************************************************************
**********************************************************************
