Master (Peerage of Scotland)

The heir apparent or heir presumptive to a Scottish peerage is known as a Master, or a Mistress if the heir is female. The heir's style is "The Master of [Peerage]" or "The Mistress of [Peerage]".

If the master is an heir apparent, and the peerage has a subsidiary title that could be used as a courtesy title, then the styling of Master is usually forgone. However, if the person is an heir presumptive, or if the peerage has no subsidiary title, then Master/Mistress is a common styling. However, because the word Mistress is quite archaic, many women choose not to use the style Mistress and instead use the regular styling, e.g. Lady Mary Smith or The Honourable Mary Smith.

Although regarded today as a form of courtesy title, the Mastership is a dignity in its own right, and originally conferred rights of attendance in the Parliament of Scotland. As noblemen, Masters were ineligible for election to the House of Commons of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies. Masters whose elections were declared void on this basis included Lord Johnstone (the Master of Annandale), Lord Haddo (the Master of Aberdeen), Lord Strathnaver (the Master of Sutherland) and the Master of Sinclair. Lord Elcho was excluded from Parliament in 1787 on the grounds that he had become the Master of Wemyss, though in fact the peerage was under forfeiture.

People who currently hold the dignity of Master or Mistress

• Lord Alistair James Montagu Hay, Master of Tweeddale, heir presumptive to the Marquessate of Tweeddale[1]
• Susan of Mar, Mistress of Mar, heiress presumptive to the Earldom of Mar[2]
• Alexander David Erskine, Master of Mar and Kellie, heir presumptive to the Earldom of Mar and Kellie[3]
• Geoffrey Charles Murray, Master of Dunmore, heir presumptive to the Earldom of Dunmore[4]
• Alexander Cary, Master of Falkland, heir apparent to the Viscountcy of Falkland[5]
• Christopher Keith Arbuthnott, Master of Arbuthnott, heir apparent to the Viscountcy of Arbuthnott[6]
• Neil Malcolm Ross Forbes, Master of Forbes, heir apparent to the Lordship of Forbes[7]
• Katharine Fraser, Mistress of Saltoun, heiress presumptive to the Lordship of Saltoun[8]
• Jack Fraser, Master of Lovat, heir presumptive to the Lordship of Lovat[9]
• Francis Sempill, Master of Sempill, heir apparent to the Lordship of Sempill[10]
• Jago Alexander Elphinstone, Master of Elphinstone, heir presumptive to the Lordship of Elphinstone[11]
• Laetitia Bruce-Winkler, Mistress of Burleigh, heiress presumptive to the Lordship of Balfour of Burleigh[12]
• Lewis Edward Palmer, Master of Dingwall, heir apparent to the Lordship of Dingwall (also Great Britain Baron Lucas of Crudwell)[13]
• William Alexander Hugh Napier, Master of Napier, heir apparent to the Lordship of Napier[14]
• Alexander Shimi Markus Mackay, Master of Reay, heir apparent to the Lordship of Reay[15]
• Frederick Carmichael Arthur Hamilton, Master of Belhaven, heir apparent to the Lordship of Belhaven and Stenton[16]
• James David William Rollo, Master of Rollo, heir apparent to the Lordship of Rollo[17][18]
• William Henry Hepburne-Scott, Master of Polwarth, heir apparent to the Lordship of Polwarth[19]

References

1. Mosley, Charles, ed. (2003), Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 3 (107th ed.), Wilmington, Delaware: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, p. 3965, ISBN 978-0-9711966-2-9 (Cited at thePeerage.com, which accessed 29 July 2020)
2. ibid.: volume 2, page 2602
3. ibid.: volume 1, page 605
4. ibid.: volume 1, page 1232
5. ibid.: volume 1, page 1385
6. Mosley, Charles, ed. (1999), Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 1 (106th ed.), Crans, Switzerland: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, p. 99, ISBN 978-1-57958-083-4 (Cited at thePeerage.com, which accessed 29 July 2020)
7. Burke's Peerage, 107th edition, volume 1, page 1450
8. ibid.: volume 3, page 3510
9. ibid.: volume 2, page 2415
10. ibid.: volume 3, page 3567
11. Notices, The Telegraph, London, UK, 26 August 2011 (Cited at thePeerage.com, which accessed 29 July 2020)
12. Peerage News, no page specified (Cited at thePeerage.com, which accessed 29 July 2020)
13. Burke's Peerage, 107th edition, volume 2, page 2426
14. ibid.: volume 2, page 2859
15. Notices, The Telegraph, London, UK, date not cited (Cited at thePeerage.com, which accessed 29 July 2020)
16. Burke's Peerage, 107th edition, volume 1, page 326
17. ibid.: volume 3, page 3383
18. NEWS > Year 2003 > April (Retrieved 24 June 2005; archived 26 May 2005 and accessed 29 July 2020)
19. Burke's Peerage, 107th edition, volume 3, page 3167