Editing Baronet (section)

==Conventions==
Like knights, baronets are accorded the style "[[Sir]]" before their first name. Baronetesses in their own right use "[[Dame (title)|Dame]]", also before their first name, while wives of baronets use "[[Lady]]" followed by the husband's (marital) surname only, this by longstanding courtesy. Wives of baronets are not baronetesses; only women holding baronetcies [[Suo jure|in their own right]] are so styled.

Unlike knighthoods&nbsp;– which apply to the recipient only&nbsp;– a baronetcy is hereditarily entailed. The eldest son of a baronet who is born [[Legitimacy (family law)|in wedlock]] succeeds to a baronetcy upon his father's death, but will not be officially recognised until his name is recognised by being placed on the Official Roll. With some exceptions granted with special remainder by letters patent, baronetcies descend through the male line.

A full list of extant baronets appears in ''[[Burke's Peerage and Baronetage]]'', which also published a record of extinct baronetcies.

A baronetcy is not a peerage; so baronets, like knights and junior members of peerage families, are [[commoner]]s and not [[Peer of the realm|peers of the realm]]. Originally, all first baronets were knighted. Baronets also had other rights, including the right to have the eldest son knighted on his 21st birthday. However, at the beginning of [[George IV]]'s reign, these rights were eroded by [[Order in Council|orders-in-council]] on the ground that sovereigns should not necessarily be bound by acts of their predecessors. Although never having been automatically entitled to heraldic [[supporter]]s, baronets who were also a Knight Grand Cross of a Crown order were allowed them in heredity in the first half of the 19th century.

Baronets of Scotland or Nova Scotia were allowed to augment their armorial bearings with the Arms of Nova Scotia and the privilege of wearing a neck badge signifying "of Nova Scotia", suspended by an orange-tawny ribbon. This consists of an [[Escutcheon (heraldry)|escutcheon]] argent with a [[saltire]] azure, an inescutcheon of the [[Royal Arms of Scotland]], with an Imperial Crown above the escutcheon, and encircled with the motto ''Fax Mentis Honestae Gloria''. This badge may be shown suspended by the ribbon below the escutcheon.

Baronets of England and Ireland applied to [[Charles I of England|King Charles I]] for permission to wear a badge. Although a badge was worn in the 17th century, it was not until 1929 that King [[George V]] granted permission for all baronets (other than those of Scotland) to wear badges.

===Addressing a baronet and the wife of a baronet===
A baronet is referred to and addressed as, for example, "Sir Joseph" (using his forename). The correct style on an envelope for a baronet who has no other titles is "Sir Joseph Bloggs, Bt." or "Sir Joseph Bloggs, Bart."  A formal letter would commence with the salutation "Dear Sir Joseph".

The wife of a baronet is addressed and referred to by her married surname, as "Lady Bloggs"; the salutation would be "Dear Lady Bloggs". Her given name is used only when necessary to distinguish between two holders of the same title. For example, if a baronet has died and the title has passed to his son, the widow (the new baronet's mother) will remain "Lady Bloggs" while he (the son) is not married, but if he is or becomes married, his wife becomes "Lady Bloggs" while his mother will be known by the style "Alice, Lady Bloggs". Alternatively, the mother may prefer to be known as "The [[Dowager]] Lady Bloggs". A previous wife will also become "Alice, Lady Bloggs" to distinguish her from the current wife of the incumbent baronet. She would not be "Lady Alice Bloggs", a style reserved for the daughters of dukes, marquesses and earls (and now Ladies Companion of the Garter and Ladies of the Thistle without higher styles).<ref>[http://www.debretts.com/forms-of-address/titles/baronet/family-of-a-baronet.aspx Debrett's Correct Form. Addressing the family of a Baronet.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110815141938/http://www.debretts.com/forms-of-address/titles/baronet/family-of-a-baronet.aspx |date=15 August 2011 }}</ref>

The children of a baronet are not entitled to the use of any [[courtesy title]]s.

===Baronetess===
In history, there have been only four baronetesses:

* [[Bolles baronets|Dame Mary Bolles, 1st Btss (née Witham)]] (1579–1662); the only woman apparently to be ''created'' a baronetess (of Nova Scotia)<ref>[https://archive.org/details/cu31924092524382 ''Cokayne's Complete Baronetage'']</ref>
* [[Eleanor Dalyell|Dame Eleanor Dalyell, 10th Btss]] (1895–1972), cr. 1685, whose title and estate of [[The Binns]] passed to her son, the former [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] politician [[Tam Dalyell|Tam Dalyell <small>MP</small>]] (who chose not to use the title)
* [[Maureen Dunbar|Dame Daisy Dunbar, 8th Btss]] of Hempriggs (1906–1997), cr. 1706<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20080501224846/http://www.leighrayment.com/baronetage/baronetsD3.htm Leigh Rayment's baronetage: Draper to Dymoke]}}</ref>
* [[Stirling-Maxwell baronets|Dame Anne Christian Maxwell Macdonald, 11th Btss]] (née Stirling-Maxwel; 1906–2011) was recognised by the [[Lyon Court]] in 2005 as 11th holder of the baronetcy (formerly Stirling-Maxwel/Stirling-Maxwell) under the 1707 remainder and succeeded her father in 1956<ref> (See page B 599 of the Baronetage section of the latest edition of Debrett.)</ref>

In 1976, [[James Grant (officer of arms)|Lord Lyon King of Arms]] stated that, without examining the patent of every Scottish baronetcy, he was not in a position to confirm that only these four title creations could pass through female lines.

{{As of|2025}}, there are no living baronetesses.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.baronetage.org/official-roll/|title=Official Roll of the Baronetage (as at 2 January 2025)» The Standing Council of the Baronetage}}</ref>

For a baronetess one should write, for example, "Dame Daisy Smith, Btss" on the envelope. At the head of the letter, one would write "Dear Dame Daisy", and to refer to her, one would say "Dame Daisy" or "Dame Daisy Smith" (never "Dame Smith").

===Territorial designations===
All baronetcies are created with a [[Territorial designation|territorial sub-designation]]; however, only more recent creations duplicating the original creation require [[territorial designation]]s. So, for example, there have been baronetcies Moore of Colchester, Moore of Hancox, Moore of Kyleburn, and Moore of Moore Lodge.

===Baronetcies with special remainders===
Baronetcies usually descend through [[Heirs of the body|heirs male of the body]] of the [[grantee]], and can rarely be inherited by females or collateral [[Kinship|kin]], unless created with [[Remainder (law)|special remainder]], for example:
* with remainder to heirs male forever ([[Broun baronets|Broun baronetcy, ''of Colstoun'' (1686)]], [[Hay baronets|Hay baronetcy of Alderston (1703)]], ''etc.'')
* with remainder to the sons of the grantee's daughters, and the heirs male of their bodies ([[North baronets|Hicking (''later'' North) baronetcy, ''of Southwell'' (1920)]], ''etc.'')
* with remainder to the grantee's daughter's son ([[Amcotts baronets|Amcotts baronetcy, ''of Kettlethorp'' (1796)]], ''etc.'')
* with remainder to the grantee's son-in-law ([[Earl of Gainsborough|Middleton (''later'' Noel) baronetcy, ''of The Navy'' (1781)]], [[Rich baronets|Rich baronetcy, ''of London'' (1676)]], ''etc.'')
* with remainder to the grantee's brother(s) ([[Chapman baronets|Chapman baronetcy, ''of Killua Castle'' (1782)]], [[Pigot baronets|Pigot baronetcy, ''of Patshull'' (1764)]], [[White baronets#White baronets.2C of Tuxford and Wallingwells .281802.29|White baronetcy of Tuxford and Wallingwells (1802)]] ''etc.'')
* with remainder, in default of male issue of the grantee, to the grantee's brothers and to the grantee's father's second cousin, and the heirs male of their bodies ([[Baron Rokeby|Robinson baronetcy, ''of Rokeby Park'' (1730)]])
* with remainder to [[tailzie]] succeeding the grantee in the estate ([[Dalyell baronets|Dalyell baronetcy of The Binns (1685)]])
* with remainder specifically excluding the grantee's eldest son ([[Stonhouse baronets|Stonhouse baronetcy, ''of Radley'' (1628)]])