In Scotland, a baron or baroness is the head of a feudal barony, also known as a prescriptive barony. This used to be attached to a particular piece of land on which was situated the caput or essence of the barony, normally a building, such as a castle or manor house. Accordingly, the owner of the piece of land containing the caput was called a baron or baroness. According to Grant, there were around 350 identifiable local baronies in Scotland by the early fifteenth century and these could mostly be mapped against local parish boundaries. The term baron was in general use from the thirteenth century to describe what would have been known in England as a knight of the shire.
Ayton Castle, Scottish Borders, caput of the feudal barony of Ayton. Built in 1851 in the Scottish Baronial style by William Mitchell-Innes, then feudal baron of Ayton, to the design of James Gillespie Graham
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knight, but lower than a viscount or count. Often, barons hold their fief – their lands and income – directly from the monarch. Barons are less often the vassals of other nobles. In many kingdoms, they were entitled to wear a smaller form of a crown called a coronet.
Baron Hieronymus von Münchhausen (1720–1797), on the basis of which Rudolf Erich Raspe wrote the tales of Baron Munchausen.
A lord of Parliament, also called a baron, illustrated in the manuscript "Théâtre de tous les peuples et nations de la terre avec leurs habits et ornemens divers, tant anciens que modernes, diligemment depeints au naturel". Painted by Lucas d'Heere in the second half of the 16th century. Preserved in the Ghent University Library.
The robe worn by a baron during his creation ceremony in 17th-century Britain, engraved by Wenceslas Hollar.
Baron C. G. E. Mannerheim in 1920
