posted
I came across an interesting ebay auction that cheefully informed me I could become a Lord by purchasing a square foot of property in Ireland.
My question is how legit is this? Would I really be considered a lord, and own a piece of land? I like the idea of owning a piece (albeit a small one) of Ireland. Oh, the Lord part would be nice, too!
Anyone have thoughts? Sorry if this is a bad place for the thread. I didn't really know where this fell on the boards.
posted
Generaly most of these 'purchase a Lordship' things tend to be just for novelty value. I'm not sure how you tell the difference, although I suppose cost is one way.
posted
See, my anniversary is coming up later this month and I thought it would be neat to give my wife the plaques showing that we're now "Lord" and "Lady". However, I can't justify the price unless knowing there's at least some truth to it.
Novelties are great, but are not worth $30+ US. lol
-------------------- It can't rain all the time. Posts: 1102 | From: Iowa | Registered: Oct 2004
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quote:Originally posted by RelicMan: See, my anniversary is coming up later this month and I thought it would be neat to give my wife the plaques showing that we're now "Lord" and "Lady". However, I can't justify the price unless knowing there's at least some truth to it.
Novelties are great, but are not worth $30+ US. lol
Perhaps the best bit is that all Irish snopesters would have to bow, and address you as "milord". I don't know what the protocol for doing this over the internet is, but perhaps webcams can be used to ensure compliance.
AFAIK, these "Lord of the Manor" titles do not actually make you a Lord in the constitutional sense. (Not that it has any particular significance in the Republic of Ireland, anyway). Still less in the biblical sense.
It would allow you to call yourself "Relicman, Lord of Flippertigibbett" (or wherever), but you wouldn't be able to call youself "Lord Relicman, of Flippertigibbett". I think that real Lords, who may have had to pay substantial amounts to Mr Blair's government for their titles, would think of you in the way that real Ferrari owners think of guys with a glassfibre Enzo body on a Pinto's running gear. However, I really don't think you should care about this, unless you frequently hobnob with European aristocracy.
Posts: 2370 | From: Arabia | Registered: Feb 2002
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Somehow, I don't think I'm going to be rubbing elbows with "official" Lords and Ladies anytime soon! If I ever did, I could explain it away as just being another clueless American.
Well, I'm going to go ahead and do it. I think my wife will get a total kick out of it! When I get all the info and whatnot via the mail, I'll let you know what it says, etc.
Relicman, Lord of . . . well something, anyways
-------------------- It can't rain all the time. Posts: 1102 | From: Iowa | Registered: Oct 2004
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quote:Originally posted by RelicMan: Thanks for the info, Zachary Fizz.
[bows and doffs cap] You are welcome, my liege
Woo-hoo! Here I come, good life!
Well, the ball is rolling. Here's what I got so far:
quote: Dear customer,
Upon receiving this message please send us, as soon as possible, via e-mail the NAME which you wish to have in your DOCUMENT, the name of the product you would like to have, the product number, and your delivery address.
For the title of Lord please include the description, I.e. Lord of Cork.
If we do not receive a name for the document within 2 days, we will assume that it is your name that you want in the document and not a different name, perhaps as a gift for someone else.
Upon receipt of your payment, we will complete your documents and ship them to you. Please expect a delivery time of up to 10 days after payment.
Without this information, delivery becomes impossible.
Thank you.
4micromax
I paid the extra coinage to make my wife a Lady (waits for bad puns sure to follow) and made sure to remind the seller of that. lol
I passed on our names and indicated I would be happy with Lord and Lady of Barony. We'll see what happens.
RelicMan, (almost) Lord of Barony
-------------------- It can't rain all the time. Posts: 1102 | From: Iowa | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
Now if I bought a one-square foot estate in Ireland, I'd want to make sure that one day I could buld a wee little house on it.
Have ye considered becoming Lord Luvaduck?
-------------------- "No hard feelin's and HOPpy New Year!"--Walt Kelly Hear what you're missing: ARTC podcasts! http://artcpodcast.org/ Posts: 7581 | From: Gainesville, Georgia | Registered: Jun 2000
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posted
An alternative that gives the title directly from the regent, not through some twist of an ancient law, can be found here: http://www.sealandgov.org/ (look under shop).
-------------------- /Troberg Posts: 4360 | From: Borlänge, Sweden | Registered: Nov 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Brad from Georgia: Now if I bought a one-square foot estate in Ireland, I'd want to make sure that one day I could buld a wee little house on it.
Aye, so a leprechaun can live there!
I'm especially amused by their suggestion, "Lord of Cork." I know what it means, really, but it sounds like you're the lord of those things you stuff in wine bottles.
About a year ago, among my friends, I declared myself the Lord of Bagel Sandwiches.
AFAIK, these "Lord of the Manor" titles do not actually make you a Lord in the constitutional sense. (Not that it has any particular significance in the Republic of Ireland, anyway).
Does the Republic even have such titles? It has no monarchy, after all.
Pogue
-------------------- Let's drink to the causes in your life: Your family, your friends, the union, your wife. Posts: 11325 | From: Kentucky | Registered: Nov 2000
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quote:Originally posted by Troberg: An alternative that gives the title directly from the regent, not through some twist of an ancient law, can be found here: http://www.sealandgov.org/ (look under shop).
Hmm, a possible gift to myself (okay, and my wife!) for Christmas?
It would almost certainly be worth it, just so I can inform people they must call me Lord. Haha.
-------------------- It can't rain all the time. Posts: 1102 | From: Iowa | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
Hey! I'm Lady Fingers! At least as long as the current theme goes on...
*points to user title*
Apart from that, I welcome thy, Lord RelicMan, among the elite class of noble snopsters.
"Don" Enrico
-------------------- My spelling is Wobbly. It's good spelling, but it Wobbles, and the letters get in the wrong places. - Pooh Bear Posts: 2209 | From: Hamburg, Germany | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
If I had an Irish title, I'd want to be Lord O'Mercy.
-------------------- "No hard feelin's and HOPpy New Year!"--Walt Kelly Hear what you're missing: ARTC podcasts! http://artcpodcast.org/ Posts: 7581 | From: Gainesville, Georgia | Registered: Jun 2000
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guruwan2b
Ding Dong! Merrily on High Definition TV
posted
Lady Mondegreen is already taken, right?
-------------------- Too much of this navel gazing and we'll disappear up our own arses. Danvers Carew Posts: 7465 | From: Oklahoma | Registered: Oct 2001
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quote:Originally posted by guruwan2b: Lady Mondegreen is already taken, right?
I think the original taker gave it up. It's all yours if you want it, Guru.
Seaboe
-------------------- Education is not the filling of a hard drive, but the lighting of a bulb. -- Yeats via Esprise Me Posts: 5562 | From: Seattle, WA | Registered: Jun 2005
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AFAIK, these "Lord of the Manor" titles do not actually make you a Lord in the constitutional sense. (Not that it has any particular significance in the Republic of Ireland, anyway).
Does the Republic even have such titles? It has no monarchy, after all.
Pogue
No, Ireland does not have titles as they are specifically banned by the Irish Constitution.
quote: Article 40
2. 1° Titles of nobility shall not be conferred by the State.
2° No title of nobility or of honour may be accepted by any citizen except with the prior approval of the Government.
-------------------- I like free speech. It lets me know who the idiots are. Posts: 407 | From: Ireland | Registered: Jul 2005
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AFAIK, these "Lord of the Manor" titles do not actually make you a Lord in the constitutional sense. (Not that it has any particular significance in the Republic of Ireland, anyway).
Does the Republic even have such titles? It has no monarchy, after all.
Pogue
No, Ireland does not have titles as they are specifically banned by the Irish Constitution.
quote: Article 40
2. 1° Titles of nobility shall not be conferred by the State.
2° No title of nobility or of honour may be accepted by any citizen except with the prior approval of the Government.
AFAIK, there are some Irish lords still around - folk whose ancestors received Irish peerages before 1921. I've never met one, though.
ETA: here's wikipedia's page on the Irish peerage.
Posts: 2370 | From: Arabia | Registered: Feb 2002
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quote:It would almost certainly be worth it, just so I can inform people they must call me Lord. Haha.
Yep. I sign official papers (such as the police report when my car got bumped a while ago) with Baron A Troberg, and as yet, no one has challenged it. I take this as a possibility for me to claim that the Swedish government has given a de facto recognition of my title.
I still havn't managed to get my boss to approve it on my business cards, though...
At least it allows me to look down on you simple peasants.
-------------------- /Troberg Posts: 4360 | From: Borlänge, Sweden | Registered: Nov 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Zachary Fizz: AFAIK, these "Lord of the Manor" titles do not actually make you a Lord in the constitutional sense. (Not that it has any particular significance in the Republic of Ireland, anyway). Still less in the biblical sense.
I think it is possible to buy similar 'titles' in England. Occasionally these come up for either auction or purchase. You can then legally call yourself, 'Lord of the Manor of ...'. However, you own no property and there is usually no perks with the title, it's just a fun thing. You cannot call yourself 'Lord ...', either. I heard that some can be bought for as 'little' as £2,000.
quote:You will acquire a title with a genuine place in history, dating back to the Middle Ages.
If you purchase an English manor title, you will be able to call yourself the Lord of the Manor of an actual town or village in England, and your spouse may be called Lady of the Manor.
All titles are inheritable, and may be held by anyone from around the World.
If you wish, you may add your title to official documents, such as passport, credit cards, driver's licence or bank accounts.
All documentation is processed by English Solicitors, and transactions are covered by Solicitor's liability, and professional indemnity insurance, underwritten by the Law Society of Great Britain.
Titles may be good investments - they are in limited supply, and in demand.
-------------------- Andrew, Ware, England Posts: 1709 | From: Ware, England | Registered: Apr 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Zachary Fizz: Perhaps the best bit is that all Irish snopesters would have to bow, and address you as "milord". I don't know what the protocol for doing this over the internet is, but perhaps webcams can be used to ensure compliance.
That will certainly not be the case! I'm from the part of Ireland known as the Rebel County (Cork) and in fact, if you become a Lord, I will have to uprise against you and try to fight you with a wooden hurley, even though you may have a real gun. Luckily the battlefield will be online, so hopefully neither of us will actually die.
Seriously, even if it is fake, it's a really sweet anniversary gift! Your wife will love being told that she is your Lady.
-------------------- If you don't cry it isn't love If you don't cry then you just don't feel it deep enough Posts: 238 | From: Ireland | Registered: Jan 2006
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quote:Originally posted by Zachary Fizz: Perhaps the best bit is that all Irish snopesters would have to bow, and address you as "milord". I don't know what the protocol for doing this over the internet is, but perhaps webcams can be used to ensure compliance. :D
That will certainly not be the case! I'm from the part of Ireland known as the Rebel County (Cork) and in fact, if you become a Lord, I will have to uprise against you and try to fight you with a wooden hurley, even though you may have a real gun.
I agree. Here in the "Kingdom County", we haven't had much of a problem with the local gentry since we burnt down their houses about 80 years ago during the War of Independence. There's still a few around, but not in pest numbers.
-------------------- I like free speech. It lets me know who the idiots are. Posts: 407 | From: Ireland | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
Well, Relicman, I hope your ebay seller warned you that you risk being hit on the head by remigo's virtual hurley, and having your house burned down by skeptic
On a more positive note, you have bought a lordship which might be the same sort as that held by the ancestors of Michael Collins, one of the founding fathers of modern Ireland. Although his family had long since been disposessed when he was born.
Posts: 2370 | From: Arabia | Registered: Feb 2002
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posted
As I understand it, no new creations have been made in the peerage of Ireland since it was incorporated into the UK in 1801, but descendants of previous creations obviously still exist. After the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922 the right of members of the peerage of Ireland to inherit seats in the British House of Lords was removed, though existing members could remain until their own deaths - thus some Irish peers remained part of the British legislature until, I believe, the 1960s.
Not to be confused with the peerage of Ireland is the peerage of the United Kingdom, which is a separate class of peerage created in 1801. Many people have been created peers under this system, some of whom have been Irish and have chosen titles with an Irish geographical reference. These people retained an inherited seat in the House of Lords until they, along with lords from the peerages of England, Scotland, and Great Britain, were denied that automatic right in 1999. Currently there are only 92 hereditary peers in the House of Lords, elected for life by all the other lords.
Needless to say, you cannot get a peerage by buying a plot of land, and must be granted letters patent from the monarch. You may, however, become liable for land tax.
-------------------- 'I don't care what they say about me as long as they spell my name right.' P.T. Barnam Posts: 128 | From: Staffordshire, UK | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Zachary Fizz: AFAIK, there are some Irish lords still around - folk whose ancestors received Irish peerages before 1921. I've never met one, though.
Actually, there are still quite a few. One of the most prominent being Lord Henry Mountcharles of Slane, the geezer responsible for the big gig held in his castle grounds most summers, in an effort to maintain the lifestyle he's grown accustomed to.
ETA: I recently heard he's passed it on to his son, thereby unsuring continuance of the family's hereditary seat at the British house of Lords.
-------------------- On my old guitar sell tickets, so someone can finally pick it. Posts: 799 | From: Dublin, Ireland | Registered: Mar 2006
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posted
Never mind Ireland, are the Scots flogging titles? Mrs Biggles and I want to be Lord and Lady here:
-------------------- Cogito ergo sum, non sum qualis eram. Putting Descartes before the Horace every time. Posts: 377 | From: East Anglia, UK | Registered: Dec 2003
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Thank you , remigo. I think she will get a big kick out of it. She is also fascinated with Ireland, so saying she owns a piece of it will be a big thing for her.
Zach: I never knew being a Lord could be such a deadly occupation! I agree, at least my wounds will be digital.
Anwndur: Well, land tax can't be THAT bad on one foot of land, can it? lol
Oh, and about this Sealand thing . . . I'm fascinated with the idea of getting a real, official title and whatnot. Would that be a real, official Lordship title thingy? Would I be able to put "Lord RelicMan" on my checks and whatnot? lol
Worry not, for I will remember you little people in my position of supreme power!
-------------------- It can't rain all the time. Posts: 1102 | From: Iowa | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
I hate to double-post but seriously, anyone?
I'm not trying to stroke my ego, I just think that having such a title would make for one hell of a conversation starter. I also think it would make for a great sight-gag to (legally) have "Lord" before my name on my checks.
So, is there any doubt about this Sealand thing? And what would be the real privileges awarded me for gaining the title of Lord?
I'm not going to pay even more "poundage" to get something equally useless as what I've already purchased, and whatnot and therefore . . . (mumbling).
Relic "But officer, I AM a Lord!" Man
-------------------- It can't rain all the time. Posts: 1102 | From: Iowa | Registered: Oct 2004
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quote:Oh, and about this Sealand thing . . . I'm fascinated with the idea of getting a real, official title and whatnot. Would that be a real, official Lordship title thingy? Would I be able to put "Lord RelicMan" on my checks and whatnot? lol
The title is real enough, but the claims of nationhood of Sealand is disputed, and those who dispute it could dispute the title as well.
quote:And what would be the real privileges awarded me for gaining the title of Lord?
Bragging rights and the right to despice peasants. And an impressive paper certificate.
-------------------- /Troberg Posts: 4360 | From: Borlänge, Sweden | Registered: Nov 2005
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posted
Hmm . . . I'd agree that its claim to nationhood is disputed (and a very fun read!), but HAS been recognized by no fewer than three different countries, and possibly more.
I'm going to HAVE to get a Lordship from there, I think. I just can't help but smile at the idea of a guy shooting at British soldiers and having it end with the territory being declared a de facto nation.
-------------------- It can't rain all the time. Posts: 1102 | From: Iowa | Registered: Oct 2004
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quote:Originally posted by RelicMan: I just can't help but smile at the idea of a guy shooting at British soldiers and having it end with the territory being declared a de facto nation.
Hmmm... not the first time something like that has happened in history, methinks.
Seriously though, as an American citizen I believe that you would be in breach of your constitution to accept a (genuine) foreign title of nobility. Better be careful...
-------------------- 'I don't care what they say about me as long as they spell my name right.' P.T. Barnam Posts: 128 | From: Staffordshire, UK | Registered: Jul 2005
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