Royal Warrant creating a Roll of Baronets (8 February 1910)

The Committee were satisfied on the evidence brought before them that a certain number of persons had assumed the title of baronet, either wrongfully, or on a very doubtful basis : they considered various schemes which were submitted to them With the object of dealing with the evil ; and they finally recommended the preparation by the Home Office of a Roll of Baronets to include all persons who should for the future be officially recognized and entitled to the dignity.

"The investigations of the doubtful claims to baronetcies have necessarily been spread over a long period, and, although a few cases are still outstanding, the Secretary of State has decided that the Roll shall bw submitted to the King, in the accompanying form. It is impossible to postpone the publication of the Roll until every claimant has completed the inquiries which may produce evidence in support of his claim. The issue of successive annual editions will enable corrections to bo made from time to time, and will allow of the Roll being eventually brought up to the highest standard of accuracy and completeness of which the subject-matter permits.

The Committee of 1905 did not contemplate that strict proof of his right to the title should be exacted from every person claiming to be a baronet. This would be an undoubted hardship in many cases, and, owing to lapse of time, destruction of records, and defects in registration, many genuine baronets would fail to survive the ordeal. The Home Secretary concurs in this view, and in his directions to the Registrar has adopted the recommendations of the Committee, that "the formation of the initial Roll should be a matter in which a wide discretion should be allowed, so that all who can fairly be said to have a good title shall be enrolled, and only cases shall be rejected or put on trial which are clearly bad or open to serious question, or where there are rival claimants."

On this principle names have been admitted to the Roll where there has been bona fide and unchallenged use of the title for several generations, though doubts may be entertained respecting the descent or even the creation of the dignity. It must be remembered that, as the Committee point out, inclusion in the Roll does not give or purport to give an indefeasible title to the person enrolled, it has not the authority of a legal decision, and each entry can and will be cancelled at any time on the production of evidence, or on an adjudication by a competent legal tribunal, against the validity of the claim.

The large majority of cases of doubtful claims have been dealt with sufficiently by the procedure indicated in the Royal Warrant—that is to say, by consultation between the Registrar and the Kings of Arms, Garter, Lyon, and Ulster. The experience and knowledge and the invaluable records of these officers lave been placed freely at the service of the Registrar, and have generally enabled a decision to be arrived at without difficulty.

In a number of cases in which the Secretary of State has found difficulty in advising the Crown on the claim the Attorney-General of England, the Lord-Advocate of Scotland, or the Attorney-General of Ireland have been called into consultation; but in very few instances has it been necessary to have recourse to the final appeal to the Privy Council provided in the Warrant.

Rules to be observed by petitioners praying to be placed or retained on the Roll of Baronets were drawn up by the Privy Council, and, between December 16, 1911, and the present date, formal hearings of four disputed cases have been held.
1. On July 19, 1912, the advice of the Committee of Council that the name of Robert Fraser Turing ought to be entered on the Roll in respect of the Baronetcy of Turing of Foveran was approved by the King.
2. On March 17, 1913, the King approved their report that the name of Anthony Cope should be placed on the Roll in respect of the Baronetcy of Hanwell and Bramshill.
In the other two cases the advice of the Committee was that the names of the claimants should not be placed on the Roll.

Each baronetcy named in the Roll bears, as far as can be ascertained, the name under which it was created ; but where the original name is no longer borne by the holder of the title, the present name is also inserted.

In the preparation of the Roll the Registrar has received much valuable assistance from Dr. Horace Round in connexion with difficult genealogical points, and from Mr. P. W. Pixley, Registrar of the Standing Committee of the Baronetage, who made suggestions as to the form and contents of the Roll.