[MR] On titles

[Michelle McDaniel]

Greetings!

I've been reading the discussion concerning honorifics with great
interest. I've especially enjoyed learning of the history of the
Society's use/disuse of the term "Marquis".

The use of honorifics is a delicate subject and one on which many have
strong opinions. I understand and even agree with Master Herveus' argument
that we shouldn't use "THL" because it isn't in the rules. However,
I do not agree with his stand that we should avoid using "THL" as it is
not period, and therefore may cause some people equal distress as if they
saw sneakers or a modern umbrella chair.

"The Honourable Lady/Lord" is not an honorific that was in use in
Europe before 1600, I agree with that. Where my first problem lies is that
its usage is as grating as sneakers or a modern lawn chair. I am certain
that there are some who are genuinely upset by the use of "THL" but to
equate it to being as equally upsetting as a modern lawn chair is a bit
hyperbolic.

My second difficulty is that it shouldn't be used because it isn't
period. At first blush, I can agree with that as well. We should be striving
for more authenticity. But, the founders of the Society set in place a
system of honorifics that is not historically accurate to deal with the fact
that we've got former monarchs that aren't dead or imprisoned. They took
titles found in period and used them in a different manner to fit a new
purpose. Therefore, we have a Society precedent of appropriating honorifics
and using them in new ways.

The best outcome would be to find an honorific that was used in period
(that we haven't already appropriated ;-) ) that would fit a level between
AoAs and the Peerage. 

This begs the question of why we need a different title for those with
GoAs. There is a Society precedent of having different titles for different
awards. We differentiate between those that have been king once and those
that have done it twice or more. We have given different titles to the
Peers. We have Orders of High Merit. We even have an Order of Precedence
that can be used to see where you would be if the whole kingdom lined up in
order of rank. We have differentiated everything else, why not for those
with Grants.

If you take a gander at the OP you will see that very few people reach the
level of the peerage. Therefore, for the vast majority of those in the
Society the highest honorific we will ever attain is Lord/Lady. There is
currently no way to differentiate by title between someone who just got an
AoA and someone who is both a member of Order of the Yew Bow and a Golden
Dolphin. We refer to them by the same honorific even though they would end
up in vastly different places were we to line up according to rank. We will
get to see others being baronesses, countesses, dames, and sirs and never
get to do it ourselves. The majority of the titles are being used by a
minority of the Society.

In an effort to allow more of us to participate in the pageantry of the
society, especially those in the middle of the OP, who would it hurt for
those with GoAs to have a different title, especially in a system that is
already inaccurate?

**lady aelfwynn of whitby** CoGD, CoP