BARON, a distinguished person, originally hold ing a barony ; and now either holding a barony, or capable, by letters patent, of sitting and voting in the upper house of parliament.
Etymologists are not agreed with repect to the de rivation and primary meaning of this term. The most probable account of it is, that the word baron is ' of German or perhaps of Celtic extraction, and that, in the language of those who first employed it, it was synonymous with man in general. It has this meaning in the Salic law, and in the laws of the Lom bards; Philomenes renders it by cogg, and in the Eng lish law, the phrase " baron and feme" is equivalent. to that of man and wife. Retaining its general sense, it appears next to have been used, either in bonam or in ma'am partem; in the former, as when it was employed to denote a man of respectability, (ccvq, tszr,) a stout or valiant man, and in the latter, as when Larone is used by the Italians, to signify a beg gar. From denoting a stout or valiant man, it was employed to:0' itozo as a name for a distinguished mi litary leader ; and particularly for one of those cap tains, who, having fought and ccnquercd under some great commander, were afterwards rewarded by him with a part of the lands which lie had acquired. This part became the property of tile new possessor, and descended to his heirs, on condition of military ser vice ; understanding by these words assistance in the formation and direction, as well as in the execution of military schemes. Such was the import of the term baron, when the feudal system was established, and while its earliest institutions continued in their vigour ; but changes having taken place in the state of society, and the feudal institutes having been modi fied or abolished, it gradually acquired the meaning which we have attempted to express in the definition at the beginning- of this article. As explanatory of that definition, it may here be added, that, in reference to those who are capable of sitting and voting in the upper house of parliament, the word baron is used with a certain variety of signification. Thus, in a ge neral sense, all noblemen are barons; as when we say, that the Duke of Norfolk is, with the exception of the blood royal, the first baron of England, or that the Duke of Hamilton is, with the same exception, the first baron of Scotland ; but, in a sense more li mited and appropriate, he only is a baron who has rank and place immediately after a viscount.
In the history of most European countries, the ba rons are represented, either as feudal lords, in pos session of a certain authority over their vassals, and of certain benefits resulting from that authority ; or,. as the chief officers and fiinctionaries of the crown, summoned by the monarch, as occasion required, to assist him with their advice, and attend him in his. expeditions ; and contributing to the dignity, as well as the efficacy, of his government, in a way similar to that in which their own vassals were bound to sup port them in their own individual capacity. They are to be viewed either as masters or as servants • as masters, with respect to those who acknowledged their feudal jurisdiction ; and as servants, with respect to the king, whose ministers and dependants they.
were. See FEUDAL SYSTEM.
When we consider them as feudal superiors, we perceive them exercising many of the rights, and en joying many of the privileges, which are now exclu sively attached to royalty. Thus we find theni de claring war and making peace ; issuing from their castles at the head of their retainers, harassing each •other with perpetual inroads and devastation, and -) often transmitting their resentments under the name ..0jfainrce or deadly feuds to succeeding generations.* The history of Europe, during a period extending from the seventh to the eleventh century, is little anon than a record of wars and excursions, under taken without a regular plan, and followed by no other consequences than the declension of one great family and the rise of another. In particular circum stances, too, we find the barons laying aside their animosities, and mutually engaging to abstain from all acts of hostility. And in these agreements, they .neither consulted the will of the monarch, nor were, in any way, solicitous about his approbation or dis pleasure. A remarkable instance of a truce between th; Earl of Gloucester and the Earl Marshall, and into which Morgan, the son of Hoel, a Welsh prince, was allowed to enter or not as he should think fit, is given by Dr Stuart, in the Appendix to his View of Society in Europe, No. 4, to which, as corrobo rative of the precedifig statements, we beg leave to refer our readers.