Forms: 2–4 barun, 4 barune, baroune, 4–6 baroun, -own, 5 baroone, barrown, 6 barroun, barne, 7 barron, 3– baron. [Early ME. barun, -oun, a. OF. barun, -on, acc. of ber (= Pr. bar, acc. barón, baró, Sp. varon, Pg. varão, It. barone):—late L. baro, -ōnem, of which the ordinary sense was ‘man’ (interchanging in Salic Law with homo), esp. in relation to some one else, as when we say ‘the king’s man,’ passing on one side into ‘servant, vassal,’ on another into ‘man as opposed to slave, freeman,’ also as opposed to wife ‘husband,’ as opposed to female ‘male.’ Isidore explains Mercenarii, as ‘qui serviunt accepta mercede, iidem et barones Graeco nomine, quod sint fortes in laboribus,’ (connecting it with βαρύς); Cornutus (on Persius, Sat. V.) explains barones (to which he attributes a Gaulish origin) as ‘servos militum, qui utique stultissimi sunt, servos videlicet stultorum.’ This seems to point to the cl. L. bāro, -ōnem ‘simpleton, blockhead, dunce’; but there is nothing else to show whether this is the same word as baro ‘man.’ The laws of the Alemanns have in the same sense barus: if this were the original form, baro would be an augmentative.
The ulterior origin is unknown. It has been conjecturally referred to a Celtic *bar ‘hero’ (which seems a figment); OHG. bero:—OTeut. *beron- ‘bearer, carrier’; a hypothetical Teut. *bar-, with same sense; OE. beorn, ‘warrior, brave, hero’; and Teut. barn ‘bairn, child’; of which some are purely hypothetical, and others fail to explain the form or sense, or both.]
1. Hist. Originally, one who held, by military or other honorable service, from the king or other superior; afterwards restricted to the former or king’s barons, and at length mostly applied to the greater of these (the Great Barons) who personally attended the Great Council, or, from the time of Henry III., were summoned by writ to Parliament; hence, a lord of Parliament, a noble, a peer.
Historically, all who held directly from the king were barons by tenure, such of these as were summoned to Parliament were barons by writ.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 177. Þe wraððe of kinges and of barones bringen on þe folkes heorte grete stormes.
c. 1205. Lay., 5319. Ælcches barunes sunc.
c. 1275. in O. E. Misc., 92. Seynt Thomas wes biscop and barunes him quolde.
1297. R. Glouc., 511. The barons sende to the king Philip of France, That he hom sende socour.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 13028. Iohn … come right to herods hame Bifor his barounes euerilkane.
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. VII. 123. Thus beggers and barouns at debat aren ofte.
1485. Caxton, Chas. Gt., 144. The Admyral is wyth hys pryncypal barons at souper.
1577. Harrison, England, II. v. (1877), 107. The baron is such a free lord as hath a lordship or baronie, whereof he beareth his name.
1596. Shaks., 1 Hen. IV., IV. iii. 66. The Lords and Barons of the Realme.
1603. Drayton (title), The Barrons War.
1614. Selden, Titles Hon., 274. Which makes me think that, before Henry III., as well Barons of Earls as the King’s Barons came to Parliament.
1641. Milton, Ch. Govt., Wks. (1851), 131. Cling fast to your Pontificall Sees … quit yourselves like Barons.
1768. Blackstone, Comm., I. I. xii. 310. A baron’s is the most general and universal title of nobility.
1782. Priestley, Corrupt. Chr., II. x. 259. [Bishops] though churchmen … actually were barons.
1799. J. Robertson, Agric. Perth., 40. A proprietor holding immediately of the crown, and having his lands either erected or confirmed by the king into a free barony … is the only person, in strict law, denominated a baron.
1835. Penny Cycl., III. 487/1. Lesser Barons, or Barons of the Barons. Ibid., 489/2. Burford in Shropshire is also called a barony, and its former lords … were called, in instruments of authority, barons of Burford, but had never summons to parliament nor privileges of peerage.
1863. Cox, Inst. Eng. Govt., I. vii. 65. The council of the king was a council of barons.
1876. Freeman, Norm. Conq., V. xxiv. 412. The Barons of England, a name made dear to us by the great struggle of the thirteenth century.
2. A specific order or rank, being the lowest grade of nobility.
From the earliest period we find baron distinguished from earl, as the designation of an untitled military tenant; the name may be considered to have itself become a title, as distinct from a description of feudal relationship or of parliamentary privilege, with the creation of barons by patent, which began in the reign of Richard II.
a. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 35. Ne to kinge . ne to eorle . ne to barun.
1280. Signs bef. Judgm., in E. E. P. (1862), 10. Boþe kniȝt and barun . erl . and king.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. XIII. 165. Neyther emperour ne emperesse, erl, kynge, ne baroun.
c. 1500. Lancelot, 1684. Thi dukis, erlis, and thi gret baronis, Thi pur knychtis, and thi bachleris.
a. 1674. Clarendon, Hist. Reb., I. I. 10. In a short time … he was made a Baron.
1690. Temple, Heroic Virt., Wks. 1731, I. 218. By Barons are now meant in England, such as are created by Patent, and thereby called to the House of Lords.
1790. Burke, Fr. Rev., Wks. V. 44. A sermon from … a noble earl, or baron bold.
1884. Lond. Gaz., 4 Nov. The Queen has been pleased to direct letters patent to be passed under the Great Seal, granting the dignity of a Baron of the United Kingdom and Ireland unto the undermentioned persons.
† 3. Anciently applied to the freemen of London, York, and some other places, who were homagers of the king, bound to suit and service; applied till the 18th c. to the freemen of the Cinque Ports, who had the feudal service of bearing the canopy over the head of the sovereign on the day of coronation; and, till the Reform Bill of 1832, to the burgesses returned by these ports to Parliament. Obs.
[a. 1259. Matt. Paris (in Spelman). Londonienses quos … Barones consuevimus appellare.]
1598. Hakluyt, Voy., I. 17. Writs … directed … to the Bailifes of Hastings, Hithe, Rumney, Douer, and Sandwich, commanding them, that they should cause twentie and foure of their Barons (for so their Burgesses, or townesmen, and the citizens of London likewise, were wont to be termed) to appeare.
1613. Shaks., Hen. VIII., IV. i. 48. They that beare The Cloath of Honour ouer her, are foure Barons Of the Cinque-Ports.
1641. Harl. Misc. (Malh.), V. 49. They choose the knights and citizens, and burgesses, or barons, for so the citizens were anciently called; and the cinque-ports retain that name to this day.
1702. Lond. Gaz., No. 3804/1. Then the Queen … under a Canopy born by twelve Barons of the Cinque-Ports.
1753. Chambers, Cycl. Supp., s.v., Barons of the cinque ports, are members of the house of commons elected by the five ports, two for each port.
1861. Times, 29 Aug., 8/3. ‘Baron’ in London and in the Cinque Ports was but another name for ‘freeman.’
4. Title of the judges of the Court of Exchequer (the president being the Chief Baron). (As to origin of this, see quot. 1751.)
[1130. Pipe Roll 31 Hen. I., Barones Scaccarii.]
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. III. 319. Al shal be but one Courte, and one baroun be iustice.
1502. Arnold, Chron., 41. The Tresourer and Barnes and other Ministers of the cheker.
1556. Chron. Grey Friars (1852), 71. Theys ware the commyshoners,—the lorde cheffe barne, doctor Olyver, &c.
1751. Chambers, Cycl., s.v., Barons of the exchequer … are called Barons, because Barons of the realm were used to be employed in that office.
1827. Hallam, Const. Hist. (1876), II. xi. 360. The barons of the exchequer … were to issue process.
1884. Oliver and Boyd’s Almanac, 541. IRELAND … Her Majesty’s Court of Appeal, the Lord Chancellor, the Lord Chief Justice … the Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer.
5. Law and Her. (conjoined with feme, femme): Husband.
[1292. Britton, II. iii. § 6. Ne femmes espouses sauntz lour barouns.]
1594. Parsons, Confer. Success., II. iv. 92. If a baron match with a femme that is an inheretrix.
1611. Gwillim, Heraldry, V. i. 254. The bearing of the Armes of the Femme by the Baron after issue receiued by her.
1678. Lond. Gaz., No. 1332/4. Baron and Feme in the first six coats quartered.
1845. Stephen, Laws of Eng., II. 238. Husband and wife, or, as most of our elder law books call them, baron and feme.
1862. Burton, Bk. Hunter, II. 132. Baron and feme we call husband and wife, and coverture we term marriage.
6. As a foreign title (giving no rank or privileges in Britain).
e.g., Baron Rothschild, Baron de Worms.
ǁ 7. In foreign use applied in respect or honor to any man, also to Christ and the saints.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 16876. Ioseph, þat god barune.
1534. Ld. Berners, Gold. Bk. M. Aurel. (1546), C v. Comode Calcedonien, an auncient baron whiche expounded to hym Homer.
1867. Longf., Dante’s Parad., XXV. 17. Look, look! behold the Baron [St. James of Compostella], for whom below Galicia is frequented.
8. Baron of Beef [of unknown origin; possibly a distinct word]: a joint consisting of two sirloins left uncut at the backbone.
1755. in Johnson (quoted from some earlier Dict.), Baron of Beef is when the two sirloins are not cut asunder, but joined together by the end of the backbone.
1822. Kitchiner, Cook’s Orac., Introd. The Baron of Beef was another favorite and substantial support of Old English Hospitality.
a. 1859. L. Hunt, Rob. Hood, IV. xvi. A bishop was a baron of beef With cut and come again.
1864. Times, 24 Dec., 9/3. On Thursday the Royal ‘baron of beef’ was roasted, under the superintendence of Mr. Godfrey, the Queen’s cook.
9. Comb. baron-bailie (Sc.), a bailie or magistrate appointed by the lord-superior in a burgh of barony. Hence baron-bailie-court, baron-court, the court of justice held by a baron in his barony. (See also COURT-BARON.)
1753. Stewart’s Trial, App. 145. I intend … to hold a Baron-balie-court on the estate of Ardshiel.
1813. N. Carlisle, Topogr. Dict. Scot., II. The Baron-Baillie Court of Macleod, the Chief, is the only Court of Justice in the Parish.
1818. Scott, Hrt. Midl., xxvii. There was a Baron Court to be held at Loanhead that day, and … he was acquainted with the baron-bailie.
