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TitlesDeprivationAct1917
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

TheTitlesDeprivationAct1917isanActof
ParliamentoftheUnitedKingdomwhichauthorised
enemiesoftheUnitedKingdomduringtheFirst
WorldWartobedeprivedoftheirBritishpeerages
androyaltitles.[3]

TitlesDeprivationAct,1917[1]

Background
TheBritishRoyalFamilywascloselyrelatedtomany
oftheroyalandprincelyfamiliesofGermany.In
particular,the1837accessionofQueenVictoriahad
causedtheKingdomofHanover,whichhadbeenin
personalunionwiththeBritishcrownforovera
century,topasstoheruncletheDukeofCumberland
andhisdescendants,whosimultaneouslyretainedhis
Britishtitlesandprincelyrank.Similarly,Queen
VictoriamarriedPrinceAlbertofSaxeCoburgGotha,
whoseGermantitlespassedeventuallytothe
descendantsoftheiryoungestsonLeopold,Dukeof
Albany.Thus,duringWorldWarI,bothCharles
Edward,DukeofSaxeCoburgandGothaandErnest
Augustus,CrownPrinceofHanoverwereBritish
princesanddukes,evenwhiletheywerealsoofficers
intheGermanArmy(aswasthelatter'sson,Ernest
Augustus,DukeofBrunswick,whoalsoheldBritish
princelyrank).

ParliamentoftheUnitedKingdom
Long
title

AnActtodepriveEnemyPeersand
PrincesofBritishDignitiesandTitles.

Citation 7&8Geo.5c.47
Dates
Royal
assent

8November1917 [2]

Textofstatuteasoriginallyenacted
(http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo5/7
8/47/enacted)
Revisedtextofstatuteasamended
(http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo5/7
8/47)

InParliament,beginningon18November1914,SwiftMacNeill,aProtestantIrishNationalistand
constitutionalscholarwhoservedasMemberofParliamentforSouthDonegal,[4]condemnedtheDukes
ofAlbanyandCumberlandastraitorsanddemandedtoknow"whatstepswillbetakentosecurethat
[they]shallnolongerretainUnitedKingdompeeragesandtitlesandaseatintheHouseofLords."[5]
DespitemeetingresistancefromPrimeMinistersAsquith[6]andLloydGeorge,[7]MacNeilcontinuedhis
campaignuntillosinghisseatafterthe1918election.[8]AfterMacNeilllosthisseat,[9]Horatio
Bottomley,MemberforHackneySouth,tookupthecharge.[10]
On13May1915,KingGeorgeVstruckthenamesofsevenGermanandAustrianroyals(someof
whomhadneverbeenBritish)fromtherollofKnightsoftheMostNobleOrderoftheGarter[11]but
peeragetitlescannotbewithdrawnexceptbyActofParliament.[12]In1917,therefore,Parliament
passedtheTitlesDeprivationActauthorisingthedeprivationofpeeragetitles,aswellasprincely
dignities.[13]

Deprivationoftitles

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TheActallowedtheKingtoestablishacommitteeofthePrivyCouncil,whichwastoincludeatleast
twomembersoftheJudicialCommitteeofthePrivyCouncil.Thecommitteewasempoweredtotake
evidenceandreportthenamesofBritishpeersorprinces"whohave,duringthepresentwar,bornearms
againstHisMajestyorHisAllies,orwhohaveadheredtoHisMajesty'senemies".Thereportwould
thenbelaidbeforebothHousesofParliamentifneitherHousepassedamotiondisapprovingofthe
reportwithinfortydays,itwastobesubmittedtotheKing,whereuponthepersonsnamedthereinwould
loseallBritishdignities.Thereafter,asuccessorofapersonthusdeprivedofapeeragewouldbeallowed
topetitiontheCrownforrevivalofthedeprivedtitlethepetitionwouldbereferredtoacommitteeof
thePrivyCouncil,whichwouldrecommendwhetherthepetitionerbereinstatedornot.
UndertheAct,theKingappointedtothecommittee:
TheLordFinlay(LordChancellor)
TheViscountSandhurst(LordChamberlainoftheHousehold)
TheMarquessofLansdowne
TheMarquessofCrewe
TheLordNewton
TheLordStamfordham(PrivateSecretarytotheSovereign)
TheLordSumner(aLordofAppealinOrdinary)
ThecommitteewasestablishedbyanOrderinCouncilissuedbytheKingon27November1917.
Thecommitteeissueditsreporton1August1918anditwasthereafterlaidbeforetheHousesof
Parliament.SincenoresolutionwaspassedbyeitherHousedisapprovingofthereport,itwaspresented
totheKingon28March1919,and,onthesamedatetheKingissuedanOrderinCouncildeprivingthe
followingpersonsoftheirtitles[14](ThenamesarelistedintheformgivenintheKing'sOrderin
Council):
HisRoyalHighnessCharlesEdward,DukeofAlbany,EarlofClarenceandBaronArklow
HisRoyalHighnessErnestAugustus,DukeofCumberlandandTeviotdale,EarlofArmagh
HisRoyalHighnessErnestAugustus(DukeofBrunswick),PrinceofGreatBritainandIreland
(sonandheiroftheDukeofCumberland)
Henry,ViscountTaaffeofCorrenandBaronofBallymote[14]
InadditiontotheDukedomofAlbanyandtheDukedomofCumberland(thelattertitlebeing
representedbytwoofthefourpeopleabove),thetitleofViscountTaaffewasalsolostbyitsbearer.The
ViscountsTaaffehademigratedfromIrelandtoAustriainthe1700sandhadservedtheAustrian
emperorsincethattime,evenwhiletheirIrishtitlewasconfirmedasrecentlyas1860.
NodescendantofanyofthesefourpersonshaseverpetitionedtheCrownfortherevivaloftheirtitles.

References
1.Shorttitleasconferredbys.4oftheActthemodernconventionforthecitationofshorttitlesomitsthe
commaaftertheword"Act".
2."Westminster,8November1917".LondonGazette.HisMajesty'sStationeryOffice.8November1917.
pp.Issue30374,Page11592.Retrieved28November2011."TheRoyalAssentgiventoTitlesDeprivation
Act,1917."
3."ForeignLegislationGreatBritain".AmericanBarAssociationJournal5.Chicago:AmericanBar
Association.1919.p.289.
4.Dod,CharlesRoger(1902).Dod'sParliamentaryCompanion,Vol.70.London:Whittaker&Co.p.302.
"CalledtotheIrishBar1876andjoinedtheMunstercircuit,aQC1893.ElectedProfConstitutionaland
CriminalLaw,KingsInns,Dublin1882andagain1885,andhasexaminedintheLawSchoolofDublin
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University.Authorof"TheIrishParliamentWhatitwasandwhatitdid,"HowtheUnionwasCarried"and
otherworks.HassatforDonegalSouthsinceJan1887.AnIrishNationalist."
5.MacNeil,Swift(18November1914)."ALIENPEERS".Hansard.HisMajesty'sStationeryOffice.pp.HC
Deb18November1914vol68cc4378W.Retrieved28November2011."Mr.SwiftMacNeillaskedthe
PrimeMinister(1)whetherheisawarethattheDukeofCumberlandandTeviotdale,inthepeerageofGreat
Britain,andEarlofArmagh,inthepeerageofIreland,andaprinceoftheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritain
andIreland,isincommandoftroopsintheGermanArmy,engagedinactivehostilitiesagainsttheSovereign
andpeopleoftheBritishEmpirewhetherheisawarethatthefirstDukeofCumberland,thepaternal
grandfatherofthepresentduke,afterhisaccessiontothethroneofHanover,tooktheoathofallegiancein
England,andsatintheHouseofLordsasapeerofGreatBritainbyhereditaryrightwhetherthepresent
DukeofCumberland,whowasbornaBritishsubject,hassincedivestedhimselfofhisBritishnationality
and,ifso,howandwhenandwhether,havingregardtothefactthatthepresentDukeofCumberlandisin
armswiththeenemiesoftheBritishEmpireagainsttheSovereignofthatEmpire,andguiltyofhightreason,
anyand,ifso,whatstepswillbetakentosecurethatheshallnolongerretainBritishandIrishtitlesor
peeragesandaseatintheHouseofLordsand(2)whetherheisawarethattheDukeofAlbany,Earlof
Clarence,andBaronArklow,inthepeerageoftheUnitedKingdom,princeoftheUnitedKingdomofGreat
BritainandIreland,isincommandoftroopsintheGermanArmy,engagedinactivehostilitiesagainstthe
SovereignandpeopleoftheBritishEmpirewhetherheisawarethattheDukeofAlbanywasbornin
England,asubjectoftheBritishCrown,andsucceeded,athisbirthasaposthumouschild,totheseUnited
Kingdomtitlesorpeeragesheldbyhisfather,whosworeallegianceandsatasapeeroftheUnitedKingdom
intheHouseofLordsbyhereditaryrightwhethertheDukeofAlbanyhaseverdivestedhimselfofhis
Britishnationalityand,ifso,howorwhenandwhether,havingregardtothefactthattheDukeofAlbanyis
inarmswiththeenemiesoftheBritishEmpireagainsttheSovereignofthisEmpire,andguiltyofhigh
treason,anyand,ifso,whatstepswillbetakentosecurethatheshallnolongerretainUnitedKingdom
peeragesandtitlesandaseatintheHouseofLords?"
6."Assailstraitordukes,M.P.suggestsCumberlandandAlbanybedropped".TheNewYorkTimes.13April
1916.Retrieved2December2011."PremierAsquithrepliedthathedidnotbelievethetimeoftheHouse
wouldbeemployedprofitablywithsuchlegislation."
7.Legge,Edward(1915).ThepublicandprivatelifeofKaiserWilliamII.London:EveleighNash.p.135.
8.MacNeil,Swift(31July1918)."TitlesDeprivationAct".Hansard.HisMajesty'sStationeryOffice.pp.HC
Deb31July1918vol109cc4224.Retrieved28November2011."Mr.S.MacNeillaskedthePrimeMinister
whetherany,and,ifso,what,stepshavebeentakenundertheprovisionsoftheTitlesDeprivationAct,1917
whichreceivedtheRoyalAssenton8thNovember,1917,forthestrikingoutofthePeerageRollpeerswho
have,duringthepresentWar,bornearmsagainstHisMajestyorwhohaveadheredtoHisMajesty'senemies
and,ifnostepsforthispurpose,asprovidedbyStatute,havebeentaken,willhesaywhatisthereasonfor
thedelay,havingregardtotheconstructionlikelytobeplacedontheattitudeoftheGovernmentinthis
matter?"
9.Whowaswho:acompaniontoWho'swho:containingthebiographiesofthosewhodiedduringtheperiod.
London:A.&C.Black.1967.p.686.
10.Bottomley,Horatio(1May1919)."DukedomsofAlbanyandCumberland".Hansard.HisMajesty's
StationeryOffice.pp.HCDeb01May1919vol115cc3167.Retrieved28November2011."Mr.Bottomley
askedthePrimeMinisterwhetheritisproposedtoabolishthepeeragesofwhichtheDukesofAlbanyand
Cumberlandhaverecentlybeendeprivedand,ifnot,whethertheheirsofsuchdukeswillultimatelybecome
eligiblefortheassumptionofthetitles?"
11."TakesGarterOrderfromEnemyRulers:KingGeorgeordersAustriansandGermansStrickenfromtheRoll"
(PDF).TheNewYorkTimes.14May1915.Retrieved2December2011."TheKing,assovereignoftheOrder
oftheGarter",saysanofficialannouncementissuedthisevening,"hasgivendirectionsthatthefollowing
namesforthwithbestruckofftherolloftheKnightsoftheorder:TheEmperorofAustria,theGerman
Emperor,theKingofWrttemberg,theGrandDukeofHesse,PrinceHenryofPrussia,theDukeofSaxe
CoburgandGotha,andtheDukeofCumberland."
12.Maer,Lucinda(16November2010)."Resignation,suspensionandexpulsionfromtheHouseofLords"
(PDF).HouseofCommonsLibrary.p.3.SN/PC/5148.Retrieved28November2011."AnActofParliament
isneededtoexpelapeer"
13.Lyon,Ann(20March2009)."LettersHowwestrippedBritishprincesoftheirpeerages".TheTelegraph.
Retrieved2December2011.
14."AttheCourtatBuckinghamPalace,the28thdayofMarch,1919.".LondonGazette.HisMajesty's
StationeryOffice.28March1919.pp.Issue31255,Page4000.Retrieved28November2011."Their
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LordshipsdohumblyreporttoYourMajestythatthepersonshereinafternamedhaveadheredtoYour
Majesty'senemiesduringthepresentwar:HisRoyalHighnessLeopoldCharles,DukeofAlbany,Earlof
ClarenceandBaronArklowHisRoyalHighnessErnestAugustus,DukeofCumberlandandTeviotdale,Earl
ofArmaghHisRoyalHighnessErnestAugustus(DukeofBrunswick),PrinceofGreatBritainandIreland
Henry,ViscountTaaffeofCorrenandBaronofBallymote.""

TextoftheTitlesDeprivationAct1917andoftheOrderinCouncilof28March1919effecting
thedeprivationoftitles.(http://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/deprivation1917.htm)
Retrievedfrom"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Titles_Deprivation_Act_1917&oldid=693609654"
Categories: UnitedKingdominWorldWarI UnitedKingdomActsofParliament1917 1917inlaw
WorldWarIlegislation PeerageoftheUnitedKingdom
Thispagewaslastmodifiedon3December2015,at18:00.
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mayapply.Byusingthissite,youagreetotheTermsofUseandPrivacyPolicy.Wikipediaisa
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