ied to a commoner retains her title by
courtesy only, but the precedency due to the widow of a knight is
accorded to her.

* * * * *

=When the Daughter of a Duke= marries a peer she takes the precedency
due to the rank of her husband; if she marries a commoner, precedency is
accorded to her due to the daughter of a duke.

* * * * *

=Age confers no Precedency= on either sex. Equals in rank from the
highest to the lowest take precedence according to the creation of their
title and not as regards the age of the person bearing the title. As,
for instance, a youthful duke would take precedence of an aged duke, if
the title of the youthful duke bore an earlier date than that of the
aged duke. The same rule applies equally to baronets and knights.

When two earls are present at a dinner-party, the date of their
respective patents of nobility decides the order of precedency due
to them.

A host or hostess should always consult a "Peerage" or a "Baronetage" if
in doubt as to the precedence due to expected guests bearing titles;
wealth or social position are not taken into account in this matter, it
being strictly a question of date.

* * * * *

=The Precedence due to Ladies of Equal Rank= takes effect in the same
manner. Thus, a young wife of a baronet takes precedence over the
elderly wife of a baronet if the creation of her husband's title bears
an earlier date.

* * * * *

=When the Claims to Precedency of Persons of Equal Rank= clash, the
claims of a gentleman should be waived in favour of those of a lady,
should the persons be of opposite sexes. Thus, if two couples of
superior rank to the other guests were present at a dinner-party, the
host should take down the lady of highest rank, and the hostess should
be taken down by the gentleman of highest rank, in which case the lady
second in rank should go in to dinner _before_ her husband, although
the gentleman taking her down to dinner were of lower rank than her
husband.

* * * * *

=Esquires, and the Wives of Esquires=, take precedence according to
their social position. Members of Parliament have no precedence, though
it is often accorded to them as a matter of courtesy, especially in the
county which they represent; the wives of members of Parliament are
likewise entitled to no precedence on the ground