Daughters of hereditary peers are going to court to fight for the right to inherit titles

They are to the manor born, the eldest children of hereditary peers who belong to some of England’s most historic families. Yet none stands a chance of inheriting aristocratic titles or a seat in the House of Lords — simply because they are women.

Now, in a test case submitted to the European Court of Human Rights last week, five women are challenging the centuries-old tradition of male primogeniture, which means that titles automatically pass to the next male in line — no matter how distantly related — or, if there is none, die out.

Members of the campaign group Daughters’ Rights — headed by Charlotte Carew Pole — they want to see the aristocracy modernised to allow firstborn daughters to inherit.

Charlotte Carew Pole, Sarah Long, Willa Franks & Eliza Dundas of ‘Daughters Rights’

Because they are denied the right to stand for election to the House of Lords, the women argue that they are being discriminated against by the British Government.

In 2013 Parliament rushed through changes to the Law of Succession ahead of Prince George’s birth to promote gender equality, meaning that Princess Charlotte is fourth in line to the throne ahead of Prince Louis.

But the House of Lords stifled a Private Member’s Bill — the so-called ‘Downton Abbey Law’ — which would have granted firstborn females in the aristocracy the same rights as men.

Here they explain why equality should include the poshest people in the land . . . 

This rule belongs in the middle ages

Henrietta ‘Hatta’ Byng, 40, is the eldest of Viscount Torrington’s three daughters

Henrietta ‘Hatta’ Byng, 40, is the eldest of Viscount Torrington’s three daughters

The Honourable Henrietta ‘Hatta’ Byng, 40, is the eldest of Viscount Torrington’s three daughters. Married to Charlie Wood, 45, they have three children: Jago, five, Margot, three, and Ivo, ten months.

 Hatta is editor of House and Garden magazine and says: ‘It seems mad that despite having two degrees, editing a magazine and running a team of 20, I can’t inherit simply because I am a woman.

‘This is discrimination and with any other minority group, the Government simply wouldn’t get away with it.

‘For me, this is not about having the grandeur of a title or even inheriting the manor, because there isn’t one — it was sold off during World War II.

‘There is just a real sadness that when my father, 75, dies his title will go to a distant cousin in Canada whom we’ve never met.

‘My father, an only child, has always taken an active role in the House of Lords and would like to see the title pass to me.

‘In this day and age, where we have a female monarch, a female Prime Minister and women are as educated as men, it’s pretty odd that the House of Lords remains in the Middle Ages.’

My father suggested I have a sex change

Lady Willa Franks, 45, is the eldest of four daughters born to the 5th Earl of Balfour, 69, an investment executive

Lady Willa Franks, 45, is the eldest of four daughters born to the 5th Earl of Balfour, 69, an investment executive

Lady Willa Franks, 45, is the eldest of four daughters born to the 5th Earl of Balfour, 69, an investment executive. She runs a children’s nursery and is married to George William Franks, 51, who works for a London estate agency. The couple live in Hampshire with their children, Arthur, 19, Violet, 17, and Esme, 14. 

Willa says: ‘Last year, my father offered a slightly tongue-in-cheek solution to the problem of male primogeniture by suggesting I have a sex change.

‘He’d read an article about gender equality laws in The Spectator and it got him thinking. Obviously, he wasn’t being serious, but it’s an interesting point.

‘My father is very proud of his four daughters. We are all educated and entrepreneurial and he feels we have as much right to stand for election to the Lords as a man.

‘With no heir, my father’s title will go to his brother, my uncle Charles, but this campaign hasn’t caused any tension in the family because everyone accepts that in a modern society, blatant sexual discrimination needs to be challenged.

‘My mother, Tessa, 67, is the elder sister of the Duke of Norfolk, who inherited the ancestral seat, Arundel Castle in West Sussex, but this campaign is about looking to the future, not the past.’

It’s about fairness, not inheritance

Lady Eliza Dundas, 20, is the eldest of four daughters born to Robin Dundas, 53, Earl of Ronaldshay

Lady Eliza Dundas, 20, is the eldest of four daughters born to Robin Dundas, 53, Earl of Ronaldshay

Lady Eliza Dundas, 20, is the eldest of four daughters born to Robin Dundas, 53, Earl of Ronaldshay, and eldest son of the 4th Marquess of Zetland. She is studying Psychology at New York University. The family live on the Aske family estate in North Yorkshire, which her father runs. 

She says: ‘We grew up in a Grade I-listed Georgian hall, but these days the estate is a commercial operation, with office blocks for rent. Our parents brought us up to get a good education and work hard, so we are pretty down to earth.

‘My uncle, dad’s younger brother, would automatically inherit the titles on his death, but we are such a close family everyone is supportive of the campaign. My grandfather, 80, thinks it’s fantastic.

‘My father has yet to inherit the title, so the prospect of seeking election to the House of Lords is a long way off,

‘For me, this is about equal rights for women, not holding on to our family estate. I would use the peerage to highlight issues surrounding mental health of students and help end the stigma surrounding its discussion.

I’d continue the family campaigning tradition

The Hon Sarah Long, 59, is the eldest daughter of 4th Viscount Long of Wraxall, who died last year aged 88

The Hon Sarah Long, 59, is the eldest daughter of 4th Viscount Long of Wraxall, who died last year aged 88

The Hon Sarah Long, 59, is the eldest daughter of 4th Viscount Long of Wraxall, who died last year aged 88. The title was inherited by her younger brother James, 57, who lives with the effects of Thalidomide. Married to a retired lawyer, Sarah runs an art gallery. They live in London and have two children, Alexander, 22, and Xenia, 19. 

She says: ‘I am fighting for the right to inherit the title from my younger brother, Jamie, so that I can apply to be entered on the Register of Hereditary Peers, eligible for election to the House of Lords.

‘There is no family estate to inherit — our manor house was sold when I was 16 because my parents couldn’t afford to keep it — and there’s no money.

‘With no one else in the male line after my brother, the title will die out. My father would have been very keen for me to pursue this.

‘The Longs have always been a political family. My great grandfather, the first Viscount, was in Queen Victoria’s last cabinet and held a number of governmental posts including First Lord of the Admiralty. My father was the longest serving Government whip in the House of Lords under Margaret Thatcher and John Major. I’d like to be elected to the House of Lords so I can stand up for the victims of Thalidomide, which was prescribed for morning sickness in the Fifties and early Sixties, causing terrible birth defects. As the victims grow older, their needs become greater.

‘My brother spent a lot of time in hospital as a child, having operations on his legs, one of which has metal plates and is shorter than the other. He has a number of other disabilities and as he has grown older the effect and level of pain have got worse. Nevertheless, he would very much like to take a seat in the Lords and campaign on behalf of other disabled people.

‘He is unmarried and I know he feels guilt that he has no heir, so he is really supportive of the Daughters’ Rights campaign.’

I’m fighting for my own daughter

Charlotte Carew Pole, 42, heads Daughters’ Rights. Her husband, Tremayne, will become the 14th holder of the Pole Baronetcy, granted to his family by Charles I in 1628, when his father dies. They live in London with their children Jemima, three, and Lucian, one

Charlotte Carew Pole, 42, heads Daughters’ Rights. Her husband, Tremayne, will become the 14th holder of the Pole Baronetcy, granted to his family by Charles I in 1628, when his father dies. They live in London with their children Jemima, three, and Lucian, one

Charlotte Carew Pole, 42, heads Daughters’ Rights. Her husband, Tremayne, will become the 14th holder of the Pole Baronetcy, granted to his family by Charles I in 1628, when his father dies. They live in London with their children Jemima, three, and Lucian, one. 

Charlotte says: ‘Only in the aristocracy does the ridiculous notion still exist that a son is somehow superior to a daughter, and it makes me very cross that Jemima could never inherit her father’s title simply because of her gender. I think there is still pressure in some families to produce an heir and a spare before you can have a daughter, and it affects the way the children are brought up.

‘This is not an argument about whether the House of Lords should still exist. Nor is it an argument about whether the aristocracy is archaic and needs to be abolished.

‘It’s not about inheritance, because there is no estate to inherit. The Carew Pole family home, Antony House in Cornwall, is owned by the National Trust.

‘This is a simple case of discrimination. Women are not allowed to stand in a fair and free election to the upper house and that is fundamentally wrong.

‘It is 100 years since women won the vote, yet we still don’t have the same political rights as men.

‘The best thing that could happen is that the Government takes away male primogeniture without waiting for a judgment from the European Court, which could take two or three years.

‘Perhaps it would help Theresa May take her mind off her other problems. This would be a positive achievement for her — she may not be fondly remembered for anything else.’

I wouldn’t even use the title I inherited

Lady Tanya Field, 46, is the eldest of daughter of the 9th Earl of Macclesfield, a title which dates back to 1679

Lady Tanya Field, 46, is the eldest of daughter of the 9th Earl of Macclesfield, a title which dates back to 1679

Lady Tanya Field, 46, is the eldest of daughter of the 9th Earl of Macclesfield, a title which dates back to 1679. Married to Jason, 46, a telecoms manager, they have three sons, Kieran, 23, and twins Jamie and Daniel, 21. A social worker, Tanya lives in Headington, 15 miles from Shirburn Castle, the family’s former seat in Oxfordshire. 

She says: ‘My life couldn’t be more removed from the aristocratic world portrayed in Downton Abbey. We live in a bog-standard semi and I never use my title because it’s not helpful in my line of work in a socially deprived area.

‘Nor was my childhood awash with money. Until my parents’ divorce, when I was 12, we lived on one of the farms on the family estate. The castle was a complete money pit. People think it’s wonderful to have all those assets, but it’s a big headache.

‘Even if the law is changed, the estate would never pass to me. The 7th Earl, my great-grandfather, decided to divide up the assets of the family in a more equitable way and set up a family company, divided between my father, his brother and two cousins.

‘Unfortunately, it caused an awful lot of bad blood, which lasts to this day. There was a falling out, it went to the High Court, and my father, who lived briefly in the ancestral home, was evicted in 2004.

‘On my father’s death the title would automatically go his younger brother, my uncle, and then his son. There’s still bad feeling between them, and my aunt and uncle have chosen not to speak to me and my sisters, which I respect because this family feud has been very painful for everyone.

‘However, these difficulties are not behind my motivation in wanting to bring an end to male primogeniture. I have a right to do this, and I am not apologising, but nor am I doing it to upset them.

‘If I inherited my father’s title I wouldn’t use it. I feel it is totally irrelevant and doesn’t fit the life I have chosen, earning not much more than the minimum wage.

‘For me, it is about the right to be able to seek election to the House of Lords. I have experience of working with juvenile offenders and vulnerable adults, and many social issues are just not properly understood by Government.

‘My father is very supportive of my action — he just feels it’s right. He says that 300 years ago primogeniture might have been appropriate. But we live in a different time now.’



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