I know the age of maturity to assume a royal title is 18, but in 1830 what was the age of maturity for a duke?

Question

If a son of a duke is 18 when his father dies, what happens? Does he need a regent? Does he have control of the castle and the holdings and the title? When could he serve in the House of Lords? I know that today you must be 21 to serve in the House of Lords, but how old did you have to be in 1830?

Answer 1

I don't believe there was any legal age. It would be determined in the will (the last will and testament) of the previous duke. In at least one authentically-based story of this period which I read, the previous Duke had appointed legal guardians to act for his son until he reached the age of 25. It seems pretty obvious that the courts could have been asked to overturn any unreasonable age of majority specified in a will.

Answer 2

Firstly, with a small number of exceptions Dukes and all hereditary peers no longer serve in the House of Lords so the question is irrelevant. There are currently two Dukes in the House of Lords -  Duke of Montrose (an elected heriditary peer - elected by the remaining hereditray peers) and the Duke of Norfolk who is the Earl Marshall (a Royal Office holder) and therefore keeps his seat.

You can inherit a dukedom at any age but you never need a regent, however, you should inherit holdings at 18 (when you legally become an adult) unless there are other provisions in a will.

Answer 3

20