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A Lord of Parliament is a member of the lowest rank of Scottish peerage, ranking below a viscount. A Lord of Parliament is said to hold a Lordship of Parliament.
Scotland differs from the rest of the United Kingdom in that the lowest rank of its peerage is not the Baron. In Scotland, the term "baron" refers to a feudal baron. Therefore, the Scottish equivalent to the English baron is the Lord of Parliament.
A male holder of a Lordship is designated a "Lord of Parliament," while there is no similar designation for female holders. Lords of Parliament are referred to as Lord X, while female holders of Lordships of Parliament are known as Lady X. The wife of a Lord of Parliament is also Lady X. Children of Lords of Parliament and female holders of Lordships of Parliament are styled The Honourable [Forename] [Surname], except that the heir apparent is styled The Master of [peerage title]. Where succession by females is allowed an heiress presumptive may be styled The Mistress of [peerage title]. After the death of the father or mother, the child may continue to use the style.
The creation of Lordships of Parliament ceased when Scotland and England combined into Great Britain in 1707. Thereafter, the term Baron was used.
The House of Lords Act 1999 removed the entitlement of Lords of Parliament to actually sit in Parliament, and no provision was made for Lords of Parliament to be specially represented in the current Scottish Parliament. From 1707 to 1963 they had only been represented by representative peers.
Alternatively, the term Lord of Parliament may be used to refer to any member of the House of Lords.
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