Fake Titles - the site that lifts the lid

Welcome to Fake Titles

The Site that Lifts the Lid

Clearing up a Few Misconceptions

If any ‘title’ sellers can provide proof that what they are selling is genuine then I would happily remove them from the website, but, in well over nine years, that has only happened once; possibly that is why, instead, they repeatedly resort to attacking me personally - it says something about them, doesn’t it?

I will put it very simply, “You cannot purchase a genuine British title, which allows you to put Lord in front of your name, with one exception, the feudal title of a Scottish baron; and certainly cannot buy a peerage title”. However, Scottish Feudal Baronies often fetch a mighty price; the Barony of MacDonald was once up for sale at over £1 million, but the recent changes (2004) in Scots land law preserved barony titles and their heraldic rights.

An independent solicitor’s advice is vital in any transaction, for instance, if you are thinking of buying a genuine Lordship of the Manor, as the conveyancing of these feudal titles is very complicated and anyone contemplating purchasing a Scottish barony title needs to instruct a Scottish solicitor with barony title experience to act for him/her.

People often choose to ignore my straightforward warning, even to the extent that they e-mail me, saying how much they have appreciated the information on the Fake Titles site, and then ask, ”Very interesting, but how can I buy a real title?” Sadly, the fact is that they are still being taken in by these sites offering so-called ‘titles’, which are not worth the impressive looking paper that they are written on?

Far too many fall for their slick sales talk, though quite frankly it astounds me that so few actually question what they are signing up to, and especially that they do not take independent legal advice, but accept the words of possible scoundrels instead. As a result it tends to confuse everybody about what constitutes a genuine title, while the recipient often ends up paying too much for something quite worthless.

Remember, it is perfectly legal to change your name, you can do that by deed poll to whatever you want (within reason); it is a simple, inexpensive process and you certainly do not necessarily need to pay anybody else to do it. However, whatever you decide to call yourself, it will not give you a title.

All those new ‘Lords’ will also find that the Passport Office will merely call them Mr Lord X - do check out the details - and similarly with the DVLC, who have recently changed their previous policy of accepting whatever was sent to them.

The purveyors of these fake titles not only advertise quite openly, even in quite upmarket magazines, but you can also sign up your own website to an affiliate deal and sell them directly to the gullible public yourself.

If you have purchased a title on the Internet, and have any doubts about its authenticity - and you should be concerned - or have dealt with any of the fake title peddlers, then please do e-mail me, as there is growing pressure for action to be taken. Indeed a Solicitor, Roger Pitts-Tucker, to one of the peddlers was found guilty by the Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal, he was both suspended from practicing for six months and made to pay costs of £80,000. Details can be found in the report from the Law Gazette.

On Fake Titles, you will first find explanations about British Titles, and how you can earn them rightfully, within that section I have also included details on my own title and our family history. Then I warn you about the tactics of the dozen or so companies selling the rather more spurious and sometimes quite meaningless titles.

Within that Warning area, I have included some of the more blatant examples of sites peddling Fake Titles on the Internet, a list that seems to grow almost continuously.

After that section, I have included some Threats of Action that have been made against me, though strangely - so far - none of them have resulted in any action being taken. That is followed by pages of publicity about Fake Title selling and the sales that Strutt & Parker have held with some very spurious ‘titles’ in them. Articles from The Daily Mail, The Telegraph and many other top newspapers and magazines demonstrate some of the attention that the problem of fake title selling has received from the British Press.

I also explain about how you can purchase a Lordship of the Manor, which does not give you a title, but enables you to put after your name, Lord of the Manor of Lower Piddling-in-the-Trough or some such place.

Feel free to browse around Fake Titles. If you still wish to purchase a title, despite my attempts to deter you, do ensure that you consult an independent authority on the subject first.

Lastly, I will not apologise for repeating my recommendation; do not rely on any advice not to be separately legally represented, instead make sure that you are - it may cost you in the short-term, but it will save you from wasting money in the end. After all, why are they trying to put you off if they are operating legitimately?

Thank you for visiting and I hope that you find the Fake Titles website enlightening.

Richard, 7th Earl of Bradford