Baron

A baron is a member of the lowest rank of British peerage, ranking below a viscount. A female of that rank is a baroness. A baron is said to hold a "barony" .

Initially, barons were men who held land directly from the monarch. A barony was created in one of two ways: by a writ of summons[?] directing someone to Parliament, or by letters patent. Baronies are thus no longer directly related to land ownership.

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Baron is the name of several communes in France:

• in the Gironde département
• in the Gard département
• in the Oise département