WHITEHALL, February 11, 1910. The King has been pleased to issue a Warrant under His Majesty's Royal Sign Manual, to the following effect :—

EDWARD, R. & I.

Edward the Seventh, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India, to all to whom these Presents shall come Greeting! Whereas the Hereditary Degree of Baronet was instituted by Our Royal Predecessor King James the First in the ninth year of His Reign with divers privileges and pre-eminences, and certain Rules were made by His Majesty for the preservation of the Dignity of the Baronetage:

And whereas by Warrants under the hand of Our Royal Predecessor King George the Third further Rules were established for the prevention of abuses touching the status of Baronets: And whereas on the third day of November, one thousand nine hundred and five, a Committee was appointed to consider and report what step should be taken to safeguard the status of holders of Baronetcies, and to prevent the assumption of the title of Baronet by persons who have no right thereto:

And whereas it has been represented to Us by Our Principal Secretary of State for the Home Department, to whom the Committee appointed as aforesaid reported on the twelfth day of December, one thousand nine hundred and six, that divers abuses have crept into the said Order, and that persons have assumed the title of Baronet without any just right:

Know ye, therefore, that We have thought fit to signify Our Royal Will and Pleasure that for the correction of such abuses and for preventing the like in future, the following regulations and Ordinances be established: And We do accordingly hereby declare and ordain

I. That from and after the date of these Presents an official Roll of Baronets shall be prepared and kept in the Office of Our Principal Secretary of State for the Home Department.

II. That no person whose name is not entered on the official Roll of Baronets shall be received as a Baronet, or shall be addressed or mentioned by that title in any civil or military Commission, Letters Patent or other official document.

III. That the Roll shall be prepared in consultation with one or other of the Kings of Arms (Garter, Lyon, or Ulster) according to their respective heraldic jurisdiction: That such Roll shall be revised and corrected from time to time and shall be submitted to Us and to Our Successors once in each year, and shall be published annually in the London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Gazettes, and be placed on sale ; and that any person whose name does not appear on the Roll, but who considers that he is entitled to be enrolled therein, shall be at liberty to petition Us through Our said Secretary of State.
That every person who shall succeed to the title and degree of Baronet or shall claim to be entitled by right of succession to be placed on the Roll subsequently to its first issue shall exhibit his claim to such succession, with the proofs thereof, to one of Our Kings of Arms according to their respective heraldic jurisdiction, who shall forthwith make a Report thereon, and submit the said claim and Report to Our said Secretary of State.

IV.  That if in any such case, or in any circumstances whatever, Our said Secretary of State finds difficulty in advising Us as to the validity of the claims of any person to be placed or to be retained on the Roll he shall refer the matter either to Our Attorney-General for England, to the Lord Advocate for Scotland or to Our Attorney-General for Ireland for his opinion thereon, and may on consideration of that opinion direct that the 6aid matter be referred to Our Privy Council to submit the same to examination and to advise Us thereon.

V.  That in cases of reference to Our Law Officers or to Our Privy Council parties claiming to have their names placed or retained on the Roll must supply, at their own cost, all necessary evidence that may be called for.

VI.  That the form and contents of the Roll of the Baronetage shall be settled and determined in accordance with Regulations to be made by Our said Secretary of State.

VII.  That Our said Secretary of State shall appoint an Officer of the Home Department to be Registrar of the Baronetage.

VIII.  That subject to the directions of Our said Secretary of State the Registrar of the Baronetage shall be charged with the duty of keeping the Roll and of making all necessary entries and deletions in it and of publishing the Roll annually, and shall be responsible for its contents and shall initiate enquiries and proceedings when necessary to ensure the correctness of the Roll.                                                   

IX.  That the Registrar shall attend to the service of the Baronetage, and shall execute such directions as he may receive from Our said Secretary of State in all matters pertaining thereto.

X.  That every person who succeeds to the title and degree of Baronet or is created a Baronet or is placed or claims to be placed on the Roll subsequently to its first issue shall pay to Our said Secretary of State or to some person deputed by him a Fee of Five Pounds; and each such Fee shall be paid into Our Exchequer in manner to be directed by the Lords Commissioners of Our Treasury.

XI.  That every person who after the date of these Presents succeeds to the title and degree of Baronet or who is created a Baronet shall within six months of such succession or creation as the case may be register his full names and the full names and ages of his living descendants at Our College Of Arms or Our Lyon or Ulster Offices of Arms.

XII.  That the Warrants under the hand of His late Majesty King George the Third dated the 3rd December, 1783, the 24th February, 1785, and the 30th September, 1789, respectively, shall be and are hereby cancelled and made void and of no effect.

XIII. That nothing in this Our Warrant shall be deemed to abolish or derogate from the jurisdiction, authority, and rights of Our Earl Marshal and Hereditary Marshal of England, or of Our Kings of Arms, save in so far as the same may be affected by the cancelling of the aforesaid Warrants of the 3rd.December, 1783, the 24th February, 1785, and the 30th September, 1789.
Given at Our Court at Saint James's, the eighth day of February, one thousand nine hundred and ten, in the tenth year of Our Reign.

By His Majesty's Command.
H. J. Gladstone.

Warrant superscribed:

To the Lord President of Our Privy Council, Our Earl Marshal and Hereditary Marshal of England, Our Principal Secretary of State for the Home Department, Our Kings of Arms, and all others whom it may concern.