Lady Alex Flewitt of Highland Titles was recently on BBC Radio Guernsey being interviewed by Murray Norton. Here are some quotations (in green) from that, and my comments.
There is no Scottish landowners law which states this, this law does not exist, this statement is nonsense, they just made that up. The only Lord and Lady titles available in Scotland are those awarded to peers, Laird is not even a title at all.
This would infer (to me anyway) that the land for sale would therefore be in Glencoe, this is not the case. The land sold by Highland Titles in not in Glencoe, it is 15 miles or so from Glencoe in a small patch of land which Highland Titles just called Glencoe Wood, though it had never been known by this name before, and has no connection at all to Glencoe. Laird Of Glencoe is not a genuine title, it is a trademark registered with the IPO by Highland Titles. A company called Lord Titles pulled the same stunt as can be seen in this Advertising Standards Authority ruling. "We also noted the titles Lord of the Manor of Wansley and Lady of the Manor of Wansley were registered as trademarks with the IPO, rather than being genuine titles".
This is really quite a serious claim. Firstly, you do not actually have a title, all you have done is changed your name to for instance Lord Of Glencoe, Lord being your first name not your title. Secondly it is illegal in the UK to change your name for the purposes of fraud. Should an airline or hotel offer upgraded services on the basis that you are in fact a real Lord, should you not volunteer the information that you are not really a lord, and that Lord is actually your first name, you could leave yourself open to an accusation of fraud, which is a criminal offense. The UK Home Office advice on this is quite clear as can be seen in this document http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/agencies-public-bodies/ips/passports-policy-publications/titles-included-in-passports?view=Binary
Quotation from the official UK Home Office Document:
"There are companies that change an individual's name to include a title. Legal advice has been sought on this issue and the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) policy is based on the advice received.
It is clear an individual can call themselves any name they wish providing is not for a fraudulent purpose. However, it is believed there is no legal basis for a person to change their title: e.g. from Mr to Lord. It follows, therefore, that applicants have the right to change their name, for example, from Mr John Smith to Mr Sir John Smith and adopt "Sir" as an additional forename. But they cannot change their title from Mr John Smith to Sir John Smith"
The service offered by Highland Titles is merely a change of name service and does not confer a real title. Buyers believing they have a real title could inadvertently leave themselves open to a criminal charge of fraud. Furthermore, suggesting that you can get upgraded services etc. by changing your name, is without doubt an encouragement to buyers to break the law by changing their name for a fraudulent purpose.
It is not possible to exactly locate a square foot of land with any commercially available sat-nav receiver. Garmin, a very respected manufacturer of GPS receivers claim an accuracy of 15 meters on average. "Certain atmospheric factors and other sources of error can affect the accuracy of GPS receivers. Garmin® GPS receivers are accurate to within 15 meters on average."(http://www8.garmin.com/aboutGPS/).
19 pairs of golden eagles could not possibly reside on 750 acres of land, the idea is utterly preposterous. There are only 19 pairs of golden eagles residing in the whole of the Scottish National Heritage Glen Etive And Loch Fyne Special Protection Area which covers a vast area from Glen Kinglas in the south to Appin in the north. http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/strategy/GEConsult/5.5A-GLENETIVEGLENFYNECASE-B437685.pdf map at http://www.snh.gov.uk/docs/B722753.pdf
This is misinformation and it needs to be absolutely clear that according to the Home Office you cannot put a title that you do not have on a UK Passport. The Home Office advice on this is again very clear as taken from the following document, http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/agencies-public-bodies/ips/passports-policy-publications/titles-included-in-passports?view=Binary
Quotation from the official UK Home Office Document:
"There are companies that change an individual's name to include a title. Legal advice has been sought on this issue and the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) policy is based on the advice received.
It is clear an individual can call themselves any name they wish providing is not for a fraudulent purpose. However, it is believed there is no legal basis for a person to change their title: e.g. from Mr to Lord. It follows, therefore, that applicants have the right to change their name, for example, from Mr John Smith to Mr Sir John Smith and adopt "Sir" as an additional forename. But they cannot change their title from Mr John Smith to Sir John Smith.
As there is a right for an applicant to change their name by deed poll, the presumed title can appear on the personal details page of the passport as a forename with an observation being entered relating to the name change. An observation is required in any case where there is the potential for any name change to mislead; this includes reference to a title and to maintain the integrity of the passport.
In cases where an applicant has adopted a description of a title of nobility as a forename the observation to be entered is:
• THE REFERENCE TO .............................................. IS TO THE HOLDER'S NAME AND NOT TO THE HOLDER'S TITLE.(e.g. LORD; SIR; BARON; ETC.)
This observation should automatically be placed in the passport of any such applicant and there is no need to contact them unless the application form is completed in a way that indicates the customer believes they are applying for a change of title rather than of name. In these circumstances the applicant should be advised of how the data will be displayed in the passport and of the observation that will be entered in the document.
The above observation should also be used in all renewal applications where the children's and adult's birth names are similarly misleading, for example where names on birth certificates are registered as Princess, Prince, Earl, Duke, etc."
Alex Flewitt - "Under Scottish landowners law you can become the Laird Lord or Lady of the land"
There is no Scottish landowners law which states this, this law does not exist, this statement is nonsense, they just made that up. The only Lord and Lady titles available in Scotland are those awarded to peers, Laird is not even a title at all.
Murray Norton - "So what would the title be"
Alex Flewitt - "Laird Of Glencoe"
Alex Flewitt - "Laird Of Glencoe"
This would infer (to me anyway) that the land for sale would therefore be in Glencoe, this is not the case. The land sold by Highland Titles in not in Glencoe, it is 15 miles or so from Glencoe in a small patch of land which Highland Titles just called Glencoe Wood, though it had never been known by this name before, and has no connection at all to Glencoe. Laird Of Glencoe is not a genuine title, it is a trademark registered with the IPO by Highland Titles. A company called Lord Titles pulled the same stunt as can be seen in this Advertising Standards Authority ruling. "We also noted the titles Lord of the Manor of Wansley and Lady of the Manor of Wansley were registered as trademarks with the IPO, rather than being genuine titles".
Alex Flewitt - "Did a bit of Australian telly out there and eh we got upgraded straight away first class flights and hotel as soon as they see that title they go a little bit crazy"
This is really quite a serious claim. Firstly, you do not actually have a title, all you have done is changed your name to for instance Lord Of Glencoe, Lord being your first name not your title. Secondly it is illegal in the UK to change your name for the purposes of fraud. Should an airline or hotel offer upgraded services on the basis that you are in fact a real Lord, should you not volunteer the information that you are not really a lord, and that Lord is actually your first name, you could leave yourself open to an accusation of fraud, which is a criminal offense. The UK Home Office advice on this is quite clear as can be seen in this document http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/agencies-public-bodies/ips/passports-policy-publications/titles-included-in-passports?view=Binary
Quotation from the official UK Home Office Document:
"There are companies that change an individual's name to include a title. Legal advice has been sought on this issue and the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) policy is based on the advice received.
It is clear an individual can call themselves any name they wish providing is not for a fraudulent purpose. However, it is believed there is no legal basis for a person to change their title: e.g. from Mr to Lord. It follows, therefore, that applicants have the right to change their name, for example, from Mr John Smith to Mr Sir John Smith and adopt "Sir" as an additional forename. But they cannot change their title from Mr John Smith to Sir John Smith"
The service offered by Highland Titles is merely a change of name service and does not confer a real title. Buyers believing they have a real title could inadvertently leave themselves open to a criminal charge of fraud. Furthermore, suggesting that you can get upgraded services etc. by changing your name, is without doubt an encouragement to buyers to break the law by changing their name for a fraudulent purpose.
Alex Flewitt - "you have your co-ordinates that you can plumb into your sat-nav, come up to the land, and eh go and find your exact square foot"
It is not possible to exactly locate a square foot of land with any commercially available sat-nav receiver. Garmin, a very respected manufacturer of GPS receivers claim an accuracy of 15 meters on average. "Certain atmospheric factors and other sources of error can affect the accuracy of GPS receivers. Garmin® GPS receivers are accurate to within 15 meters on average."(http://www8.garmin.com/aboutGPS/).
Alex Flewitt - "We've got 19 pairs of golden eagles that reside on the land"
19 pairs of golden eagles could not possibly reside on 750 acres of land, the idea is utterly preposterous. There are only 19 pairs of golden eagles residing in the whole of the Scottish National Heritage Glen Etive And Loch Fyne Special Protection Area which covers a vast area from Glen Kinglas in the south to Appin in the north. http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/strategy/GEConsult/5.5A-GLENETIVEGLENFYNECASE-B437685.pdf map at http://www.snh.gov.uk/docs/B722753.pdf
Murray Norton - "Can I change the passport"
Alex Flewitt - "Anything that has your previous title on it is fine"
Alex Flewitt - "Anything that has your previous title on it is fine"
This is misinformation and it needs to be absolutely clear that according to the Home Office you cannot put a title that you do not have on a UK Passport. The Home Office advice on this is again very clear as taken from the following document, http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/agencies-public-bodies/ips/passports-policy-publications/titles-included-in-passports?view=Binary
Quotation from the official UK Home Office Document:
"There are companies that change an individual's name to include a title. Legal advice has been sought on this issue and the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) policy is based on the advice received.
It is clear an individual can call themselves any name they wish providing is not for a fraudulent purpose. However, it is believed there is no legal basis for a person to change their title: e.g. from Mr to Lord. It follows, therefore, that applicants have the right to change their name, for example, from Mr John Smith to Mr Sir John Smith and adopt "Sir" as an additional forename. But they cannot change their title from Mr John Smith to Sir John Smith.
As there is a right for an applicant to change their name by deed poll, the presumed title can appear on the personal details page of the passport as a forename with an observation being entered relating to the name change. An observation is required in any case where there is the potential for any name change to mislead; this includes reference to a title and to maintain the integrity of the passport.
In cases where an applicant has adopted a description of a title of nobility as a forename the observation to be entered is:
• THE REFERENCE TO .............................................. IS TO THE HOLDER'S NAME AND NOT TO THE HOLDER'S TITLE.(e.g. LORD; SIR; BARON; ETC.)
This observation should automatically be placed in the passport of any such applicant and there is no need to contact them unless the application form is completed in a way that indicates the customer believes they are applying for a change of title rather than of name. In these circumstances the applicant should be advised of how the data will be displayed in the passport and of the observation that will be entered in the document.
The above observation should also be used in all renewal applications where the children's and adult's birth names are similarly misleading, for example where names on birth certificates are registered as Princess, Prince, Earl, Duke, etc."
I was given a present of one of these title/plot things from Highland Titles earlier this year. Out of interest I tried to change the name on my credit card to Lord Richard using the Master Title Deed. The card company said they would only change the name to Mr Lord Richard to ensure that it was clear I did not have a real title LOL
ReplyDeleteI'll have to hold my hand up and say I was tempted by this by the promise of flight upgrades etc as I fly a lot, and did get the name on my passport changed to Lord. The passport office did advise that Lord would be used as my first name but I went with it anyway. Worst thing I ever did, its all check in staff can do to stop themselves bursting out laughing at me.
ReplyDeleteBefore the name change I regularly got emergancy exit seats for extra legroom on long haul flights just by arriving early and asking. Since I did this I have had to pay for it every time. Previously I had never ever been stopped by customs, but since the change I've been stopped and had my luggage examined four times on re-entry to the UK. I'm in the process of having my name changed back. Worst £30 I ever spent!