A Baronet is a hereditary honour and is not a peer and not eligible to sit in the House of Lords.

• A Life Peer is someone who has a noble title but it is not hereditary- the title does not automatically go to his heir when he dies.
• A Hereditary Peer is someone who has a noble title but it is hereditary- the title will automatically go to his heir (typically his oldest son) upon his death.
• The Lords Temporal are Peers (Life or Hereditary) who are sitting members of the House of Lords in Parliament.
• The Lords Spiritual are high ranking bishops from the Anglican Church who also members of the House of Lords.

Hereditary Peers inherit their title and consist of five ranks: Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount and Baron. Peerages may become extinct or fall into abeyance, but so long as there is an heir, the title will continue. Stage one of the House of Lords Act 1999 removed the entitlement of most of the hereditary Peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords, and of the 92 hereditary Peers who retain their seat in the Lords, 75 were elected by their fellow hereditary Peers.

The title of Lord can be hereditary and passed down from father to son or a Lord can be appointed as a 'life peer' supposedly for services to the country but this type of peerage ceases with the death of the holder and is not passed on to the offspring.

peer-to-peer