Most Disney fans or Pixar fans have seen the Disney Pixar movie Brave (2012) about the Scottish lass Merida, her mother Elinor, and the disastrous results of a magical spell that Merida uses to avoid an arranged marriage. The movie is chock-full of bears, mother-daughter relationships, laughs, and scenes from the idyllic Scottish landscape. If you feel the call of the Scottish moors whenever you watch Brave (or perhaps whenever you watch any movie starring Scottish actress Karen Gillan), then a unique website has the perfect gift for you or a Scottish fan that you know who wants to be a Scottish laird!
Established Titles is a company started by Katerina Yip, and it combines the need for woodland conservation and land protections in Scotland with a very fun Scottish tradition. In Scotland, it is a longstanding custom that anyone who owns Scottish land instantly becomes a Lord or a Lady, even to this day! Your nationality does not matter, and you don’t need to be a Scottish citizen to receive the highland title.
All you have to do is buy (or be given) at least one square foot of land in Scotland. Then, according to this “historic Scottish land ownership custom”, you can refer to yourself as a Lord or a Lady — and yes, according to the website, you can actually change your documentation to reflect your noble status in most jurisdictions! There are also no taxes on land in Scotland.
You can buy one, five, or ten square feet of land through Established Titles, and the land is all on a private estate in Ardallie, Aberdeenshire. The plots vary specifically between Dunfermline and Ardallie. According to the website, “The intention of these packs is to provide a fun, novelty product for those who want to purchase something a little different for themselves, friends and family, all while simultaneously preserving and protecting woodland in Scotland”.
You’re not allowed to build any permanent structures on the land — and since this dedicated land is meant for a conservation effort, you’re also discouraged from altering the landscape — but you are given a detailed pamphlet with pictures of your land, its exact coordinates, and personalized instructions on how to get there! You will also be emailed both a simple certificate stating your new noble title and a longer fancier one. You can print them out and frame them at your leisure, or Established Titles can send you a physical copy that’s even fancier!
You can buy a one-square-foot Lord plot, a one-square-foot Lady plot, five or ten-square-foot plots, or a romantic couples’ Couple Title Pack. The Lord and Lady Couple Title Pack will allow the recipients to buy two, ten, or 20 square feet of land as opposed to the one, five, or ten that individuals can buy. All the information that’s required for the title packs is the names of the individuals! Although the plots are not always cheap, there are often sales — particularly during the holidays (and there’s one going on right now for the New Year)!
Do you want to be a Scottish Lord or Lady, like Merida? Which title packs do you want, your Lordship or Ladyship?
