From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbaronybar‧on‧y /ˈbærəni/ noun (plural baronies) [countable] SSHIGH POSITION OR RANKthe rank of baron
Examples from the Corpus
barony• The Duke's lesser titles include a couple of earldoms, a barony or two and the lordship of Eskdale.• Some time, then, during the intervening years, he had been granted a barony.• He was overlord of vast lands hereabouts, the only earl south-east of Forth, feudal superior over many lordships and baronies.• Victor Matthews, Trafalgar's vice-chairman, was in the familiar self-made baron mould and duly acquired his barony from Mrs Thatcher.• Lords of Appeal in Ordinary - Law Lords - receive life baronies on appointment unless they are already ennobled.• With the exception of the estates of the anciently-established monasteries, these new baronies do not reflect the earlier estate arrangements.• These were known as burghs of barony and regality.• Rivers, through his marriage to the heiress of the Scales barony, held a significant block of land in Norfolk. 