up until 1874, each new baron was confirmed in his barony by the crown by charter of confirmation. up until 28 november 2004, a barony was an estate of land held directly of the crown, or the prince and great steward of scotland. it was an essential element of a barony title that there existed a crown charter erecting the land into a barony, recorded in the register of the great seal of scotland. often the original charter was later lost, however an official extract has the same legal status as the original charter.