There are two degree of gentility in Great Britain with the suffix 'Sir'. The first and oldest is the knighthood. A knighthood is within the gift of the monarch, which today means that it is usually a political award as all knighthoods stem from the government of the day. This was not always so and in the past a knighthood was very much a reward for service to crown and country. A potential recipient of the honour who probably have been be recommended to the Lord Chancellors office by parliament, courtiers or others in high places and various checks would be made to ensure his character before the suggestion being forwarded to the monarch. The knighthoods are some what different to the mediaeval chivalric knighthoods which were the right of the nobility. The other 'Sirs' today are from the last titled rank of the nobility. These are the Baronets and their title is hereditary which knighthoods are not. Sad to say that baronetcies arose due to shortages of money in the exchequer. While Scotland always had it's minor barons, they were inevitably known by the designations so you were Maxwell of Barncleugh or Maxwell of Kirkconnell. But the Lord Chancellor office hit on the idea of selling hereditary baronetcies to wealthy land owners for large sums to help replenish the exchequer. The practice started in Scotland by offering tracts of land in North America in the hope that these new baronets would go out there and develop their new lands. These were the baronets of Nova Scotia (New Scotland). Various landed Maxwell families secured baronetcies these being the Maxwells of Monreith, Springkell, Pollok, Calderwood, Cardoness and Orchardton. Only the first two now survive although the Pollok baronetcy is only dormant.