The result was redirect to Earl of Caledon. The person is a dead British nobleman who's covered in Who's Who, but apparently not (substantially) in other sources. As to his notability, opinions are divided, which means that strength of argument is the deciding factor.
The "keep" argument is that nobles of this rank are inherently notable, and that it is useful to cover all nobles of this rank. But this argument has no basis in policies or inclusion guidelines, which do not address nobility. WP:MONARCH, which summarizes deletion outcomes, instead suggests that the inclusion of nobles is normally discussed on a case-by-case basis based on WP:GNG. The "keep" argument is therefore rather weak.
The "delete" argument is, first, lack of notability-establishing coverage. In this regard, there is a dispute (which I cannot decide here) about the reliability of Who's Who. But even if we assume it to be a reliable source providing substantial coverage (which was not discussed here), it would be only one source, not the multiple ones required by GNG, and nobody argues that there are other relevant sources. The GNG argument for deletion is therefore rather strong.
Also strong is the other argument for deletion, WP:NOTGENEALOGY. That policy says that articles should not be "genealogical entries. Family histories should be presented only where appropriate to support the reader's understanding of a notable topic." But the contents of the article are almost entirely genealogical (married, had children, etc.) Nobody in this AfD argues that there are things of substance to be written about this man that are not genealogical.
Based on the strength of the arguments presented, we therefore have rough consensus for not keeping the article. Redirection to the title, where there is a list of titleholders, is an appropriate alternative to deletion. Content can be merged from history as desired and to the extent supported by editorial consensus. Sandstein 08:53, 26 January 2022 (UTC)
[Hide this box] New to Articles for deletion (AfD)? Read these primers!
The subject of this article does not conform to Wikipedia notability standards. The article simply gives his name and lists his relatives, many of whom appear un-notable too. Emmentalist ( talk) 07:44, 18 January 2022 (UTC)
There is usefulness in having a compete set of entries on hereditary peers, even if some peers are less prominent or noteworthy than others, even when the article must of necessity remain something of a stub.Hawkeye7 (discuss) 04:31, 19 January 2022 (UTC)
I am not a regular Wikipedia editor but I do enjoy reading about history and nobility on Wikipedia and sometimes I post a comment if it might be useful. Can I suggest that a good way of seeing this subject is to look at the EarlofCaldon article and particularly at the 'lines of succession' section. There you will see that the 6th Earl (Denis Alexander) is listed. Below him is listed his uncle, Harold Alexander. There are big two differences, though, and they're both interesting and relevant here. First, Harold was not an heir (his brother, Denis' father, was the heir) and so would never normally have been an Earl (and presumably would not have a second page in normal circumstances). But second, Harold became a Field Marshal and Governor of Canada and actually an Earl in his own right. This seems to serve perfectly the point that some nobles' lives are honourable but not notable and so their Wikipedia entry seems best to stop there - I suggest Denis Alexander is such a case. Whereas some nobles' lives are indeed notable and should have a full Wikipedia page dedicated to them like any other highly notable person. Harold seems the perfect example of the latter. I hope this is helpful. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A00:23C5:C12D:C200:CCE1:7C3A:3AD4:30B2 ( talk) 13:57, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
"A topic is presumed to be suitable for a stand-alone article or list when it has received significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject" and "'Independent of the subject' excludes works produced by the article's subject or someone affiliated with it".
On a lighter note, @TheTechnician27 made me smile: Yes, it is always best to read the article and look at the points made in this discussion before deciding what should happen. That way, you will not describe someone as a confirmed bachelor when they were married with children. As a side note, the notion of the 'endearingly eccentric bachelor' in an old publication may very possibly be a less-than-subtle coded reference which Wikipedian's may wish to think about before citing? All the best to everyone participating, and thanks very much. Emmentalist ( talk) 08:50, 21 January 2022 (UTC)
Hi, @deathlibrarian. Thanks for your thoughts, but it is best to assume good faith and to be respectful of other editors/contributors. It's also advisable - said with genuine great respect - to read the other contributions before passing your own comments because otherwise you risk repeating the same points other have and missing all the arguments. For your information, it has been argued by many above, including the people you mention in the pejorative, that a number of policies imply (not infer) the requirement to delete/merge the Denis Alexander article. These include WP:Basic, WP:GNG, WP:Notability and that Who's Who is not agreed as a reliable source WP:RSN. There are a number of other policies which likely apply and in the end the closing administrator will give weight to all of these when adjudicating. Finally, the proposal is not to 'not cover' the peerage, but to delete the article while merging the relevant information at the Earl of Caledon article. All the best, Emmentalist ( talk) 11:11, 21 January 2022 (UTC)
I proposed the AfD and make these closing comments. The discussion has been excellent (imho): Informed, measured and polite. It seems to have reached a natural conclusion 2 or 3 days ago after 4 or 5 days. Some contributors have argued to 'Keep' based mainly upon previous practice and a Who's Who reference. A little more (although it has been far from one-sided) have argued for 'Delete' or 'Merge (with main Earl of Caldon article) based mainly upon Wikipedia policies including WP:GNG and WP:Basic. It is now a matter for an adjudicating admin, who may decided that other policies are relevant before issuing a decision. It has been a pleasure taking part in such an interesting and thoughtful discussion, whatever the outcome, and I would like to thank all who have taken the time to chip in. I would also like to thank the adjudicating admin in advance for their time and effort [it is perhaps worth saying, as I'm not sure of the full procedure now, that I would be happy to help should the admin decide to merge, but I am not presupposing that outcome]. All the best Emmentalist ( talk) 07:21, 25 January 2022 (UTC)
The result was redirect to Earl of Caledon. The person is a dead British nobleman who's covered in Who's Who, but apparently not (substantially) in other sources. As to his notability, opinions are divided, which means that strength of argument is the deciding factor.
The "keep" argument is that nobles of this rank are inherently notable, and that it is useful to cover all nobles of this rank. But this argument has no basis in policies or inclusion guidelines, which do not address nobility. WP:MONARCH, which summarizes deletion outcomes, instead suggests that the inclusion of nobles is normally discussed on a case-by-case basis based on WP:GNG. The "keep" argument is therefore rather weak.
The "delete" argument is, first, lack of notability-establishing coverage. In this regard, there is a dispute (which I cannot decide here) about the reliability of Who's Who. But even if we assume it to be a reliable source providing substantial coverage (which was not discussed here), it would be only one source, not the multiple ones required by GNG, and nobody argues that there are other relevant sources. The GNG argument for deletion is therefore rather strong.
Also strong is the other argument for deletion, WP:NOTGENEALOGY. That policy says that articles should not be "genealogical entries. Family histories should be presented only where appropriate to support the reader's understanding of a notable topic." But the contents of the article are almost entirely genealogical (married, had children, etc.) Nobody in this AfD argues that there are things of substance to be written about this man that are not genealogical.
Based on the strength of the arguments presented, we therefore have rough consensus for not keeping the article. Redirection to the title, where there is a list of titleholders, is an appropriate alternative to deletion. Content can be merged from history as desired and to the extent supported by editorial consensus. Sandstein 08:53, 26 January 2022 (UTC)
[Hide this box] New to Articles for deletion (AfD)? Read these primers!
The subject of this article does not conform to Wikipedia notability standards. The article simply gives his name and lists his relatives, many of whom appear un-notable too. Emmentalist ( talk) 07:44, 18 January 2022 (UTC)
There is usefulness in having a compete set of entries on hereditary peers, even if some peers are less prominent or noteworthy than others, even when the article must of necessity remain something of a stub.Hawkeye7 (discuss) 04:31, 19 January 2022 (UTC)
I am not a regular Wikipedia editor but I do enjoy reading about history and nobility on Wikipedia and sometimes I post a comment if it might be useful. Can I suggest that a good way of seeing this subject is to look at the EarlofCaldon article and particularly at the 'lines of succession' section. There you will see that the 6th Earl (Denis Alexander) is listed. Below him is listed his uncle, Harold Alexander. There are big two differences, though, and they're both interesting and relevant here. First, Harold was not an heir (his brother, Denis' father, was the heir) and so would never normally have been an Earl (and presumably would not have a second page in normal circumstances). But second, Harold became a Field Marshal and Governor of Canada and actually an Earl in his own right. This seems to serve perfectly the point that some nobles' lives are honourable but not notable and so their Wikipedia entry seems best to stop there - I suggest Denis Alexander is such a case. Whereas some nobles' lives are indeed notable and should have a full Wikipedia page dedicated to them like any other highly notable person. Harold seems the perfect example of the latter. I hope this is helpful. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A00:23C5:C12D:C200:CCE1:7C3A:3AD4:30B2 ( talk) 13:57, 20 January 2022 (UTC)
"A topic is presumed to be suitable for a stand-alone article or list when it has received significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject" and "'Independent of the subject' excludes works produced by the article's subject or someone affiliated with it".
On a lighter note, @TheTechnician27 made me smile: Yes, it is always best to read the article and look at the points made in this discussion before deciding what should happen. That way, you will not describe someone as a confirmed bachelor when they were married with children. As a side note, the notion of the 'endearingly eccentric bachelor' in an old publication may very possibly be a less-than-subtle coded reference which Wikipedian's may wish to think about before citing? All the best to everyone participating, and thanks very much. Emmentalist ( talk) 08:50, 21 January 2022 (UTC)
Hi, @deathlibrarian. Thanks for your thoughts, but it is best to assume good faith and to be respectful of other editors/contributors. It's also advisable - said with genuine great respect - to read the other contributions before passing your own comments because otherwise you risk repeating the same points other have and missing all the arguments. For your information, it has been argued by many above, including the people you mention in the pejorative, that a number of policies imply (not infer) the requirement to delete/merge the Denis Alexander article. These include WP:Basic, WP:GNG, WP:Notability and that Who's Who is not agreed as a reliable source WP:RSN. There are a number of other policies which likely apply and in the end the closing administrator will give weight to all of these when adjudicating. Finally, the proposal is not to 'not cover' the peerage, but to delete the article while merging the relevant information at the Earl of Caledon article. All the best, Emmentalist ( talk) 11:11, 21 January 2022 (UTC)
I proposed the AfD and make these closing comments. The discussion has been excellent (imho): Informed, measured and polite. It seems to have reached a natural conclusion 2 or 3 days ago after 4 or 5 days. Some contributors have argued to 'Keep' based mainly upon previous practice and a Who's Who reference. A little more (although it has been far from one-sided) have argued for 'Delete' or 'Merge (with main Earl of Caldon article) based mainly upon Wikipedia policies including WP:GNG and WP:Basic. It is now a matter for an adjudicating admin, who may decided that other policies are relevant before issuing a decision. It has been a pleasure taking part in such an interesting and thoughtful discussion, whatever the outcome, and I would like to thank all who have taken the time to chip in. I would also like to thank the adjudicating admin in advance for their time and effort [it is perhaps worth saying, as I'm not sure of the full procedure now, that I would be happy to help should the admin decide to merge, but I am not presupposing that outcome]. All the best Emmentalist ( talk) 07:21, 25 January 2022 (UTC)