] A baronetcy is a hereditary knighthood. Like all knights, a baronet is a commoner. (snip) To me, its origin has always given it a kind of gimcrack air, an inferior imitation of a real peerage. The pride of Sir Walter Elliott, Bart. is ridiculous in part because he is only a baronet and not a peer.

Perhaps this was done on purpose by JA, kind of like placing the Elliots in Camden Crescent in Bath, a set of buildings that were never finished because of landslips aka "shaky ground".

Isn't her subtlety masterful?