Further to Daniel Szechi, the reference to him as a 'noble commoner'
relates to the fact that Lord North was a 'courtesy title' which he assumed
after his father was created earl of Guilford in 1752. He did not formally
succeed to the titles until his father's death in 1790. Thus North
remained a member of the House of Commons. If the reference is after the
dismissal of the North-Fox ministry at the end of 1783, the reference has a
further point because it was widely assumed that North would be given a
peerage to get him out of the Commons. North himself refers to the
possibility of his being 'kicked upstairs'(the earliest use of that
expression I have seen.)
Michael Bennett, History Dept, Uni. of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia 7001