Thanks due to both Grand Inquisitor and Tomcat for clarifying this.

Since my previous posting I have, of course, found that it is possible to appoint a governor located elsewhere. Perhaps it was just when I first tried to do that, it didn't let me, for whatever reason and I had thought 'that was that'. Possibly I was trying to appoint someone who already had one governorship title? Whatever the case, I have also found out that things like Chancellor of the Exchequer (English) can be given as a second award. I imagine it has the effect of enhancing the entire economy, so it's just as well I picked a good 'un.

Yes, a number of my governors are just peasant units and they're all kept out of harm's way. I had at least one in a 'frontline' province - an archer unit, not utterly unique and thus harder to distinguish - but I slapped him in the fort/keep so he only ever came out when I was under attack and even then he'd be in the reinforcements group, hopefully last in line to come on. It's a pity you can't see the title logo on the unit icons in the battle screen, just in case you accidentally deploy it from amongst the reinforcements, before the start.

One odd thing I've noticed. Some generals who haven't been made governor have been stationed in non-frontline provinces and haven't moved in a long while. The actual governor for that province may happen to be stationed elsewhere. Whilst that is the case, I swear the local generals have been picking up 'builder', 'steward' traits and so forth from the activity going on there. I'm pretty sure these aren't individuals who I've stripped titles from in the past. Anyone else seen the like of this?