What makes a gentleman? - Random Bits of Fascination
 
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What makes a gentleman? — 7 Comments

  1. Both Army and Navy officers were paid by the Crown, though an Army officer would usually need additional income to be able to keep up appearances. The officer class drew their gentleman status from holding the King’s Commission rather than from the source of their income. Thus even relatively lowly men could become gentlemen through the armed forces and this was particularly true of the Navy, see Sir Walter’s concerns in Persuasion. A captain or admiral who had done well from prize money would be as rich or richer than many landowners. Others, less successful, would definitely be on the lower fringe of the gentleman scale. Of course a merchant navy captain could become very rich but he would not be a gentleman because he was in trade.

  2. How interesting. Getting married was a hard business back in the day and poor Mrs. Bennet would grab at anything that half-way resembled a gentleman for her girls. She didn’t care about anything other than seeing them well placed. Perhaps I shouldn’t be so angry with her after all… NAW!! She was horrid to disregard the happiness of her girls over being being married. I certainly enjoyed this post.

  3. What fascinates me is that in Pride and Prejudice, Austen refers to Wickham as a gentleman, through Darcy’s voice, of all people. It really twisted my view of what I understood the word to mean as per this article.

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