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Gentlemen, Gentry and Regency Era Social Class — 21 Comments

  1. This article, as usual, was very interesting . I can only imagine the amount of research you must do to be able to enlighten and entertain us.

    Thank you!

    • I suppose it is possible. But since a knight is a lower title than a baronet, I think it unlikely that a lower honor would be bestowed when a higher one is already possessed.

        • Certainly a man could have more than one title or award, especially if he started quite young on his career of success.

          Edward Pellew was a frigate captain who was awarded a knighthood in 1793 for his success in one of the first actions of the French Revolutionary War.
          Then in 1796 he was awarded a baronetcy for his heroism in rescuing the crew of a stranded troopship. Later in 1814, he was created Baron Exmouth and in 1816 Viscount Exmouth.
          In 1832, he was awarded a second knighthood, that of the Order of the Bath.

    • Definitely. So could peers. The Order of the Garter, the most prestigious order of knighthood, was and still is given to many members of the peerage. The orders of knighthood convey different levels of distinction and were often given for personal service to the sovereign. If a baronet was knighted his style wouldn’t change, but he would appreciate the honor.

      Interesting post, Maria. Romance tends to concentrate on the nobility, but there were “commoners” equal in wealth and importance to many peers. They could sit in Parliament in the House of Commons which, by the 19th century, was already the more powerful house.

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  6. I was just trying to find out how much a reasonable country estate would cost to purchase for an up and coming family.
    In Pride and Prejudice, we see Charles Bingley with a fortune of around £100,000 looking to buy an estate. How much of his capital would be invested in such an estate.

    • The best answer I have been able to find does not have a reference attached, so, though it makes sense, proceed with caution. The source suggests the yearly earnings on an estate represent about 5% of sale price/value of an estate. So an estate producing 2000 pounds a year would be valued at about 40,000 pounds.

      Hope this helps.

  7. A baronet and a knight ARE NOT the same. A baronet is an hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. It is the only hereditary title that is not part of the peerage.

    A knight is of a lower rank than a baronet, even if both are given the title of “Sir”. But a knighthood is not an hereditary title.

  8. Hi, would you mind telling me where you got your information about the gentry class, especially the statistics. Your resources seem to be more geared toward being a gentleman.

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