English class terminology

ENGLISH CLASS TERMINOLOGY

ag. lab. - agricultural labourer

The term "Ag. Lab." is frequently found in census records, but it should not be taken at face value. Before the Twentieth Century the word "labourer" was used rather as we would use the word "worker", e.g., in factory worker, or shop worker. It should be taken as a general term for anyone employed in agriculture including a variety of highly skilled jobs, such as shepherds or cowmen. For instance a shepherd was entrusted by a farmer with the upkeep of a valuable resource, and was expected to have sufficient expertise to handle everything that pertained to his flocks, including their health.

aristocracy - members of an heriditary ruling class. see nobility.

baron - a heriditary title, the 5th and lowest order of the nobility

baroness - the wife or widow of a baron, or holding the position in her own right.

baronet - a heriditary title. It does not confer membership of the nobility.

The rules for terms of address are:

Self Sir + first name

Wife Lady + surname

Son   Mr

Daughter Miss

baronetage - the order of baronets.

Dame - a nonhereditary title.

Originally used as a courtesy title for a woman in authority or a mistress of a household. Also used as the title of a wife or widow of a knight. Later someone who has been made a Dame of the British Empire by the monarch.

duchess - the wife of a duke. Her full title would be Duchess+of+title, e.g., Duchess of Wellington

duke - a heriditary title, the highest order of the nobility

earl - a heriditary title, the 3rd highest order of the nobility

Esq. - Esquire.

Originally denoted a knight's squire. Later it became appended to the name of individuals who had no official class standing, and therefore no formal title, but who had sufficient social stature to be considered a cut above the rest. In the main it was used for lawyers, but later came to be applied more generally.

A remnant of this usage is found in the US legal profession today, where lawyers still use the term when writing to each other.

gentleman - a male member of the gentry class

gentry - commoners who had a private income and had no need to work

knight - originally an armed soldier employed by a baron. Later a commoner who has been knighted by the monarch. The title does not confer membership of the nobility.

The rules for terms of address are:

Self Sir + first name

Wife Dame + surname

Son Mr.

Daughter Miss

Knight of the Shire - a knight employed in the administration of a county.

Before the Great Reform Act of 1832 the Knights of the Shire sat in the House of Commons as representatives of their county. The office is still in use today, for example the names of prospective candidates to be appointed as magistrates are passed to the local Knight of the Shire for final vetting. (Democracy, alas...)

labourer - a general term for a worker, not neccessarily unskilled.

The term still retains its general meaning today in such terms as "labour supply", etc.

lady (non-capitalized) - usually denotes a female member of the gentry.

Lady (capitalized) - can denote a female member of the nobility or baronetage, or a member of the gentry class with proprietory rights and authority, for example as over a manor.

Note: the wife of an aristocrat is referred to by Lady plus her title, e.g., Lady Falmouth, whereas the wife of a baronet is referred to by Lady plus her surname, e.g., Lady Shelley.

lord - by itself denotes a male member of the nobility. It is also found in combination, as in Lord Justice when applied to a judge.

lord of the manor - a person of rank responsible to the monarch for administering an area of land. Normally a member of the nobility or baronetage.

marquis - a heriditary title, the 2nd highest order of the nobility

Miss - an unmarried female

Before the mid-Nineteenth Century usually only applied to members of the gentry class. Other unmarried females were simply referred to or addressed by their name.

Mr - Mister

Mr is not the general term for an adult male as it is today, but in the early Nineteenth Century and before it was an honorific only used for members of the gentry class, i.e., commoners who had a private income and had no need to work. A baptismal entry in the parish records for an ordinary parishioner might give the parents names as "John and Mary Smith", but an entry such as "Mr John Smith and his wife, Mary" would indicate that John Smith was a member of the gentry class. "Mr John Smith and his lady wife, Mary" has the further inference that Mary Smith has some social standing in her own right.

Such entries are often found not in date order, but added later by the vicar from his personal diary. Most people had to go to chuch to be married or have their children baptised, but with the gentry, the vicar went to them. To the gentry, although the local vicar was an honorary gentleman, i.e., a "professional", he was still someone who worked for a living, and therefore an inferior.

A remnant of this usage of Mr is found today in the English medical profession. Here it is reserved for consultants and surgeons, the idea being that they are of a higher standing than mere doctors.

Mrs - derived from Mistress, which was applied to any married female in authority, for instance a tavern keeper. Later it became the female equivalent of Mr and denoted a member of the gentry class.

My Lord the form of address for a Lord (see above), member of the Church of England with the rank of bishop or above, or a judge when a court is in session. It can also be found in combination, such as My Lord Bishop.

My Lady the form of address for a Lady (capitalized). See above.

nobility - members of an heriditary ruling class. Aristocrats.

The rules for modes of address are:

Title Duke Marquis Earl Viscount Baron

Self Duke+of+title Lord+title Lord+title Lord+title Lord+title

Wife Duchess+of+title Lady+title Lady+title Lady+title Lady+title

Son Lord+first name Lord+first name Hon. Hon. Hon.

Daughter Lady+first name Lady+first name Lady+first name Hon. Hon.

peer - a general term for "an equal".

Peer - abbreviation of Peer of the Realm. Indicates the aristocrats (and today the government appointees) who sit in the House of Lords.

Until the law was reformed, every aristocrat had the right to be tried by his peers (i.e., in the House of Lords), rather than in a common court.

Rev'd - Reverend. Denotes a member of the Church of England, usually a vicar or rector.

Sir - the form of address for a baronet or a knight

the ton - an expression used for those of the nobility who set the tone of the social scene.

viscount - a heriditary title, the 4th highest order of the nobility