Marriage strategies of Midlands 'lesser gentry', c.1660-1820
Secondary writers describing lesser gentry marital practices have usually relied on extrapolation from the procedures of the wealthy gentry but there is no consensus about whether squirearchy practices were a diluted form of metropolitan procedures or diverged from them because of different aims and limited resources. This study examines the marriage-making strategies of Midlands squires. The Midlands is an area far enough from London to escape many metropolitan influences and its rapid economic and industrial expansion may have influenced gentry strategies and relationships. âLesser gentryâ is a term used to describe landowners with relatively small estates and limited resources who were usually inactive in county or national governance. It is an imprecise term because social boundaries were blurred, making them a fluid and porous social group in which status could change. Lesser gentry saw themselves as an integral sub-stratum of the gentry despite differences in wealth and influence. I argue that their marital practices were closer to those of the greater gentry than the wealthier urban merchants and professionals with whom they are often compared and that they experienced similar procedural changes
Davies, Hugh Gareth
DA Great Britain ; HQ The family. Marriage. Woman
Marriage strategies of Midlands 'lesser gentry', c.1660-1820. Secondary writers describing lesser gentry marital practices have usually relied on extrapolation from the procedures of the wealthy gentry but there is no consensus about whether squirearchy practices were a diluted form of metropolitan procedures or diverged from them because of different aims and limited resources. This study examines the marriage-making strategies of Midlands squires. The Midlands is an area far enough from London to escape many metropolitan influences and its rapid economic and industrial expansion may have influenced gentry strategies and relationships. âLesser gentryâ is a term used to describe landowners with relatively small estates and limited resources who were usually inactive in county or national governance. It is an imprecise term because social boundaries were blurred, making them a fluid and porous social group in which status could change. Lesser gentry saw themselves as an integral sub-stratum of the gentry despite differences in wealth and influence. I argue that their marital practices were closer to those of the greater gentry than the wealthier urban merchants and professionals with whom they are often compared and that they experienced similar procedural changes
marriage strategy midlands lesser gentry secondary writer describe less gentry marital practice usually rely extrapolation procedure wealthy gentry consensus whether practice form metropolitan procedure diverge different aim limited_resource study examine marriage making strategy midlands midlands area far enough london escape many metropolitan influence rapid economic industrial expansion may_influence gentry strategy relationship lesser gentry term use_describe landowner relatively_small estate limited_resource usually inactive county national governance imprecise term social boundary blur make fluid social_group status could change lesser gentry saw integral sub stratum gentry despite_difference wealth influence argue marital practice closer great gentry wealthy urban merchant professional often compare experience similar procedural change