Definition of "Gentleman"

[MariaB]

Thank you for this clarification, Stan. Bank of Ireland would still use the term "Esq" in the 1980s when the account holder owned land - most (married) farmers were listed " A.N. Other, Esq. & Mrs.  Jane Other" - at least they allowed the wives their own first name that way :-)

What would be the corresponding term for a single woman of higher standing / origin, if there was any?

Maria 

[msallen]

What would be the corresponding term for a single woman of higher standing / origin, if there was any?

The term "gentlewoman" was used, but I only come across it very occasionally.

[Charlesworth]

I think the term 'gentleman' would sometimes be used by members of the aspiring middle classes.  I have a couple of ancestors who were recorded as 'gentleman' on various documents, just because they seemed to have had enough money/land to not have to work - but they weren't born into the landed gentry, they were bakers and farmers.

[MariaB]

Wiggy wrote
> Some of my lot ended up with thousands of acres of free land!!  No wonder they did well for themselves!     
The other side who came later and had to buy land didn't do nearly as well!! <

A clear case of ending up at the right place at the right time.
Isn't that a form of poetic justice when you consider for what kind of often petty misdemeanours they were deported?

Maria

[jfremont]

I have a case where my gggrandmother was widowed with 4 children but she had some money since her husband had been a successful builder. Soon after she took up with a young man who gave his occupation as gentleman. They had 5 children and then he disappeared. When one of the daughters from this relationship was married, she gave her father's occupation as squatter which I suspect was more accurate. So I think the term gentleman was used rather loosely.

John

[Wiggy]

in Australia Squatters were considered 'gentlemen' often - they got out there and squatted on vast acreages and became the 'squattocracy' of Australia!!  They are still there some of them with 'stations' (ranches) the size of Wales in some cases

[Jean McGurn]

Remember when at school in the 1950's we were told that the correct way to  write the name on an envelope to a child it should be Master John Smith, his father would be John Smith Esq and if it was to a business it should be Messrs John Smith & Co.Ltd.

Jean

 

[Wiggy]

We didn't    - we had to write Mr John Smith for Dad!    And the address sloped - remember that?   and had commas at the end of the lines!   

[Jean McGurn]

Think you are right there Wiggy, it was most likely to other men. I have vague recollections of typring envelopes at my first job in 1957 and the boss was always insistant that that Esq was after the name, Perhaps it would have been J.Smith Esq 

I still slope the address and end each line with a comma when writing envelopes. Force of habit I suppose.

Jean