The Landed Gentry is a largely British social class consisting of land owners who could live entirely from rental income. They often worked as administrators of their own lands. The decline of this privileged class largely stemmed from the 1870s agricultural depression caused by the dramatic fall in grain prices following the opening up of the American prairies for cultivation and the advent of cheap transportation with the rise of steamboats.
Britain's dependence on imported grain during the 1830s was 2%; during the 1860s it was 24%; during the 1880s it was 45%, for corn it was 65%. By 1914 Britain depended on imports for 4/5th of her wheat and 40% of her meat.
Between 1809 and 1879, eighty eight per cent (88%) of British millionaires had been landowners; between 1880 and 1914 this figure dropped to 33% and fell further after the First World War.
During the first 3/4 of the 19th century, the British landed aristocracy were the wealthiest class in the world's richest country, but the vast increase in the carrying power of ships, the facilities of intercourse with foreign countries, and the further cheapening of cereals and meat meant that economically the old landed class were no longer 'lords of the earth.'
Many estates were sold or broken up. So devastating was this for the ranks formerly identified as being of the Landed Gentry that 'Burke's Land Gentry began, in the 20th century, to include families historically in this category who had ceased to own their ancestral lands. The focus of those who remained in this class shifted from the lands or estates themselves, to the stately home or 'family seat,' the principal residence, which was in many cases retained without the surrounding lands. Many of these buildings were purchased for the nation and preserved as monuments to the lifestyle of their former owners, partly because of the widespread destruction of country houses in the 20th century by owners who could no longer afford to maintain them.
The new born wealthy elite were no longer British aristocrats but American businessmen such as Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller and Andrew W. Mellon, who made their wealth from industry rather than land.
The Landed Gentry was distinct from, and socially 'below', the aristocracy or peer-age, that were able to become public, political and armed forces figures, although some of the Landed Gentry were as wealthy as some peers.
The designation 'Landed Gentry' originally referred exclusively to members of the upper class who were landlords and also commoners in the British sense, that is, did not hold hereditary titles (peer-age), but usage became more fluid over the time. By the late 19th century, the term was also applied to peers such as the Duke of West-Minster who lived on landed states.
The term 'Landed Gentry,' came to be used on lesser nobility in England around 1540, in the sense that the definition began to fill the parts of what the other high definition of nobility lacked.
The term 'Gentry' included 4 separate groups:
- Baronets: a hereditary title, created in the 14th century and revived by King James in 1611, giving the holder the right to be addressed as 'Sir.'
- Knights: originally a military rank, this status was increasingly awarded to civilians as a reward for service to the Crown. Holders have the right to be addressed as 'Sir' as are baronets, but the title is not hereditary.
- Esquires: originally men aspiring to knighthood, were the principal attendants on a knight. A squire was the shield or armor bearer that at times acted as a knight's errant runner. After the Middle Ages the title became an honor that could be conferred by the Crown, and by custom the holders of certain offices (barristers, lord mayor/mayor, justices of peace, and higher officer ranks in the armed services) were deemed to be Esquires.
- Gentlemen: possessors of a social status recognized as a separate title by the Statute of Additions of 1413. Generally men of high birth or rank, good social standing, and wealth, who did not need to work for a living, were considered gentlemen.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the names and families of those with titles (specifically peers and baronets, less often including the non-hereditary title of knight) were often listed in books or manuals known as 'Peer-ages,' 'Baronet-ages,' or combinations of these categories. As well as listing genealogical information, these books often also included details of the right of a given family to a coat of arms (shield, supporters, crest, and motto). The ancient Romans used similar insignia on their shields, but these identified military units rather than individuals. Despite no widespread regulation, heraldry has remained consistent across Europe, where tradition alone has governed the design and use of arms.
In the 21st century, the term 'Landed Gentry' is still used, and the landowning class still exists, but it is increasingly refers more to historic than to current wealth or property in a family. Moreover, the deference which was once automatically given to members of this class by most British people has almost completely dissipated as its wealth, political power, and social influence has declined, and other social figures such as celebrities have grown to take their place in the public's interest.
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