Genealogy Chat

This is probably a really stupid question, but what was a Gentleman, please? On my gg GF marriage certificate his wife-to-be's father's occupation was a gentleman. Thank you for your help. Julia

A posh chap who presumably had a private income and didn't have to do a job! 'Gentleman Gentry; Aristocrat, whose income came from his land ' from www.rmhh*co.uk/occup/ nell

gen·tle·man (jntl-mn) n. 1. A man of gentle or noble birth or superior social position: 'He's too much a gentleman to be a scholar' Aphra Behn. 2. A well-mannered and considerate man with high standards of proper behavior. 3. A man of independent means who does not need to have a wage-paying job. 4. A man: Do you know this gentleman? 5. gentlemen (-mn) Used as a form of address for a group of men. 6. A manservant; a valet.

My GG Grandad was described as gentleman on his son's birth certificate. I've never been able to find any more about him. Gentlemen are much harder to trace than butchers and bakers!

One of mine started out as a butcher then ended up a gentleman. He ploughed all his money into property some of that other butcher shops. Sheila

Thanks everyone for your answers. Thanks Nell for the occupations link, I have saved it to read later on :)) Julia

I know this is being frivolous, but i think they are something that is now extinct or at least, very rare. Mo

LOL Mo, very true! I have just been looking the family up, and thanks to Nell and her occupations link, I have found out that he was a Wharfinger (owner or manager of a wharf). Julia

It can also mean someone who is retired and living on his own income - I had one of those, a publican.

I have had a couple. I think mine were retired farmers. I have also had yeoman which old crone kindly told me meant they owned their land rather than rented it. I think anyone could describe themselves as a gentleman as long as they were reasonably wealthy.

Someone who does naff all!!!!

A gentleman would never hit a woman without taking his hat off. :-) Keith