‘An uncle in trade …’: Rank

and Status in Regency Society

Da Silva Olivieira, Leticia
Mendes Ribeiro, Mariana
Tsagkogeorga, Dimitra

University of Luxembourg, English Studies-Text and Context

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 Overview:

• Regency Period ( Historical framework)

• Social Hierarchy
• Rank and Class
• Status of book characters
• Status of women in the Regency Era
• Society in Regency Period
• Education of women in the Regency period
• Regency social life
• Courtship and marriage
• Discussion

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 Regency Period :

• Regency period lasted from 1811-1820

• Reign of the Prince of Wales/ Regent

• Term Regency expanded to :

-various stretches of time  1795-1837

• Occurs at then end of the French Revolution

• Characterised to by distinctive fashion

Oil on canvas, 1861, National Portrait Gallery
politics and literature
Artist : Thomas Lawrence, Portrati painter

• Majority of Austen’s novel’s published between 1811-1817

 Classic Regency fiction : Pride and Prejudice (1813)

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One’s place in society…

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 The social hierachy during the Regency
period :
• Class divisions were divided up into
three main social classes :

1. Upper Class = Royalty/

Aristocracy
2. Middle Class = Professionals
3. Lower Class = Working Class

Social Class in England 1814 , Krisitne Hughes, 5

Ohio, 1998
• Social class influenced an individual’s behaviour and speech
 Best reflection of one position in the Empire

• Social rank depends on family background

 How to climb in the social ladder ?
-marriage or accumulating wealth
 The Bingley’s : ‘a respectable family in the
north of England; a circumstance more deeply
impressed on their memories than that their
brother’s fortune and their own had been acquired
by trade’

• Asserting one’s status was essential  determined life prospects

Question :
How to the social classes of the Regency Period differ compared to the
social classes of the modern world ?
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Rank and Class of the Regency Period
Royalty (called “your Majesty” King
or "your Highness") Queen
Prince
Princess
Nobility (called “Lord/Lady”) Duke
Marquis
Earl
The aristocracy of Viscount
peerage Baron

Commoners (called "Sir/Lady" or Baronet

"Mister/Mrs.") Knight
Landed gentry (land-
owners)
Other Gentlemen (called "Mister" or rank Affluent businessmen
title "Captain, Colonel, Navy and Army officers
etc...") Clergymen 7
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 Peerage
• Together with the bishops and
archbishops of the Church of
England composed the House of
Lords
• The title was always hereditary
• Fresh peers were less highly rated
Gentry
• Amorphous group
• Less influential at a national level,
might be elected to the House of
Commons, but mainly
preoccupied with local, “county”
affairs
• The title was not hereditary. (with
the exception of baronetage)
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 Knighthood
• ‘Sir William Lucas had been
formerly in trade in Meryton, where
he had made a tolerable fortune and
risen to the honour of knighthood by
an address to the King during his
mayoralty. The distinction had
perhaps been felt too strongly. It had
given him a disgust to his business
and to his residence in a small
market town; and quitting them both,
he had removed with his family to a
house about a mile from Meryton,
denominated from that period Lucas
Lodge, where he could think with
pleasure of his own importance, and,
unshackled by business, occupy
himself solely in being civil to all the
world.’
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 Mr. Bingley:

Renting Netherfield Hall

“Mr. Bingley inherited property to the amount of nearly an hundred

thousand pounds from his father, who had intended to purchase an estate,
but did not live to do it. -- Mr. Bingley intended it likewise, and sometimes
made choice of his county; but as he was now provided with a good house
and the liberty of a manor, it was doubtful to many of those who best knew
the easiness of his temper, whether he might not spend the remainder of his
days at Netherfield, and leave the next generation to purchase. His sisters
were very anxious for his having an estate of his own;”

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 Mr. Darcy
• Title less

• However immense deference

accorded to him by everyone

• Possession of a distinguished
family name

• Landowner of Pemberley

• High annual income

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 Status of women in the Regency Era

‘Single women have a dreadful propensity for being poor, which is one
very strong argument in favour of matrimony’
Jane Austen, letter of March 13, 1816

• Women could not become independent

• Few job opportunities

the ones available where not highly respected

• No access to money,
unless got married

Question : How about inheriting ?

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 Society during the Regency Period
‘Mr. Bennet’s property consisted almost entirely of an estate of two thousand a
year, which, unfortunately for his daugthers, was entailed in default of heirs
male, on distant relation’
(What Charles Dickens and Jane Austin knew, Entail and proctecting the Estate, p.74 )

• Land = basis of wealth, status and power in the 19th century England

• Protecting the estate as to ensure the balance of power :

entailment : establishing restrictions to garantie the intact inherison by

the eldest son
custom of primogeniture : the eldest son inherited the land
if ≠ sons than past to nearest male relatif

So what if all the children were girls ?

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=Disinherison of the five daughters
 The Education of young women in the
Regency period

• Woman with knowledge = unfeminine

• Upper-class + Middle class women education :

Focused on aquire ‘fashion’ accomplishments
dancing skills,

• Working class women :

Suspected to work at an early age
 servant

hide intellectuall powress

or risk being an outcast in the high society ‘The most accomplished
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girl’
 Regency Social life :
• Characters in the novel desire to attend assemblies or balls
 Elisabeth and Darcy’s first acquaintance

• Important social gathering

Question :But why was dancing an important social skill ?

 encounter eligible partner

 aspiring to marriage into a higher social status

 display of their standing in a community

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• Clothing

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 Addressing the betters…
‘You are not going to introduce yourself to Mr.
Darcy?'‘[…]
“Elizabeth tried hard to dissuade him from such a
scheme; assuring him that Mr. Darcy would
consider his addressing him without introduction
as an impertinent freedom, rather than a
compliment to his aunt;’
‘She entered the room with an air more
than usually ungracious, made no other
reply to Elizabeth's salutation than a
slight inclination of the head, and sat
down without saying a word. Elizabeth
had mentioned her name to her mother
on her ladyship's entrance, though no
request of introduction had been made’
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 High society’s lack of manners

• At Rosings • At Netherfield

• ‘She asked her at different times, • Miss Bingley portraits Elizabeth

how many sisters she had, whether Bennet
they were older or younger than
herself, whether any of them were
likely to be married, whether they • ‘no conversation, no stile, no
were handsome, where they had taste, no beauty[,]… nothing in
been educated, what carriage her short to recommend her’
father kept, and what had been her
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mother's maiden name?”.
 An Uncle in trade…

"I think I have heard you say that their uncle is

an attorney in Meryton“

"Yes; and they have another, who lives

somewhere near Cheapside.“

"That is capital," added her sister, and they

both laughed heartily.

"If they had uncles enough to fill all

Cheapside," cried Bingley, "it would not make
them one jot less agreeable.“

Gracechurch Street near

"But it must very materially lessen their
Cheapside in the City of
chance of marrying men of any consideration
London.
in the world," replied Darcy. 19
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 At Pemberley: Mr. Darcy’s “perfect
civility”

‘Her astonishment, however, was

extreme; and continually was she
repeating, ``Why is he so altered?
From what can it proceed? It
cannot be for me, it cannot be for
my sake that his manners are thus
softened’

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Courtship & Marriage in the Regency
Society :

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 Possible discussion topics
• What matters more? Status and wealth or attitude and values?

• How to the social classes of the Regency Period differ compared to the
social classes of the modern world ?

• Marriage as a financial security ?

• How critical is Jane Austin about the social of her time?

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 Bibliography :
Books:
• Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice Edited by Donald Gray and Mary A. Favret, Fourth Norton critical edition, 2016
• Pool Daniel, What Jane Austen ate and Charles Dickens knew: Fascinating facts of daily life in the nineteeth century, London :
Robinson, 1998

Internet sources :
• Prince Regent portrait by Thomas Lawrence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regency_era#/media/File:George_IV_bust1.jpg
• Social classe in England 1814 picture https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2008/01/20/social-classes-in-england-1814/
• https://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/status-rank-and-class-in-jane-austens-novels
• http://crossref-it.info/textguide/persuasion/33/2301
• http://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1046&context=criterion
• Picture of ‘the most accomplished girl’ http://www.bookdrum.com/books/pride-and-
• prejudice/9780141439518/bookmarks.html
• https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/social-customs-and-the-regency-world/
• https://www.college.columbia.edu/core/node/1765 Lucy Sheehan , Marriage and Gender Roles
• https://kimrendfeld.wordpress.com/2013/04/29/the-high-stakes-of-etiquette-for-young-ladies-in-the-regency/ Maria Grace, The
High Stakes of Etiquette for Young Ladies in the Regency
• https://byuprideandprejudice.wordpress.com/2014/01/28/courtship-and-marriage-in-the-regency-period/ Courtship and Marrage
in the Regency Period, 28 January 2014
• https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/social-customs-and-the-regency-world/
• http://www.janeausten.org/regency-period.asp
• https://www.college.columbia.edu/core/node/1765
• https://kimrendfeld.wordpress.com/2013/04/29/the-high-stakes-of-etiquette-for-young-ladies-in-the-regency/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regency_era#Society_during_the_Regency
• http://www.hierarchystructure.com/regency-period-social-hierarchy/
• https://kimrendfeld.wordpress.com/2013/04/29/the-high-stakes-of-etiquette-for-young-ladies-in-the-regency/

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