Are you related to English Gentry?

Think back to the 19^th century in Great Britain. What constituted someone as Gentry? The gentry were mostly landholders who owned a minimum of 1000 acres of land. Refer to Burke’s Landed Gentry for a list of Victorian and 20^th century landed gentry. In towns gentry are listed as “Private Residents”. You should consult post office and trade directories as well. Finally, check out parish registers and examine the births, deaths and marriages from 1837 and the 1841 to 1901 census records. Visit your local Family History centre and examine these records. Hopefully, these records will describe them as gentry or gentleman.

Check out the website of the National Archives. Often you can find references to gentry and aristocratic families. You should note that most gentry’s families date back during and before the 19^th century. There could be a possibility that some families ceased to be gentry.

Another rich source of information is Newspaper & Magazines. If you suspect you have a gentry’s ancestor who lived between 1731 and 1868 there was a Magazine called the Gentleman’s Magazine. This magazine often published information about important citizens. You might find an article about an ancestor or their birth, death or marriage notice. Newspapers also mention important events about people’s lives. Check out your local library to track down these publications.

Other good sources are polling records. A gentleman was entitled to vote if they owned a certain amount of property and derived a certain amount of income. Check out the poll lists for names. Examine family Coats of arms. In order to receive Coats of arms, gentlemen had to prove they were entitled to it. They did this by showing their ancestors used the same coat for at least 80 years; This was then recorded officially if they paid set fees. Refer to the Harleian Society publications.

Check out any government records such as Tax & land transactions. You should find many transactions that indicate persons as gentleman. Finally it is worth examining wills & court records. Just like modern times there were many disputes over rights, wills, debts and so on. As you can see, there are many avenues to trace gentry. There is a good chance that somewhere down the line you may be related to gentry.

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