The English Gentry

The English gentry refers to a social class of wealthy landowners and influential figures below the aristocracy but above common workers. Typically landowners, they held significant local power and social status through their estates, wealth, and influence. During the medieval and early modern periods, the gentry included knights, gentlemen, and wealthy merchants who played key roles in local governance, politics, and society. While not peers of the realm, they often served as justices of the peace and controlled rural communities, shaping social and economic life in England.