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[…]Hitherto,gentle(gentil)hadmeantnoble,andbefore1400gentlemenwerenoble-
men,bornandnotmade.47
Towhatispresentedabovewecanaddachecklistofqualificationsamanorfam-
ilyhadtopossesstobeacceptedaspotentiallyarmigerous.Thelistincludes:gentle
bloodofancestry,asourceofrevenue,theholdingofoffice,“kinshiporhabitual
associationwith‘worshipfullgentlemen'andpersonsof‘nobleblood'”,honourable
service(eithermilitaryorinanoblehousehold).48
Bytheendofthefifteenthcentury,thegentryconsistedofknights,esquiresandgen-
tlemen,agroupoflandownerswhocouldbearheraldiccoatsofarms.Knightswere
menofwealthandsocialinfluence.Althoughthetitlewasessentiallyamilitaryone,
theCrownexpectedofthemotherservicesbesidesmilitaryones,forinstance,inlocal
administrationandcourtsoflaw.Fromthethirteenthcenturythosewithastipulated
landedincomeof£20ormorewerecalledtotakeknighthood.Esquire(alternatively
calledarmiger,valetorsergeant)wasthetermusedtodescribeaknight'sservant,the
householdservantofanaristocrat,atraineeknightormountedcavalryman.Armigeri
weremenofnon-knightlystatusbutofsufficientlandedincomeatleast£15peran-
num.AccordingtoPeterCoss,inthemiddlethirdofthefourteenthcentury“esquire
replacedvaletasthetermusedtodescribenon-knightlyretainersinindentures.”
Inconsequence,thewordvaletbegantoloseitsstatus,comingultimatelytoimply
amoremenialservant.49Inthecourseofthefifteenthcenturytherankof‘mere'
gentlemancametoberecognisedaspotentiallyarmigerous.Thetermgentleman
appearedforthefirsttimeasasignofsocialstatusintheStatuteofAdditionsof
1413.TheStatuteorderedthatinallofficialdocumentsconcerningcriminalactions
the“estate,degreeormystery”oftheoffenderbespecified.50Inthefifteenthcentury
£10perannumcametobethoughtofasaminimumfortheneedsofagentleman.
“Thepossessionofatleast£10p.a.becamesignificantasastandardbothsocially
andheraldically.”51Theseparationofmenofworthintolords,knights,esquires,and
gentlemencanbefoundincountylistsbeforetheTudors.52
47
T.B.Pugh,“TheMagnates,KnightsandGentry”,[in:]Fifteenth-CenturyEngland:1399–
1509,ed.S.B.Chrimes,C.D.Ross,andR.A.Griffiths(Manchester,1972),pp.96–7.
48
Keen,OriginsoftheEnglishGentleman,p.105.
49
Coss,“TheFormationoftheEnglishGentry”,p.7,accessedon01.11.2007
50
SeeStatutesoftheRealm(1810–28),II,p.171(1HenryV,cap.V),citedinD.A.L.Mor-
gan,“TheIndividualStyleoftheEnglishGentleman”,[in:]M.Jones(ed.),GentryandLesser
NobilityinLateMedievalEurope(Gloucester,1986),pp.16and29,n.2).
51
Keen,OriginsoftheEnglishGentleman,p.109.
52
Seeforinstance,BLCottonMSFaustinaEii,ff.222r–225r;BLHarleyMS6,166,ff.50–
–64n.s.
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