Summary
Summary of The Noble and Gentle Men of England
The Noble and Gentle Men of England at a glance
Summary: 7 min to read
- Reading time
- About 4 h 20 min3 h 30 min fast, 5 h 10 min slow
- Length
- 62,400 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1859by Evelyn Philip Shirley
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
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Key ideas
Key idea 1
Strict rules define an ancient family
Shirley begins by deciding who belongs. A family must still exist and must have held knightly or gentle standing before the sixteenth century. Descent must follow the male line, without illegitimate descent or a name and arms taken through a woman.
Land supplies another boundary: families that move are listed where they now live, while those without land disappear from consideration. These rules explain why familiar names may be absent. For Shirley, a pedigree means little until the terms of belonging are clear.
Key idea 2
Land gives ancestry its lasting place
For Shirley, ancient dignity belongs to the land rather than to its owner.
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Key idea 3
Heiresses move estates between families
Marriage repeatedly changes the ownership of the countryside.
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Key idea 4
The oldest claims need recorded roots
For some families, Domesday Book provides a starting point that later stories cannot replace.
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Key idea 5
Royal loyalty puts families at risk
The Civil Wars bring danger and royal favor into these family histories.
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Key idea 6
Old names can hold newer wealth
An ancient family name does not mean that its wealth has equally ancient roots.
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Key idea 7
Honest pedigrees leave gaps visible
Shirley distrusts family histories that flatter their subjects with claims the records cannot support.
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Key idea 8
Coats of arms preserve family stories
A coat of arms is more than an identifying design in these entries.
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Key idea 9
Ancient blood must answer to evidence
Across the counties, the same forces keep shaping family histories: founders acquire manors, heiresses move estates, and loyalty affects survival.
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Who it’s for
This book suits lovers of family history, heraldry, country houses and local lore, and anyone who enjoys finding the people behind an English place name.
What this book is
Which English families still live on land their ancestors held before 1500? Evelyn Philip Shirley sets out to answer that question, county by county, in a book of short family portraits.
He published it in 1859 and revised it twice. He lists families whose male line survives and who stood as knightly or gentle houses before the sixteenth century. Great names sit beside quiet squires such as the Kellys of Kelly. You get a map of the English countryside told through names, marriages and manors. First, you will see the strict rules Shirley sets for who may enter.
In this summary
- 1Strict rules define an ancient familyFree
- 2Land gives ancestry its lasting place
- 3Heiresses move estates between families
- 4The oldest claims need recorded roots
- 5Royal loyalty puts families at risk
- 6Old names can hold newer wealth
- 7Honest pedigrees leave gaps visible
- 8Coats of arms preserve family stories
- 9Ancient blood must answer to evidence
Four rules decide who enters the book
Shirley opens with a preface that works like a gatekeeper. Only families that still exist can appear, and each must have stood as a knightly or gentle house before the sixteenth century.
The second rule follows the male line. He rejects families that took a name and arms through a woman. The third rule leaves out illegitimate descent. The fourth is about place. A family that has sold its old estates is listed where it now lives, and a family with no land left is left out.
The rules bend when facts change. In the third edition he adds Lovett of Liscombe and Basset of Tehidy, whose land had lately sat in female hands. Many famous names are missing because they rose after 1500, often on the ruins of the monasteries.
A good pedigree starts with clear rules about what counts.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
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Check yourself
What gives a family its ancient dignity in Shirley's view?
Right. “Ancient dignity belonged to the land rather than to the person.”Not quite. “Ancient dignity belonged to the land rather than to the person.”
How do heiresses most often reshape the history of estates?
Right. “Again and again, a younger son marries a daughter with land and moves to her manor.”Not quite. “Again and again, a younger son marries a daughter with land and moves to her manor.”
What does Shirley do when records cannot support a pedigree?
Right. “When records are lost, as in the fire at Allenton in 1721, he leaves the gap visible instead of filling it with invention.”Not quite. “When records are lost, as in the fire at Allenton in 1721, he leaves the gap visible instead of filling it with invention.”
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About 4 h 30 min to read.Start freePaperback, hardcover and large print, printed for you at cost, are on their way.Email me when it is printed
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 62,400 words
- Reading timeAbout 4 h 20 min
Questions about The Noble and Gentle Men of England
What is The Noble and Gentle Men of England about?
It is a county-by-county register of English landed families whose male lines survived, each established at knightly or gentle rank before 1500. Entries give seats, ancestors, branches and arms.
Which families does the book include?
It includes families that still exist and held knightly or gentle rank before the sixteenth century. Descent must run through the male line, and a family with no remaining estate is left out.
What do the coats of arms in each entry mean?
They are written in the language of heralds and show a family's identity. Many carry small stories of service, marriage or place, and variations from reign to reign mark branches.
When was the book written and is it reliable?
Shirley first published it in 1859 and added prefaces in 1860 and 1866. He relied on county histories and manuscripts and says plainly when a pedigree is doubtful.
Is the book easy to use?
Yes, in a practical sense. Entries are short and share one pattern, and counties run in alphabetical order, so you can start at any page and find a family at once.
Cite this edition
Shirley, Evelyn Philip. The Noble and Gentle Men of England. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-noble-and-gentle-men-of-england.
Shirley, E. P. (2026). The noble and gentle men of England. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-noble-and-gentle-men-of-england (Original work published 1859)
Shirley, Evelyn Philip. The Noble and Gentle Men of England. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-noble-and-gentle-men-of-england.
@book{shirley2026noble,
author = {Shirley, Evelyn Philip},
title = {The Noble and Gentle Men of England},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-noble-and-gentle-men-of-england},
note = {First published 1859}
}
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