Quote Originally Posted by Archangel
This isn't quite right. The biggest problem is the use of the word "gentleman" which has a different meaning now than in the period under discussion. Freeman and gentry also have different meanings and as such could fall into the ranks of nobility, i.e., they don't exist without nobility.
Just curious ... I was under the impression that the designation of "Gentleman" in the period under discussion meant that he was either a 'well bred man', or a 'man of noble birth'. So, you could be born into it, or you could achieve it in your own right.

Of course meanings of words change over time, as well as over generations.

Brian