In feudal times a squire was a man-at-arms in the service of a knight, often as his apprentice. In later years, the term's meaning shifted. Squire may refer to A low-ranking medieval man-at-arms, a maybe of the later landed gentry, or a residual modern courtesy title deriving from these. ... Squier is a second-line brand of the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. ... Feudalism comes from the Late Latin word feudum, itself borrowed from a Germanic root *fehu, a commonly used term in the Middle Ages which means fief, or land held under certain obligations by feodati. ... Man-at-arms was a medieval term for a soldier, almost always a professional. ... For other uses, see Knight (disambiguation) or Knights (disambiguation). ... If youre looking for the TV show, see The Apprentice. ...

Medieval usage

The English word squire comes from the Old French escuier (modern French écuyer), itself derived from the Late Latin scutarius ("shield bearer"). The Classical Latin equivalent was armiger, "arms bearer". Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories corresponding roughly to the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from around 1000 to 1300. ... Vulgar Latin, as in this political graffito at Pompeii, was the speech of ordinary people of the Roman Empire — different from the classical Latin used by the Roman elite. ...

A squire was originally a young man who aspired to the rank of knighthood and who, as part of his development to that end, served an existing knight as his attendant or shield carrier. However, during the middle ages the rank of esquire came to be recognized in its own right and, once knighthood ceased to be conferred by any but the monarch, it was no longer to be assumed that a squire would in due course progress to be a knight. The connection between a squire and any particular knight also ceased to exist, as did any shield carrying duties. For other uses, see Knight (disambiguation) or Knights (disambiguation). ... A statue of an armoured knight of the Middle Ages For the chess piece, see knight (chess). ...

Later usage

The term esquire

Main article: Esquire

In the post-mediaeval world, the title of esquire came to belong to all men of the higher gentry; an esquire ranked socially above a gentleman but below a knight. In the modern world, where all men are assumed to be gentlemen, the term has correspondingly often been extended (albeit only in very formal writing) to all men without any higher title. It is used postnominally, usually in abbreviated form: "Thomas Smith, Esq.", for example. This article is about the title. ... For other uses, see Gentleman (disambiguation). ...

In the United States, this style is most common among attorneys, borrowing from the English tradition whereby all barristers were styled "Esquires". (Solicitors were only entitled to the style "Mr".) An attorney is someone who represents someone else in the transaction of business: For attorney-at-law, see lawyer, solicitor, barrister or civil law notary. ... // Artists impression of an English and Irish barrister A barrister is a lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions which employ a split profession (as opposed to a fused profession) in relation to legal representation. ... In the United Kingdom and countries having a similar legal system the legal profession is divided into two kinds of lawyers: the solicitors who contact and advise clients, and barristers who argue cases in court. ...

Village squire

In English village life from the late 17th century through the early 20th century, there was often one principal family of gentry, owning much of the land and living in the largest house. The head of this family was often called "the squire." For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Masouleh village, Gilan Province, Iran. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Squires were gentlemen with a coat of arms and were often related to peers. Many could claim descent from knights and had been settled in their estates for hundreds of years. The squire usually lived at the village manor house and owned an estate comprising the village with the villagers being his tenants. If the squire owned the living (was patron) of the parish church—and he often did—he would choose the rector, a role often filled by a younger son of the squire. Some squires also became the local rector themselves and were known as squarsons—a combination of the words squire and parson. The squire would also have performed a number of important local duties, in particular that of justice of the peace or Member of Parliament. Such was the power of the squires at this time that modern historians have created the term squirearchy. Ightham Mote For the London district, see Manor House, London. ... Generally, patronage is the act of supporting or favoring some person, group, or institution. ... A parish is a type of administrative subdivision. ... For the architectural structure, see Church (building). ... The word rector (ruler, from the Latin regere) has a number of different meanings, but all of them indicate someone who is in charge of something. ... A parson is a member of the Protestant clergy. ... A justice of the peace (JP) is a puisne judicial officer appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... Landed gentry is a term traditionally applied in Britain to members of the upper class families with country estates often (but not always) farmed on their behalf by others, and who might be without a peerage or other hereditary title. ...

Politically, during the 19th century squires tended to be Tories whereas the greatest landlords tended to be Whigs. The term Tory derives from the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... The Whigs (with the Tories) are often described as one of two political parties in England and later the United Kingdom from the late 17th to the mid 19th centuries. ...

The position of squire was traditionally associated with occupation of the manor house, which would often itself confer the dignity of squire. It is unclear how widely the village squire may still be said to survive today; but where it does, the role is likely more dependent upon a recognition of good manners, lineage and long family association rather than land, which, while relevant, is nowadays likely to be considerably smaller than in former years due to high post-war death duties and the prohibitive costs associated with maintaining large country houses. Ightham Mote For the London district, see Manor House, London. ... It has been suggested that Kinship be merged into this article or section. ...

In Scotland, whilst Esquire and Gentleman are technically correctly used at the Court of the Lord Lyon, the title Laird, in place of squire, is more common. Moreover, in Scotland Lairds append their territorial designation to their names as was traditionally done on the continent of Europe (e.g., Donald Cameron of Lochiel). The territorial designation fell into disuse in England early on, save for peers of the realm. This article is about the country. ... The Court of the Lord Lyon, also know as Lyon Court, is the institution which regulates heraldry in Scotland. ... A lord is a male who has power and authority. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

The linguistic and social development of squire is paralleled by that of the German junker, which originally meant "young lord" and denoted the poorer and unimportant part of the aristocracy, but "went up in the world" in much the same time as squire did in England. Junkers (English pronunciation: ; German pronunciation: ) were the landed nobility of Prussia and Eastern Germany - lands which are often also called Eastelbia (Ostelbien in German - the land east of river Elbe). ...

Squires in literature

The most famous squire, albeit as a caricature, in world literature is probably the babbling Sancho Panza. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

In English literature, people usually remember Squire Trelawney, one of the many literary creations of Robert Louis Stevenson, a Cornish squire who protects young Jim Hawkins from the murderous pirates who are seeking his treasure map, and helps him engage a crew to sail to Treasure Island. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Sibyll Patricia Trelawney is a fictional character who appears in J.K. Rowlings series of Harry Potter novels. ... Robert Louis (Balfour) Stevenson (November 13, 1850 – December 3, 1894), was a Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer, and a leading representative of Neo-romanticism in English literature. ... This article is about the British radio presenter. ... Map created by Robert Lewis Stevenson in Treasure Island A treasure map is a common device used in fictional stories. ... For other uses, see Treasure Island (disambiguation). ...

William Makepeace Thackeray's depiction of a squire in Vanity Fair showed the class to be lecherous, ill-educated, badly mannered relics of an earlier age. However, he clearly shows their control of the life of the parish. William Makepeace Thackeray (July 18, 1811 – December 24, 1863) was a British novelist of the 19th century. ... Title-page to Vanity Fair, drawn by Thackeray, who furnished the illustrations for many of his earlier editions Vanity Fair: A Novel without a Hero is a novel by William Makepeace Thackeray that satirizes society in early 19th-century England. ...

Also, King Arthur in The Sword in the Stone was Sir Kay's squire as a boy. Another squire in literature is Squire Hamley in Elizabeth Gaskell's Wives and Daughters. There are numerous other squires in English literature, such as the squire in The Canterbury Tales. For other uses, see King Arthur (disambiguation). ... Wikibooks [[wikibooks:|]] has more about this subject: The Sword in the Stone This article is about the novel. ... Elizabeth Gaskell, in the 1832 miniature by William John Thomson Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (née Stevenson; 29 September 1810–12 November 1865), often referred to simply as Mrs. ... Wives and Daughters is a novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, first published in the Cornhill Magazine as a serial from August 1864 to January 1866. ... For other uses, see The Canterbury Tales (disambiguation). ...

See also

• Esquire