Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-09-14
"ESQUlRES."
Little Distinction Now Attached to a
Minor Title.

be. Again. many men regard letter
| addressed to them as a mere Mr." as
nothing short of a personal affront.
Yet how many Of these have ever ask
ed themselves what might he the
grounds of their insistence on being
| included among those who should be
termed Esquire" or even the signi-
| ficance Of the term?
1t should be promised that no estate
however large confers this rank upon
it's owner. There is no notion more
prevalent than that the possession Of
a certain amount of property is the one
and only qualification needed in order
to be esquire, nor Is any idea more
erroneous
The title Esquire" is derived from
the French word ecuyer Ga shield bear
err and originated in the old days Of
chivalry, when, as Is we'll known, each
knight and their heirs in perpetuity
of gentle birth to carry his shield and
perform other honorable services.
These persons were known as squires,
or more accurately esquires, and were
of such birth as would permit of their
being in their turn created knights
when they should have merited the
distinction by deeds of valor or other
wise.
In the reign Of Richard II. the status
Of an esquire was granted for the first
time by letters patent as a title of
honor merely, no duties being attach
ed. This method Of creation Is now
obsolete, but it marks an advanced
stage in the decay Of chivalry, which
decay resulted in the titles knight"
and Esquire" becoming wholly hon.
orary.
At the present day we can see some
trace of the origin of the title in that
every newly created Knight Comman-
der of the Bath OK. c. b. has the right
to nominate three esquires on his in
stallation. Again younger sons Of peers
and baronets and eldest sons of
knights and their heirs in perpetuity
are esquires by birth, or hereditary es-
quires This is due to the fact that
such was the class Of persons from
whom esquires were selected in the old
days Of chivalry. 1t may be added
that the eldest and other sons of peers,
though commonly as a matter Of cour-
tesy addressed in terms Of peerage, are
nevertheless but esquires in the eyes Of
the law. Thus the eldest son of the
Marquis of Lansdowne is usually re-
ferred to as the Earl Of Kerry: yet he
is nevertheless described in the certi-
ficate of his election to the house of
commons as an esquire.
Since the decay Of chivalry there eX-
lists other means of becoming an esquire
than that of hereditary right. Barris-
ters at law are always termed esquires.
Again, all persons holding an office
Of trust under the Crown and describ-
ed in their commissions of appoint
iiient as esquires attain to the dignity
of an esquire. Examples of such per-
sons are justices of the peace, record
ers of boroughs, mayors, members of
parliament and civil servants of the
more important grades. We may
conclude our list by adding foreign no
blemen, for the law of England does
not recognize any foreign title, but
ranks its bearer as an esquire.
1t may now be queried, what signif-
~. IL.
ing an esquire at the present day.
Such an advantage as exists lies in the
fact that at public functions esquires
take precedence of persons who do not
attain to that rank.
Such precedence will he more read
lily understood by the enumeration in
order of the ranks more Immediately
preceding and following the esquire.
Such ranks are:
Baronets' younger sons, knights
younger sons, colonels, kings counsel.
doctors Of the three learned profess
sions, esquires, gentlemen, yeomen.
tradesmen, artisans, laborers.
Again, esquires are described as such
in official documents or proceedings,
and no one is usually So described un-
less he has a prma facie right to such
a description. One whose status is
doubtful is usually described as @rn-
tleman; hence the latter class can
nifcance.
However, the distinction is at the
present time small. For the number of
esquires is vast and pcrpetually in
creases. and it is often a matter of
great difficulty for the hereditary es-
quire to prove his title. Again, the
democratic character Of the age. which
tends to minimize the Importance of
even the higher grades Of nobility, is
likely to pay scant heed to the claims
of this lower grade; so that the term
ESQUIRE" comes to be applied as a
matter of courtesy To all but those i'm
the humblest spheres OF the COmmu-
nifty. 1t is i'm the rural districts alone,
where the traditions of Merrie Eng
land are something more than mer
memory, that those who take the lead
ing part i'm the government OF the
shires are commonly referred To az
'squires." These men are in the main
the a. Sccndants of the old knights and
esquires of the days Of Chivalry. and
it is largely due to their efforts in the
past that the greatness of England has
been built up.
In the large manufacturing centres,
however the struggle for eXistence|
amid the scream of the shuttle and the
roar of machinery can find no place in
daily life for what is after all but a
relic of a bygonc age. For those who
bear the addition "esquire" on account
of public office, such as justice of the
peace or mayor, are respected on the
ground alone that they are men who
have proved themselves worthy To oc-