Masculine Gentry Identity in the Long Eighteenth Century: A Case Study of Cannon Hall

This thesis is centred on the country house estate of Cannon Hall near Barnsley in Yorkshire and the lives of its owners, the Spencer and Spencer Stanhope family, during the period circa 1650-1821. Using the rich family archive this thesis explores ways in which successive generations constructed and maintained aspects of their masculine gentry identity and demonstrates how identity was constructed socially, materially and dynastically across the life course. The study draws upon many themes central to the history of the country house, masculinity and the gentry including architectural evolution and the use of space in the small country house; consumption practices and the balance of new goods with old, thrift and luxury in the home; domestic governance and the importance of the role played by dynastic practices, oeconomy, and a collaborative household; and finally social networks and patterns of sociable behaviour in rural and urban settings. The thesis demonstrates that masculine gentry identity was constructed along many lines with often competing influences, and specifically how this manifest itself across three generations of the same family. It informs our understanding of the lives of the largely under researched lesser landed gentry and helps to distinguish them from the middling below and aristocracy above them in the social hierarchy. This research illustrates a strong sense of collective identity, both familial and among others of their social stratum, constructed in part through shared practices and patterns of behaviour both in the home and elsewhere. Through the analysis of change over time, this thesis demonstrates how masculine identity was defined for heads of household at Cannon Hall and how this evolved and shifted with the family’s status as they became more integrated within the wealthy elite over time.

This project was an AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award with the University of Sheffield and Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council and Cannon Hall.