Yeoman

"Yeoman" is an antiquated British term for a farmer of middling social status who owned his own land, and often farmed it himself. The yeomanry shared attributes with both the upper and working classes, though had little in common with the urban middle class. A yeoman could be equally comfortable shovelling manure on his farm, educating himself from books, or enjoying country sports such as shooting and hunting. By contrast members of the landed gentry and the aristocracy did not farm their land themselves, but let it to tenant farmers. Yeomen and tenant farmers were the two main divisions of the rural middle class in traditional British society. Isaac Newton was a famous member of the yeoman class, inheriting a small farm which paid the bills for his academic work.

Related Topics:
Middle class - Landed gentry - Aristocracy - Tenant farmer - Isaac Newton

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The term suggests someone upright, sturdy, honest and trustworthy. (eg. 'hail, oh stout yeoman of the bar').

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There were people of similar status in other traditional societies and the term is sometimes applied to them.

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• Yeoman is also the name of a U.S. naval administrator. In navies derivative of Great Britain, it can denote someone responsible for a specific duty, such as the Chief Yeoman of Signals, or someone acting as an aide to a superior for certain functions, such as the Navigator's Yeoman.
• Yeomen, Yeomanry refers to the extra-judicial military force organised by property owning class in 18th century Ireland to protect the British occupation.
• Compare Yeomen of the Guard and Yeomen Warders.
• A Gilbert and Sullivan operetta was entitled The Yeomen of the Guard.
• Yeomanry were the territorial cavalry regiments of the British Army during the First World War though as the war progressed many regiments fought as dismounted infantry. Many of these regiments retained their "yeomanry" designations after the war, and through modern times.
• There is a town called Yeoman, Indiana.
• Yeoman is the name given by Owen Aisher, the UK yachtsman, to the succession of racing yachts he owned. The tradition was continued by the family after Aisher's death. Starting with the first then Yeoman II and progressing to Yeoman XXXX and beyond. Yeoman XV (an International 5.5 metre racing yacht) skippered by Aisher's son Robin Aisher won a bronze medal at the 1968 Olympic Games sailed in Acapulco.
• The Oberlin College sports teams are the Yeomen and Yeowomen.
• Yeoman of the Goths : According to the Westrogothic law, the lawspeaker was appointed for life by the yeomen of the province.