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Making a Compleat Gentleman

Author Carolyn McDowall

Whoever is open, loyal, true; of humane and affable demeanour; honourable himself, and in his judgment of others; faithful to his word as to law, and faithful alike to God and man…such a man is a true gentleman.  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1881)

Sir Christopher and Lady Sykes by George Romney - a young couple looking forward to a future full of hope and happiness

By the beginning of the eighteenth century the English found that a more rational way of confronting the challenges of their age was to use the first extended period of peace for centuries with Europe to take time to comprehend them. Over the century they further circumscribed the King’s powers and began to refine the Westminster system of government into an entity envied the world over.

The beheading of Charles I,  rule of Cromwell and the Commonwealth in the seventeenth century had been a disaster. However the Restoration of Charles II in 1660 offered a unique opportunity for a new generation of men of power and perception to put in place a system of government, one honouring the collective will of the people and respecting another point of view.

Liberty, the freedom to think or act without being constrained by necessity or force meant that many people would be called upon to make sacrifices for a future they could not even begin to comprehend, let alone contemplate.

The new peace also provided a unique opportunity for those with the ready necessary to travel abroad for the first time in centuries, at least for those who were still adventurous and well-prepared risk takers. It was a slow trickle at first, and conditions were truly awful, but by the end of the first twenty years of the eighteenth century taking a tour of the continent of Europe was a possibility and on the cards for all young men of privilege who wanted to succeed in politics, their professional life and, out and about in society.

Recurrent themes for men and women of sensibility to encourage was an evocation, or criticism of the past, an increasing concern and emphasis on women and their role in nurturing children as well as a greater respect of, and for, nature. These ideas would be debated all over the country, along with a wide range of topics, in a collection of interconnected men’s, and occasionally women’s, associations all of which grew their own mythologies and special codes of conduct. This did not necessarily translate into opposition to the government but rather more than often assisted in upholding a status quo.

A compleat gentleman promoted the emergence of new ideas and encouraged the raising of positive voices to benefit marginalized sections of society. An assertion of nationalism became a central theme of art and philosophy and a key to expanding creative ideas. Establishing enduring legacies meant highlighting the importance of local customs and traditions and growing an attitude that would eventually contribute to the various movements, which would help redraw the map of Europe following the revolution in France. So over the eighteenth century a healthy rivalry between men, who believed themselves rational, intelligent human beings as well as informed rulers of taste, would provide the impetus required for enlightened men to create a new style of urban environment in England.

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