Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, esquire historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman and below the rank of knight. Some sources state that the title was bestowed on "candidates for knighthood in England". It was also used with respect to other dignitaries, such as justices of the peace, sheriffs, and sergeants.
The 1826 edition of William Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England reiterated that "the title should be limited to those only who bear an office of trust under the Crown and who are styled esquires by the king in their commissions and appointments; and all, I conceive, who are once honoured by the king with the title of esquire have a right to that distinction for life." By the early 20th century, however, esquire was being used as a general courtesy title for any man in a formal setting, with no precise significance, usually as a suffix to his name, and commonly with initials only. In the United Kingdom today, esquire is still occasionally used as a written style of address in formal or professional correspondence. In certain formal contexts, it remains an indication of a social status that is recognised in the order of precedence. In the legal profession, the title is only available for barristers.
In the United States, the term esquire (abbreviated Esq.) is generally used by lawyers, as a suffix, preceded by a comma, after the lawyer's full name. According to research by a New York City Bar Association committee, in the United States, esquire over time came to refer "commonly and exclusively" to lawyers, but how that happened is unclear. The only certainty, the committee stated, is that "based on common usage it is fair to state that if the title appears after a person's name, that person may be presumed to be a lawyer".
History
Chief Justice Coke (1552–1634) defined "gentlemen" as those who bear coats of arms. From the 16th century such families were defined by the inclusion of their pedigrees within their county's heraldic visitations, which necessitated their submitting a return of their pedigree to the visiting herald at the specified location, generally one of the chief towns of the county. The 1623 Heraldic Visitation for Gloucestershire, for example, includes a section at the back headed: "A note of such as were disclaymed to be no gentilmen within the county and city of Gloucester", the list being headed by "Edward Hill, Customer, of Gloucester, neither gentilman of bloud, ancestry nor armes". The list thus identifies those persons whose returns were not accepted, perhaps because they were fabricated or insufficiently evidenced in some way.
Defined in 1586 by Fearn
Sir John Fearn in "Glory of Generositie" spoke of esquires by creation, birth, dignity and office, specifying several circumstances that customarily conferred the title.
Offices of justice or government in the king's palace Advocates and procurators of the sovereign Serjeants at the coif Offices of sheriff, escheator or serjeant at arms Eldest born of a baron peer of the realm or that of a knight
Defined by Camden (d. 1623)
Coke followed Sir William Camden, Clarenceux King of Arms (1551–1623), who defined esquires as:
the eldest sons of knights and their eldest sons in perpetuity, the eldest sons of younger sons of peers and their eldest sons in perpetuity, esquires so created by the king, esquires by office, such as justices of the peace and those holding an office of trust under the Crown.
Defined by Weever (d. 1632)
John Weever (d. 1632) identified five categories of esquires:As quoted or paraphrased from Weevers Antient Funeral Monuments by John Prince (1643–1723) in his Worthies of Devon (1810 edition, p. 236).
"Those who are elect for the prince's body", which he classed as the principal esquires. These were royal courtiers known as Esquires of the Body Knights' eldest sons Younger sons of the eldest sons of barons and other nobles of higher estate White Spurs, a form mainly restricted to West Country usage Those who are so by office and by serving the prince in any worshipful calling
Defined in 1830 by Burn, Chitty & Black
According to one typical definition, esquires in English law included:
The eldest sons of knights, and their eldest sons in perpetual succession The eldest sons of younger sons of peers, and their eldest sons in perpetual succession (children of peers already had higher precedence) Esquires created by letters patent or other investiture, and their eldest sons Esquires by virtue of their offices, as justices of the peace and others who bear any office of trust under the Crown Esquires of knights constituted at their investiture Foreign noblemen Persons who are so styled under the royal sign-manual (officers of the Armed Forces of or above the rank of Captain in the Army or its equivalent) and sons thereof. Barristers (but not solicitors)
Defined by Boutell (d. 1877)
Charles Boutell (1812–1877) defined the term as
Defined in 1894 by James Parker
James Parker supplied the following definition:
Artist's societies As examples of late Victorian usage, The Year's Art for 1895 noted in its entry for the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours that "The honour of a Diploma under the Royal Sign Manual was given by Her Majesty to the Members, on August 29th, 1884, by virtue of which they rank as Esquires". There were 100 of these, and 40 of the Royal Watercolour Society, where the formula was repeated.The Year's Art, 1895, pp 88-89
Modern definition
Oxford Dictionaries provided for the following definition of esquire in 2016:
Other criteria
Nineteenth century tables of precedence further distinguished between "esquires by birth" and "esquires by office" (and likewise for "gentleman"). Today the term "gentleman" is still found in official tables of precedence, and it means a person who is an armiger with no higher rank or a descendant of someone who has borne arms. An English use of the term is to distinguish between men of the upper and lower gentry, who are "esquires" and "gentlemen" respectively, which still applies in terms of the official Order of Precedence. Examples of this may be found in the parish tithe map schedules made under the Tithe Commutation Act 1836. Later examples appear in the list of subscribers to The History of Elton, by the Rev. Rose Fuller Whistler, published in 1892, which distinguishes between subscribers designated Mr. (another way of indicating gentlemen) and those allowed esquire.
But formal definitions like these were proposed because there was, in reality, no fixed criterion distinguishing those designated esquire: it was essentially a matter of impression as to whether a person qualified for this status. William Segar, Garter King of Arms (the senior officer of arms at the College of Arms), wrote in 1602: "And who so can make proofe, that his Ancestors or himselfe, have had Armes, or can procure them by purchase, may be called Armiger or Esquier." Honor military, and civill (1602; lib. 4, cap. 15, p. 228). (By Armes he referred to a coat of arms; it is not clear from this quotation whether Segar made a distinction between esquires and gentlemen.) For example, lords of the manor hold the rank of esquire by prescription.
The 1660 poll tax used to pay off the New Model Army levied an amount of £10 on esquires, which was half the amount due from knights. Samuel Pepys should have paid this amount due to his office, but was delighted to find he had been misrecorded as just a gentleman having to pay 10 shillings, a twentieth of the correct amount.
Although esquire is the English translation of the French écuyer, the latter indicated legal membership in the nobilities of ancien régime France and contemporaneous Belgium, whereas an esquire belongs to the British gentry rather than to its nobility, albeit that "gentry" in England means untitled nobility. in French (Actually in Old French) (in the 11th to 14th century) means "shield-bearer", a knight in training, age 14 to 21. In the later stages of the Middle Ages, the cost of the or accolade became too high for many noblemen to bear. They stayed all their lives, making that title synonymous with "nobleman" or "gentleman".
Modern British usage
The most common occurrence of the term "esquire" today is in the addition of the suffix "Esq." in order to pay an informal compliment to a male recipient by way of implying gentle birth. There remain respected protocols for identifying those to whom it is thought most proper that the suffix should be given, especially in very formal or in official circumstances.
The breadth of esquire (as Esq.) had become universal in the United Kingdom by the mid 20th century, with no distinction in status being perceived between Mr and esquire. Esquire was used generally as the default title for all men who did not have a grander title when addressing correspondence, with letters addressed using the name in initial format (e.g., K. S. Smith, Esq.) but Mr being used as the form of address (e.g. Dear Mr Smith). In the 1970s, the use of Esq. started to decline, and by the end of the 20th century most people had stopped using it and changed to using Mr instead. Esq. was generally considered to be old-fashioned but was still used by some traditional individuals. However, from around 2010 it has started to return once more as a formal address to a male in business and also in a social setting, particularly where the status of an individual is unknown so is used more as a general courtesy title. Its usage has always remained constant with organisations such as Christie's and Berry Bros. & Rudd. British men invited to Buckingham Palace also receive their invitations in an envelope with the suffix Esq. after their names, while men of foreign nationalities instead have the prefix Mr (women are addressed as Miss, Ms, or Mrs). The same practice applies for other post from the palace (e.g., to employees).
In Scotland
Esquire is historically a feudal designation in Scotland. Today, the title of esquire is defined as a social dignity that refers to people of the Scottish gentry, who hold the next position in the Order of Precedence above gentlemen. It is also used as a common courtesy in correspondence. Traditionally, this was one who was classified as a "cadet for knighthood". Today, the title of esquire is not bestowed on gentlemen, although certain positions carry with them the degree of esquire, such as that of advocate or justice of the peace. Whether an armiger is a gentleman, an esquire, or of a higher rank can be told by the type of helm depicted on the letters patent granting or matriculating the arms. In Scots Heraldry, Sir Thomas Innes of Learney makes clear that a gentleman's helm is a closed pot helm, in plain steel, with no gold, whereas an esquire's helm can be a steel pot helm garnished in gold or a helmet with a closed visor garnished in gold. The Court of the Lord Lyon will display the helm appropriate to their "degree", or social rank, in the illustration on the letters patent.
The definition of esquire today includes:
The male primogeniture descendant of a knight (with or without Scottish arms), Scottish armigers recognised with a territorial designation within their letters patent, frequently described as a laird, which is taken to imply the rank of Esquire. Lairds with a territorial designation recognised by the Court of the Lord Lyon would not use the post nominal letters of "Esq." after their name, as the use of the territorial designation implies the rank of esquire. Male Scottish clan chiefs recognized by the Court of the Lord Lyon (with Scottish arms) who are not feudal barons, or peers. Those other armigers recognised in the degree of esquire via the helm indicated in their letters patent as per the guidance mentioned above.