Upper ten thousand
Encyclopedia
Upper Ten Thousand, or simply, The Upper Ten, is a phrase coined in 1852 by American poet Nathaniel Parker Willis
to describe the upper circles of New York, and hence of other major cities.
The phrase was first appeared in British fiction in The Adventures of Philip
by William Thackeray, whose eponymous hero contributed weekly to a fashionable New York journal entitled “The Gazette of the Upper Ten Thousand”. In 1875, both Adam Bissett Thom and Kelly's Directory published books entitled The Upper Ten Thousand, which listed members of the aristocracy, the gentry, officers in the British Amy and Navy, members of Parliament, Colonial administrators, and members of the Church of England
. The usage of this term was a response to the broadening of the British ruling class
caused by the Industrial Revolution
.
Most of the people listed in the Handbook were among the 30,000 descendants of Edward III, King of England, tabulated in the Marquis of Ruvigny and Raineval's Plantagenet Roll of the Blood Royal. Most also appeared in Walford's County Families
and Burke's Landed Gentry.
Edward Abbott's 1864 cookery book, titled English and Australian Cookery Book: Cookery for the Many as Well as the 'Upper Ten Thousand, suggests that the concept of an 'upper ten thousand' pre-dates the official publication of Kelly's directory.
Nathaniel Parker Willis
Nathaniel Parker Willis , also known as N. P. Willis, was an American author, poet and editor who worked with several notable American writers including Edgar Allan Poe and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. He became the highest-paid magazine writer of his day. For a time, he was the employer of former...
to describe the upper circles of New York, and hence of other major cities.
The phrase was first appeared in British fiction in The Adventures of Philip
The Adventures of Philip
The Adventures of Philip on his Way Through the World: Shewing Who Robbed Him, Who Helped Him, and Who Passed Him By is a novel by William Makepeace Thackeray...
by William Thackeray, whose eponymous hero contributed weekly to a fashionable New York journal entitled “The Gazette of the Upper Ten Thousand”. In 1875, both Adam Bissett Thom and Kelly's Directory published books entitled The Upper Ten Thousand, which listed members of the aristocracy, the gentry, officers in the British Amy and Navy, members of Parliament, Colonial administrators, and members of the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. The usage of this term was a response to the broadening of the British ruling class
Ruling class
The term ruling class refers to the social class of a given society that decides upon and sets that society's political policy - assuming there is one such particular class in the given society....
caused by the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
.
Most of the people listed in the Handbook were among the 30,000 descendants of Edward III, King of England, tabulated in the Marquis of Ruvigny and Raineval's Plantagenet Roll of the Blood Royal. Most also appeared in Walford's County Families
Walford's County Families
Walford's County Families is the short title of a work, partly social register, partly "Who's Who", which was produced in Britain in the 19th and 20th centuries, initially under the editorship of Edward Walford...
and Burke's Landed Gentry.
Edward Abbott's 1864 cookery book, titled English and Australian Cookery Book: Cookery for the Many as Well as the 'Upper Ten Thousand, suggests that the concept of an 'upper ten thousand' pre-dates the official publication of Kelly's directory.