A-Z Challenge 2016: E is for Esquire

 

Have you ever written a letter to a man and addressed it to "Fred Bloggs, Esq"?  Did you ever wonder how he came to be called Esquire - and what it really means?

Here is a quick potted history of how the term came about, and what it means today:

1.  It started off as meaning a knight's shield-bearer.

then by

2.  16th century: an officer of the Crown

then by

3.  18th century: it meant a man with a coat of arms, a 'superior gentleman'

then by

4.  19th century: when addressing letters to a gentleman

later

5.  Addressing all men

© 2016 Ros Haywood. All Rights Reserved