"As far as country houses were concerned, the functions of the lower ranks within the hierarchy were now only those of respectful service to their superiors. They lived in the basement, or in subordinate wings to either side of the house. The main rooms were designed as the orderly setting for meetings between gentlemen, lords, and princes, who seldom forgot their rank. But behind the rigid etiquette which regulated their intercourse, continual jockeying for power, position and favours went on. The central government was a rich source of jobs and perquisites, which were distributed either by the king himself, or by his ministers and favourites. The main power of the court aristocracy now lay in its power of patronage; it was constantly being solicited for favours."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Imported from EN Wikiquote
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mark_Girouard
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Mark Girouard
Mark Girouard FSA (7 October 1931 – 16 August 2022) was a British architectural writer, an authority on the country house, an architectural historian, and biographer of James Stirling.
5 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Mark Girouard →
Related Quotes
"Both and France and England had started in the Middle Ages with the basic system of hall and chamber (in France salle…"
"The separation of men from women at the dinner was still in the mediaeval tradition. Another interesting feature of t…"
"The combined results of the growing independence, culture and prosperity of the lesser gentry and professional classe…"
"One result of the nobility and gentry becoming more mobile and mixing more together was new kinds of parties. From th…"
"It is clear that there are as many different languages as peoples in this island. The Scots, however, and the Welsh, …"
"In the days of my early acquaintance with Henley, some fourteen or fifteen years ago, I could never look at him witho…"
"When men live in small communities, ... they cannot avoid personal participation in some public functions. So it was …"
"It is impossible to maintain that these attributes [caution and progress] have been constant in the two great English…"
"Kynge Henry beynge in Normādy, after some wryters fell from, or with his horse, whereof he caughte his deth: but Ranu…"
"The duke of Clarence and seconde brother to the kynge thanne beynge prysoner in the towre, was secretely put to deth …"