The Social Classes

I t was soon obvious from the behaviour and conversation of the people of Gosforth that, apart from personal likes and dislikes, their attitudes towards certain parishioners, both as individuals and groups, tend to vary along well-defined lines. In a chance encounter—on the village street, or at an auction sale—the behaviour of any two or more people will depend largely on whether they think themselves members of the same group or not; in the latter case it will depend further on what is locally regarded as the ‘correct’ relationship between the specific groups involved. This division of the parish into groups of people became more apparent with time. There were men who were ‘a different type from the village’ and others were ‘people who won't acknowledge you’. There were ‘better class folk who make you feel awkward’ and ‘people who are different because of the way they carry on’. These groups or classes ¹ are also believed to possess qualities which make them ‘better’ or ‘higher’ than another class. Gosforth has its ‘Upper Ten’ or ‘Top Class’ and there are ‘people you look up to’ and ‘people you look down on’.