ABSTRACT
First there is the question of how many members had titles. If the empire has been called a system of outdoor relief for the upper classes, was the Colonial Society simply the indoor version – a club for aristocrats? The answer seems to be no. Only sixteen of the 126 members (by 3 November 1868) were closely connected with the peerage in some demonstrable way by the beginning of 1869. (See Table 3.1). After that the proportion fell, with only eight among the remaining eighty-seven. Aristocrats joining the society New members Peers Others * Aristocrats at joining † Peers cr. after April 1969 26 June 1868 3 3 6 2 27 June to 12 August 1868 2 6 8 3 15 August to 3 November 1868 1 1 2 1 11 November to 30 December 1868 0 0 0 1 20 January to 25 February 1869 4 1 5 2 10 March to 13 April 1869 1 2 3 1 Total 11 13 24 10 Notes
Sons of peers, brothers of new peers, and sons-in-law of Dukes and Marquesses.
Equals the sum of the first two columns.
