A Captain in the Navy from
A book explaining the ranks and dignities
of British Society by C Lamb (1809)You knew your place in Regencysociety. Whether you were born into a hovel or a grand house, you were likelyto end your life in a similar situation. Changing your rank in a societygoverned by rigid rules of precedence was highly unusual. When it happened, itwas normally through unconventional means.

Unless you were an officer inthe Royal Navy. Through Captain Wentworth, Jane Austen’s ficti...