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In Britain the term commoner means someone who is neither a member of the Royal Family nor of the family of a peer.

The precise meaning of the term is disputed, sometimes being taken as denoting anyone who does not hold a title of nobility.

In Parliament

Traditionally, members of the House of Commons were commoners — though the name of the House of Commons comes from the communities they represent, not their rank — while members of the House of Lords were peers. Peers whose only titles are in the Peerage of Ireland have been able to stand for election to the House of Commons for centuries. Since the House of Lords Act 1999, which excluded most hereditary peers from the House of Lords, most hereditary peers can now stand for election to the House of Commons. For example, the 3rd Viscount Thurso (aka John Thurso) is currently a member of the House of Commons.

Commoners in the Three Estates

In Medieval literature, commoners are one of three estates. The General Prologue, from the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, explores "the Medieval social theory that society was made up of three 'estates'". The Nobility were a "small hereditary aristocracy, whose mission on earth was to rule over and defend the body politic". The Church had the responsibility of "look after the spiritual welfare of that body". Commoners "were supposed to do that work that provided for its physical needs". The social status was a division of different classes and their places and occupations in Medieval society.

The General Prologue introduces "social organization", which Chaucer demonstrates when depicting the Knight, Parson, and Ploughman to exemplify the most noble character from each estate. These three characters are chosen to "seem as governing ideals". Each character has a certain role in society, and with their ideal moral lifestyles, they represent the most virtuous of the estates in which they belong. It is apparent that Medieval society values that class system as the main categories of hierarchical society. The set social division is evident, and with all three estates, the General Prologue examines the good and bad people in society. Chaucer's "representatives of the three estates are moral and social exemplars; the Knight, the Parson, and the Ploughman all strive but they do it selflessly rather than competitively".

British universities

In some British universities (notably Oxford and Cambridge), a commoner is an undergraduate student who does not hold either a scholarship or an exhibition. This form is also mimicked by certain British public schools (for example, Winchester College)..

Up to the 15th century, a mature commoner was an older commoner at traditional universities such as Oxford.

In the past, there have been gentleman-commoners (those who paid all their fees up front) and fellow-commoners (those associated with the Foundation of the Colleges).

Other meanings

• A commoner can also refer to someone who shares rights over common land.
• Members of the The Court of Common Council of the City of London Corporation are called commoners.

See also

Commoner Estates of the realm

References

1. "OED definition". OED. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
2. "Guardian Corrections and Clarifications". Guardian. November 22, 2010. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
3. The Norton Anthology English Literature Volume A. (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006, 213.
4. Chaucer's General Prologue as History and Literature. Comparative Studies in Society and History (1970)81.
5. Alan B. Cobban, The Medieval Universities: Their Development and Organization, Taylor & Francis, 1975. ISBN 978-0-416-81250-3. Page 148.

• Monarchy