Through an analysis of the marriage patterns of thousands of aristocratic women as well as an examination of diaries, letters, and memoirs, this book demonstrates that the sense of rank identity as manifested in these women's marriages remained remarkably stable for centuries, until it was finally shattered by the First World War.

Introduction Prologue: Identity and Rank PART I: THE STATISTICAL SIDE OF THE STORY 1. The Basic Marriage Patterns 2. 'British' Marriages 3. An Open Aristocracy? PART II: THE LESS STATISTICAL ASPECTS OF THE STORY 4. The Marriage Market 5. Practical Considerations 6. Kinship Groups 7. Elopement and Defiant Matches Conclusion

Kimberly Schutte is currently Visiting Assistant Professor at the State University of New York, at Brockport, USA. Her work focuses on the lives and careers of the aristocracy, particularly aristocratic women. She is the author of A Biography of Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox (1515-1578) (2002).