| has gloss | eng: Upper Ten Thousand was a term used in the late 19th century to denote Britains ruling elite; those rich and landed persons and families, titled and untitled, who were thought to control the vast majority of the countrys political and financial system. This term included not only landed gentry, aristocracy, and the peerage; it also included the industrialists and financiers of the day. The invention of this term was a response to the broadening of the British elite caused by the Industrial Revolution. |