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The cities of Georgian Britain were teeming with people, many of whom had left the countryside because the enclosure of common land meant they could no longer support themselves by farming. In the towns that were growing up around expanding trade and industry, rich and poor were thrown together.
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That proximity was not always comfortable. Of course, there had always been a gap between the haves and the have-nots, but now big money – and the freedom that it bought – could be made in one generation. Those who had it flaunted it, but those who didn't were beginning to think they had a right to their share.
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In the city, there were greater possibilities of jumping the hurdles from one social class to the next. Daniel Defoe wrote: 'Men are every day starting up from obscurity to wealth,' and there were some remarkable rags-to-riches stories.
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