My question is inspired by my own genealogical searching. I’ve located ancestors in England from the time of the conquest through the mid 17th century. These ancestors appear to have married exclusively with Norman families, with the women sometimes intermarrying with titled nobility. However, beyond the 13th century, I cannot find any evidence of landownership. I have discovered that some were sheriffs, but have no further vocational knowledge until their immigration to America.

I’ve frequently heard the term landed gentry, but were unlanded or landless nobles a common occurrence in British history? If so, what were their lives like?