The story
From English + -ry, in legal senses after Anglo-Norman englescherie, englecherie. Compare Late Latin Anglescheria, Englescheria (“the state of being English”).
First known use, by meaning
- from 15th c. Those people living in Ireland or in Wales who are of English descent (chiefly with definite article).
- from 19th c. Englishness.
- from 17th c. The state or privilege of being an Englishman.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.