The uppper clas was the highest class. It was made up of the planters that were best off. They lived in fine homes with many items brought from England. They played the sports that English gentlemen played. Most of them kept in touch with London. Boys were often sent to England for more schooling because there was only one college. Most of the children were taught at home by hired tutors.
The middle class was made up of small landowners. Some of them owned slaves. Most of them worked out in the fields with their slaves or hired help. These farmers did not have the political power or the education of the people of the upper class.
The lower class consisted of colonists who owned very little or no land. Most of them were tenant farmers and worked on land owned by others. Few had a chance to get an education, and most could not vote because they owned no land.
So, as you can see, there were many differences between the three social classes in the Tidewater region: The upper, the middle, and the lower classes.