The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England (what life was like for the poor in the countryside of Elizabethan England)
- 1558 - Elizabeth was just crowned queen
- Life expectancy was around 40
- There were no distractions; it was a world of nature and basic necessities.
- People were fearful of the woods as it was mysterious dark and gloomy.
- There was no no sense of domestication, just pure wilderness.
- There was a massive divide between the rich and poor.
- Anything could happen in the wilderness.
- They lived in simplicity and survival
- Life was rural and wild. They worked and lived outdoors because there was nothing to do indoors.
This era was known as "England's golden age", Elizabeth the first was on the throne and the land was largely dominated by the rich
and powerful enjoyed by these privileged few in the countryside many people were poor and faced a number of hardships on a daily basis.
About a quarter of England consisted of wild moors heaths, hills and wastelands which were considered as dangerous. There were no roads only trackways and paths. The Elizabethan people saw the terrains we would call scenic and beautiful as horrific and terrifying.
Living Conditions
Dotted around the countryside are small thatched cottages, some nearly hundreds of years old. It was common to see around 7 or 8 people living in these cramped spaces
It's constantly dark indoors, there are no lamps or light sources so you'd most likely go to sleep and wake up in complete darkness. Candles were expensive and poor families couldn't afford light, something we take for granted today!
The houses are extremely basic, just a single room and an earth floor. In the middle of said room would be a fire, almost permanently lit. Smoke would fill the room with only a hole in the roof and the windows (that were essentially just holes in the wall). There was no glass and only a shutter so they would let in cold quite easily. To prevent heat escaping the holes were as small as possible but the winter months still must have been nothing short agonising. The only possessions a common family would have were maybe pans, spoons, ladles a basket and a bench. They would more often than not sleep on the floor unless they were lucky enough to have a thin straw mattress.
As there was nothing providing distraction and it was often too dark to see people paid attention to the smaller details in terms of hearing be it the fire, the wind or the outside world.
the cold stuck so deep into them
their flesh was eaten with vermin
and corrupt diseases grew on them
-City of Norwich, Orders for the poor.
Work
Elizabethan society worked much like a caste system, life in general was strictly divided by the class in which you were born into.
Yeoman - might rent/own their farms and employ workers.
Husbandman - Rents the land that he works on.
Labourers - simply work on other peoples farms.
Because of the poor indoor conditions people spent most of their time outdoors. Working, playing or simply passing time.
As a poor person working in the countryside your options are very limited, your best bet is to go to farm offering your services as a labourer to yeoman and husbandmen. If you are lucky they might not only give you a job but also let you stay in a barn. Work starts a sunrise and ends at sunset. A days work is worth one Groat/a fourpence (2.1 grams of silver around the size and shape of a 20 pence coin) which can buy probably you some bread and butter a day. some meat/fish or ale by week because water was unsanitary. Simple things like getting married and having children often wasn't possible simply because they couldn't afford food.
Life in the English countryside for the poor, was a real struggle to survive.
Before Shakespeare
- The Reign of Henry the eighth marked the end of the medieval period in Britain and the beginning of the Early Modern Period.
- The church became separate from the state and there was a transition from a medieval society into a more capitalist society
- Henry the eighth became the head of the church in order to divorce his wife and re-marry. He transferred the great wealth of the monasteries to the state. He executed anyone who failed to comply with his demands. He died but the "Head of the Church of England" remained with the royalty, even now the queen is head of the church.
- After Henrys death his son takes over (Edward Vi), changing the english church to protestant before dieing of tuburculosis.
- After Edward Vi came lady jane grey who reigned for 9 days before being executed by Mary (Bloody Mary) who executed and persecuted protestants accross england earning said informal title.
- Elizabeth (protestant) came after Mary, as she had no heir, and was obsessed with keeping peace and everyone being civil. She inforced what is now known as one of the first police states.
The General world
- It was a quickly developing stage in history
- It marked the end of the tudor period and the beginning of the Stuart period.
- It was a period of creative energy fuelled by a revival in interest and admiration for classical culture (Greek and Roman) this rung true in the fields of Art, Science, Literature and Philosophy.
- Existing beliefs were questioned and nothing was taken for granted
- It was a chaotic, constantly changing, turbulent time
- Infant mortality rate was high.
- During this period the Americas and west indies were discovered. The beginnings of slavery
- Information at the time was controlled by monk.
- Printing companies were made and information began being shared across languages cultures etc. making knowledge more accessible.
The World Into Which Shakespeare Was Born.
- Shakespeare was born in Stratford, England.
- Shakespeare was an example of how people were able to transfer between classes and become rich when born poor for example.
Population
England wasn’t nearly as populated in 1564 as it is today which was
evident in the general landscape. The year before (1563) there was a plague
outbreak (the black death) killing around 20,000 people in London and 75-200
million in Europe. It killed 30%-60% of Europe’s population and reduced the
world population from around 450 million to 350 million.
Entertainment
As mentioned prior there wasn’t much to distract the common man from
their harsh every day life. There was next to no entertainment in the
countryside but closer to the city (London). Men would go to the market fairs,
talk, play basic games (draughts, chess) bowl etc. Women would gossip and do
communal activities such as sewing or spinning. Proper entertainment such as
jesters, sports, jousting etc. were only available to royalty and the
rich/wealthy. Because of the lack of entertainment rumours gossip and superstition was popular as it proved such an effective pass time. There was a lack of privacy and everything was public.
Religion
The two prevalent
religions were Catholic and Protestants. This civil war burned brightly
throughout this era leading to a number of deaths and executions on both sides.
Protestantism is a form
of Christianity which originated from a movement against what was thought to
be the errors of the catholic churches. They believed that the bible is the
highest authority, that Christians are pardoned for sins if they simply have
faith in Christ and that they should be the highest authority in society.
During the 1560’s
Catholics began to drift into conformity. The two universities were purged of
Catholics. It is fair to say that they weren’t the mainstream belief of the
time. Bloody Mary was a militant Catholic ruler. Elizabeth believed that everyone would be able to practice their faiths as they will.
Superstition
Elizabethans commonly believed in Witches (including flying brooms,
potions and old crones/an old woman who is associated with magic). They also
believed in luck superstitions such as sneezing, peacock feathers, spilling
salt and pepper, touch wood ladders and black cats). This was most likely due
to a lack of scientific knowledge and a lack of education to the vast
population. Around 247 people were burned for "witchcraft" all without a doubt innocent. People who didn't believe in superstitions, witchcraft, devils etc. were deemed insane.
Medicine
Not much was understood about the human body and medicine in general in the 1650s. A lot of "knowledge" in the field was adopted from superstitions and religious beliefs. Illnesses were believed to be punishments from god and anyone attempting to heal people were accused of interfering with gods will. This ideology is still present in certain groups such as the amish and mormons.
Toothache: take a candle and burn it close to the tooth so that the worms that are causing the troubles will fall out
Evil spirits in the head (headaches): Cut a hole in the head to let the evil spirits out
General illness - show love to god and drink holy water
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