Elizabeth Section 4 Flashcards
What were gentry houses usually like?
There were around 50 and the houses often had glazed windows and finely decorated chimneys
What food did Gentry usually offer at Banquets?
Exotic meats such as swab, pheasant, fish e.g. salmon. Also they offered sweets such as sugar and marzipan, and expensive wine
What did the Gentry do to make a living?
The gentry did not work but made money by renting out their land
What were middling sort houses usually like?
They had around 10 rooms over two floors, they had windows and chimneys but were less decorated than gentry houses
What food did the middling sort usually eat?
Meat, fruit, bread and beer
How did the middling sort make a living?
They were merchants, small business owners or independent farmers
What were houses of the labouring poor like?
Small 1 roomed houses with no chimney or windows
What did the labouring poor usually eat?
They ate bread but relied on a good harvest, vegetables from the garden could also be used in pottage
How did the labouring poor make a living?
They travelled around looking for seasonal work on farms
What were wives expected to do?
Always obey their husbands
What was forbidden by the Church?
. Same-sex marriage
. Sex outside of marriage
What caused families to stay small even though birth rate was high?
Heightened infant mortality rate
What happened to Gentry children?
. Sons were sent to school from 7
What happened to poorer children?
Children started to work in the home or on the farm
At what age did Children leave homes to work?
Many left at 12 and 13 to work as servants or apprentices
Who was seen as closer to the family than the wider family?
The neighbours
What percentage of the population lived in poverty by the 1580’s?
Around 30%
What were vargants/vagabonds?
Unemployed people who roamed from town to town looking for work`
Why were the middling sort and gentry worried about vagrancy?
. Vagrants may commit crimes
. Vagrants could spread the plague
What caused poverty to increase?
. Population increase - population rose from 2.4 million to 4.1 million during Elizabeth’s reign
. Inflation - Increased demand meant prices of goods such as wheat increased by 250%
. Failed harvests - Harvests failed in 1595, 1596 and 1597
. Sheep farming - English cloth was fashionable so sheep farming became very profitable
What punishments were put in place for vagrants?
. First time = Whipped and burned through the ear with a hot iron
. Second time = Could be hanged
What groups did the 1601 poor law separate poor people into?
. Deserving Poor
. Undeserving Poor
What did the Deserving poor recieve?
. Poor relief
. Materials for work
. Apprenticeships for young people
What were the undeserving poor threatened with?
Deterrents such as whipping and hard labour
