Elizabeth section 4 Flashcards
What were homes of the gentry like?
Country houses, with sometimes over 50 rooms
Country houses had glazed windows and decorated chimneys
What was food and drink like for the gentry?
Gentry hosted feats, expensive food was carried by servants on silver platters.
- They had a rich diet: exotic meats (swan, pheasant, salmon) marzipan and wine
How did the gentry make a living?
The gentry did not work but earned money from renting out their lands
What were the homes of the middling sort like?
The homes of middling sort had 10 rooms and over 2 floors
- They had windows and chimneys but were less decorated than the gentry ones
What was the food like for the middling sort?
They could afford to eat a good diet of: meat, fruit and bread/beer
However they could not afford the luxuries like the gentry
How did the middling sort make a living?
The middling sort were merchants, small business owners or independent farmers
What were homes like for the labouring poor?
The poor lived in one room houses with no chimney or glazed windows
What was the food like for the poor?
The diet for the labouring poor was bread however this relied on a good harvest.
Vegetables from garden could be made into pottage
How did the poor make a living?
The labouring poor travelled looking for seasonal work on farms
Was marriage important in Elizabethan time?
Marriage played a central role in family life.
What was Elizabethan society like?
Patriarchal as wives were expected to obey their husbands always
What was divorce like?
Very difficult to do however people were encouraged to remarry again
How did the Gentry access education for their children?
They had to pay for their sons to go to school from age 7
How did children in poorer families work?
They began to work from a younger age on the farm or at home
What did children do once ages 12/13?
They left their family home to work as servants
Why was wider kinship not important?
Elizabethans did not have a strong bond with extended family
They did not live with grandparents, aunts or uncles
Many people moved away from homes to get away from extended families
Most people turned to neighbours for help- not families
How much did poverty increase in Elizabethan england?
By 1580’s, 30% of population was living in poverty
What were vagrants/vagabonds?
Unemployed people who roamed the streets looking for work
Why were middling sort and gentry worried about vagrancy?
They thought they would commit crime
They worried they would spread the plague
What were some reasons why poverty increased?
- Population Increase
During Elizabeth’s reign, population increased from 2.4 million to 4.1 million
What were some reasons why poverty increased? (2)
- Inflation- increased demand led to prices increasing. Wheat increased by 250%
What were some reasons why poverty increased?
- Sheep farming
English cloth was fashionable so sheep farming became profitable
How were vagrants treated?
Vagrants who were caught for first time were whipped and burned through ear with a hot iron
If they were caught again, they could be hanged
Why did this punishment not work?
As it did not help decrease the poverty in England
