Elizabethan era Family life

Question 1

what did the gentry have in their houses

Answer 1

New country houses
sometimes had 50+ rooms
glazed windows
finely decorated chimneys

Question 2

what food and drink would the Gentry have

Answer 2

had a varied diet with exotic meals such as swan, pheasant, salmon, sweets, marzipan and expensive wine

Question 3

how did the gentry get there money

Answer 3

renting out their land

Question 4

what did the middling sort have in their houses

Answer 4

ten rooms
2 floors
had windows and chimneys but less decorated than the gentry

Question 5

what did the middling sort have to eat

Answer 5

had a good diet of meat, fruit and bread and drank beer. couldn’t afford the luxuries enjoyed by the gentry

Question 6

how did the middling sort make their money

Answer 6

they were merchants, small business owners or independent farmers

Question 7

what were the homes of the labouring poor like

Answer 7

lived in 1 room houses
no chimney
no glazed windows

Question 8

what was the labouring poor’s diet like

Answer 8

they had a staple diet of bread but relied on a good harvest

Question 9

what did the labouring poor do to make money

Answer 9

travelled around looking for seasonal work on farms

Question 10

who chose the gentry’s partners

Answer 10

their parents

Question 11

why did the gentry get married straight after falling pregnant

Answer 11

they couldnt have sex outside of marriage

Question 12

what age did the gentry kids go to school

Answer 12

aged 7 but only the boys could go

Question 13

what age did the poor kids move to work as servants

Answer 13

12 or 13

Question 14

did Elizabethans have a strong relationship with extended family

Answer 14

no

Question 15

when was there a rise in poverty

Answer 15

at the end of Elizabeth’s reign

Question 16

in 1580s what percent of the population lived in poverty

Answer 16

30%

Question 17

what were vagrants and vagabonds

Answer 17

unemployed people who roamed from town to town looking for work

Question 18

why were the middling and gentry worried about vagrancy

Answer 18

the vagrants might commit crime
the vagrants would spread the plague

Question 19

poverty increased because of the population increase because

Answer 19

during Elizabeth reign, the population rose from 2.4 million to 4.1 million

Question 20

poverty increased because of the inflation because

Answer 20

increased demand led to prices increasing. the price of wheat increased by 250%

Question 21

poverty increased because of the failed harvests because

Answer 21

the harvest failed in 1595, 1596 and in 1597

Question 22

poverty increased because of the sheep farming because

Answer 22

English cloth was fashionable so sheep farming because it became very profitable

Question 23

who did Elizabeth blame first for poverty

Answer 23

vagrants

Question 24

when was the first poor law

Answer 24

1603

Question 25

what were the two categories of poor in the poor law

Answer 25

the deserving poor
the undeserving poor

Question 26

who were the deserving poor

Answer 26

people who wanted to work but couldn’t EG- elderly or disabled people

Question 27

who were the undeserving poor

Answer 27

people who could work but didn’t EG- criminals

Question 28

how were the deserving poor treat

Answer 28

with compassion

Question 29

what did the deserving poor get

Answer 29

poor relief (benefits)
materials for work
apprenticeships for young people

Question 30

what did the undeserving poor get

Answer 30

deterrents
whippings
hard labour