Elizabethan society in the Age of Exploration 1558-88: Education and Leisure

Question 1

Attitudes towards education in Elizabethan England

Answer 1

No national system of Education purpose to help people prepare for expected roles in life, focused on practical skills and possibly basic literacy, only estimated 15-20% of population literate.
Very few went to school and all had fees. view was only rich needed to attend. People saw no need to provide formal education for vast majority of population especially labouring classes

Question 2

Changing influences on education

Answer 2

• By Early 1500s, humanists arguing education valuable, not merely way of preparing people for a role. meant educational opportunities improved during Elizabeth’s reign
• Protestants argued people ought to be able to stufy scriptures. required people to be able to read boosting literacy
• growth of printing press made books cheaper, giving more opportunities to read
• growth of trade required ordinary people to be able to read, write and understand mathematics to record transactions properly. encouraged more literacy

Question 3

Elizabethan parish schools

Answer 3

Up to age 10
set up locally by church, run by clergy. Taught basic literacy to children of yeomen farmers and craftsmen

Question 4

Elizabethan Grammar schools

Answer 4

boys 10-14
Provided education independent of church, charged fees, scholarships available to poorer families. Attended by children of gentry, merchants, yeomen farmers, and craftsmen. Boys taught bible, debating, latin, French, Greek, and philosophy. sons of yeomen farmers and craftsmen taught reading, writing and mathematics

Question 5

Elizabethan Petty Schools

Answer 5

up to age 10
Run privately from people’s homes. Attended by children of gentry, merchants, yeomen farmers, and craftsmen

Question 6

Elizabethan Universities

Answer 6

14 to 15 onwards
2 universities: Oxford and Cambridge. study geometry, music, astronomy, philosophy, logic and rhetoric (persuasive speaking used in law), medicine, law and divinity. highest university qualification was doctorate

Question 7

Elizabethan private tutors

Answer 7

delivered eduaction privately to members of nobility, whom often finished education in household of another family.

Question 8

Elizabethan Education of girls

Answer 8

many received no formal education as it was felt they wouldn’t need it. Girls from better off families attended Dame Schools run by wealthy women in their homes. Wealthy girls had private tutors

Question 9

Changes in Eductaion 1558-88

Answer 9

• New grammar schools meant children educated independently of church, Scholarships allowed people from poorer backgrounds to receive education.
• Literacy improved, especially in towns. combined result of printing press, parish schools and need to read the scriptures

Question 10

Leisure/Pastimes enjoyed by Nobility

Answer 10

• Hunting-Took place on horseback with hounds or birds (hawking) invloved men and women
• Fishing-done by men and women
• Real Tennis- Played indoors (men only) cross between modern tennis and squash, increasingly popular
• Bowls-Similar to modern game (men only)
• Fencing- with blunted swords (men only)

Question 11

Leisure/ Pastimes enjoyed by farmers, craftsmen and lower classes

Answer 11

• Football- men only. aim to get ball in other side’s goal, rules varied. No limit on numbers or size of pitch. Could be violent- men often killed in matches
• Wrestling- Men of all classes took part in public wrestling matches with people gambling on outcome

Question 12

Spectator sports in Elizabethan England

Answer 12

• Baiting- watching animals fight to death. typically dogs attacking chained bears or bulls, bets made on outcome
• Cock-Fighting- Cockerels attacked each other with metal spurs and beaks. In many small towns special arenas used for cock-fighting. Money bet on outcome

Question 13

Lierature and the theatre

Answer 13

• Plenty of new literature written in Elizabeth’s reign, though medieval literature such as Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, remained popular
• Mystery plays, popular with many catholics, replaced with new non-religious (secular) plays. shown in purpose-built theatres, such as the Red Lion and the Rose
• Comedies, performed by teams of proffessional players funded by wealthy noblemen, very popular. Sponsors included Queen and Earl of Leicester, performers known as Queen’s men an Leicester’s men
• All social classes attended theatre, purpose-built theatres had to be built to accommodate growing audience

Question 14

Music and Dancing

Answer 14

• Many Elizabethans played instruments, including lutes, spinets and harpischords.
• Musical performances popular, musicians paid to play at official functions or public events. Music also played at fairs and markets, or on public occassions, in churches, taverns, barbers’ shops and on streets. Wealthy families employed own musicians (always men) to pay during meals and feasts. Books of songs also popular
• Music written to accompany plays performed in public theatres
• dancing popular pastime, brought together men and women, though upper and lower classes didn’t dance together