knowledge organiser 4 Flashcards
how were new country houses?
over 50 rooms, had glazed windows and finely decorated chimneys
what food did gentrys have?
they hosted feasts where expensive food was carried by servants on silver platters they had a rich and varied diet: exotic meats such as swan and pheasant, fish such as salmon, sweets such as sugar and marzipan and expensive wine
how did the gentry make a living?
they did not work but made a living by renting out their lands
how did the middling sort live?
houses had around 10 rooms over 2 floors they had windows and chimneys but were less decorated than the gentry houses
what did the middling sort eat?
could afford to eat a good diet of meat, fruit and bread and beer they could not afford the luxuries enjoyed by the gentry
how did the middling sort earn a living?
were merchants, small business owners, or independent farmers
how did the labouring poor live?
lived in small one room houses with no chimney or glazed windows
what did the labouring poor eat?
the staple diet was bread this relied on good harvest and vegetables from the garden could be turned into pottage
how did the labouring poor earn a living?
travelled around looking for seasonal work on farms
how was marriage in gentry England?
had their partners chosen for them by their parents but most could choose who they married
marriage in England?
society was patriarchal and wives were expected to always obey their husbands although domestic violence was disapproved of, sex outside of marriage was forbidden by the church.
what did couples do immediately if they found out they were pregnant?
they would get married
was divorce popular?
no divorce was very difficult although people were encouraged to remarry if their husband or wife died
was same sex marriages forbidden by the church?
yes, and homosexual relationships had to be kept secret
did parents care about their children?
yes although they sent them away at a very early age
was infant mortality rates high?
yes although Elizabethan women had many children. high rates of infant mortality meant families were usually quite small
when did gentry parents pay for their son to go to school?
when their son was 7
what did children do in the poor families?
started to work in the home or on the farm as soon as they were old enough at the age of 12 or 13 girls and boys left their families homes to work as servants or apprentices wider kinship was not that important
did Elizabethans have strong bonds with their extended families?
no most families did not live with grandparents or uncles and aunts many people moved away from home so they did not live close to their extended families, most people turned to their neighbours if they had a problem
the causes of poverty?
by 1580s around 30% of the population lived in poverty, vagrants or vagabonds were unemployed people who walked around from town to town looking for work the middling and gentry were worried that the vagrants would commit crimes and vagrants would spread the plague. the increase of poverty was caused by 1. population increase it raised from 2.4 million to 4.1 million 2. inflation increased demand led to price rising the price of wheat increased by 250% 3. failed harvest failed in 1595 and 1597 there was even less wheat 4. sheep farming English cloth was very fashionable and sheep farming became very profitable
what was Elizabeths responces to poverty?
did not understand poverty so it was blamed on individuals. government introduced harsh punishments to deter people from becoming vagrants, vagrants caught for the 1st time were whipped and burned through the ear with a hot iron. if they were caught again they would be hanged this did not work= did not deal with poverty,
what did the 1601 poor law introduce?
a system that treated some poor people with more compassion this remained for over 200 years the poor law divided the poor into 2 categories
what were the 2 categories of the 1601 poor law?
the deserving poor: people who wanted to work but couldnt e.g the elderly, children, disabled people. the undeserving poor: people who could work but didnt e.g criminals, lazy people
how did the 1601 poor law treated different types of poor?
the deserving poor were treated with compassion: poor relief (benefits), materials to work, apprenticeships for young people, the underserving poor: still threatened with deterrents such as whipping and hard labour
what was the 1601 poor law pay for?
by a tax called the poor rate and managed by the justices of peace
