Section 4

Question 1

Homes of the gentry in Elizabethan England

Answer 1

New country houses, sometimes with 50 rooms
Country houses had glazed windows and finely decorated chimneys

Question 2

Food and Drink of gentry

Answer 2

The gentry hosted feasts, where expensive food was carried by servants on silver platters
Rich and varied diet: exotic meats such as swan and pheasants, fish such as salmon, sweets such as sugar and marzipan, and expensive wine

Question 3

Making a living: gentry

Answer 3

the gentry did not work, instead all their money was made from renting out they land

Question 4

Homes of middling sort in Elizabeth England

Answer 4

Had around 10 rooms over two floors
they had windows and chimneys, but where less decorated than those of the gentry

Question 5

Food of middling sort

Answer 5

Could afford a good diet of meat, fruit and bread- and beer
They could not afford luxuries enjoyed by the gentry

Question 6

Making a living: middling sort

Answer 6

The middling sort were merchants, small business owners, or independent farmers

Question 7

Homes of labouring poor

Answer 7

The poor lived in small one-room houses with no chimneys or glazed windows

Question 8

Diet of labouring poor

Answer 8

Staple diet of the labouring poor was bread, although this relied on a good harvest
Vegetables from their gardens could be made into pottage

Question 9

Making a living: labouring poor

Answer 9

Travelled around looking for seasonal work on farms

Question 10

Population increase in Elizabethan era

Answer 10

During Elizabeth’s reign, the population rose from 2.4 million to 4.1 million

Question 11

Inflation in Elizabethan England

Answer 11

Increased demand led to price increasing
The price of wheat increased by 250%

Question 12

Failed Harvests

Answer 12

The Harvest failed n 1595,1596 and in 1597
Meant there was even less wheat

Question 13

Sheep Farming

Answer 13

English cloth was fashionable so sheep farming became very profitable

Question 14

Elizabethan responses to poverty

Answer 14

Elizabethans did not understand the causes of poverty, therefore they blamed individuals
Government included harsh punishments to prevent people from becoming vagrants

Question 15

Punishment of vagrants

Answer 15

When caught for the first time they were whipped and burned through the ear with a hot iron
If they were caught again they would be hanged
Approach didn’t work as did not deal with causes of poverty

Question 16

1601 Poor Law

Answer 16

System which treated some poor people with more compassion. The system remained in place for 200 years
Justices of the peace appointed 4 overseers of the poor
Begging was forbidden
Poor looked after in almshouses

Question 17

Long term impact of the Poor Law 1601

Answer 17

Criticised due to harsh treatments of vagrants
Did not solve issues of poverty
Prevented large numbers of people from death

Question 18

The deserving poor

Answer 18

People who wanted to work but couldn’t
The elderly, children and disabled people

Question 19

The underserving poor

Answer 19

People who could work but didn’t
Criminals and lazy people

Question 20

Why was the Poor Law 1601 introduced

Answer 20

The ‘social order’ could be threatened if a growing number of poor people ganged together and started rebellions
Vagabonds and begging could turn into crime
Poor might spread diseases

Question 21

Elizabeth’s response to Poor Law on a local level

Answer 21

Justices of the peace were responsible for issues of poverty within their parish
Impotent poor were unable to work due to age, disability, infirmity. Limited relief
Able- bodied poor physically could work but were often unemployed
Vagabonds

Question 22

How were the deserving poor treated

Answer 22

Poor relief( benefits)
Materials for work
Apprenticeships for young people

Question 23

How were the underserving poor

Answer 23

Threatened with deterrents such as whipping and hard labour

Question 24

How was the Poor Law paid

Answer 24

Paid by tax called the poor rate and was managed by Jp’s

Question 25

Marriage in Elizabethan England

Answer 25

The gentry had their partners chosen for them by their parents, but most people could choice who they wanted to marry
Elizabethan society was patriarchal and wives were executed to obey their husbands- although domestic violence was disapproved of
Sex outside of marriage was forbidden by the Church.Couples usually got married immediately if they found out they were pregnant

Question 26

Divorce in Elizabethan England

Answer 26

Divorce was difficult
People were encouraged to remarry if their husband or wife died

Question 27

Same-sex marriage in Elizabethan England

Answer 27

Was forbidden by the Church and homosexual relationships had to be kept secret

Question 28

Family Life: Husbands and wives

Answer 28

Men could marry at 14 and women at 12
People would usually marry in their 20s
Marriage was a ‘balanced affair’
People tried to marry in the same social class
Divorce was uncommon
High death rate so people would have multiple marriages

Question 29

Family Life:Parents and Children

Answer 29

Children were born outside of marriage
Parents would find a partner for their child
Children looked after their siblings
Children worked at a young age
Low access to medical care
open to diseases
Children could become apprentices at 12-13
Son’s of the gentry attended school from age 7
High infant mortality

Question 30

Children in Elizabethan England

Answer 30

Children from poorer families would work in the home or on a farm as soon as they were old enough
Families were usually quite small due to high infant mortality
Boys and girls left their families at 12 and 13 to become apprentices and servants

Question 31

Wider Kinship

Answer 31

Elizabethan’s did not have strong bonds with their extended families
Most families did not live with grandparents or uncles and aunts
Many people moved far away from home to avoid being near extended families
Most families turned to their neighbours instead of family members

Question 32

York: A case study

Answer 32

York was under sever pressure due to the growing population of poor people
Authorities in York took bold action to deal with the problem- 1588
Wealth of York’s Henry and middling sort were assessed. Had to pay ‘poor-rate’ which was used to help the poor
‘viewers’ were appointed to make lists of all the poor people in the city and to place them into different categories according to their needs
People who were ‘aged, lame,impotent and past their work’ were given at least 3 halfpence per day o that they didn’t have to beg on the streets
People who could work with wool were paid a small wage to join in their homes
Vagabonds were out in houses of correction or banished fro the city