Topic 2 - lifestyles of the rich and poor Flashcards
What percentage of cultivated land was owned by Lords?
17 percent
How much of Elizabethan society lived on the edge of starvation?
Between 20 and 30 percent
What factors pushed people into poverty?
Bad harvests, rising prices and seasonal employment
How did the rich become richer in Tudor times?
Buying land from the dissolution of monasteries and then renting, sheeo farming, mining for metals and marrying an even richer man’s daughter
How did the homes of the rich change in Elizabethan times?
Homes were made bigger, new fashions and furnishings were installed, walls were covered in paintings and tapestries
How did new materials change the homes of the rich?
Glass allowed for larger windows, bricks enabled the construction of chimneys and new wood usage methods
What were some of the most notable houses built in Elizabethan times?
Burghley House, Longleat House, Holdenby House and Hardwick Hall
What languages were studied by rich students in Elizabethan times?
French, Latin and Greek
What non-educational studies happened within schools for the rich?
Social etiquette, hunting, hawking and dancing
How did the homes of the gentry change?
Ceilings were added, walls were panelled or plastered and upper floors were added
Why was fashion important for the gentry?
It was seen as a demonstation of personal power, status and social standing
What schools were frequently attended by sons of the gentry?
Grammar schools
How many grammar schools were there by the end of the 16th century?
360
Where would students go after grammar school?
Either Oxford or Cambridge university, or the Inns of Court to study law
How did the homes of the poor differ from the homes of the rich?
Poor houses often only had one room, which was sometimes shared with animals, was made of wattle and mud infill on a timber frame, and had a thatched roof and mud floor
How were some members of the poorer class educated?
A local parish school, learning English
How were the poor categorised?
The impotent poor (often unable to work), and the able-bodied poor (capable of work, but unable to find it)
How did attitudes toward the poor change during Elizabeth’s reign?
It was realised that the poor needed help, not punishment, and the current systems couldn’t cope, so various laws and support acts had to be introduced
What were some of the causes of poverty?
Rising inflation and population, changes in farming and industry, dissolusion of monasteries and rack renting
What was rack renting?
Sharp rent increases that meant that many tenant farmers couldn’t pay rents and were evicted
What was a hooker/angler?
A vagrant who carried a long stick, knocking on house doors seeking charity in the day, and using thir stick to reach through windows and steal valuables
What was a clapper dudgeon?
Someone who tied arsenic on their skin to make it bleed, hoping to attract sypathy whilst begging
What was a doxy?
A female beggar who carried a large bad and knitted whilst walking around. What she really did was stole items and put them in the bag, often times a chicken
What was the abraham man?
Someone who pretended to be mad, hoping that their behaviour would attract charitable donations out of pity
