LIFE IN ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND (L1)

Example of homes during the time.

The country side had rather atrocious living conditions. People who lived in the city of London lived amongst faecal matter and the fear of disease spreading, whereas common folk from the country would live in dark thatch houses with holes for windows. Lighting was a no go as candles were expensive; way beyond the pay of a labourer. They would be lucky to own a straw mat to rest their heads on as a mattress substitute. If they couldn't afford one, they would lie on the floor. Many cases report large families of six plus sharing a home fit for two at max. Elizabethan society was divided into the class in which you were born. If born a rich nobleman, you'd never dare contact a person below your wealth and vise versa. This is the law of the land. If you're born poor, you'll die poor.

“The cold stuck so deep into them their flesh was eaten with vermin and corrupt diseases grew on them” - City of Norwich, Order for the poor, 1571

Countrymen were split into three categories :

Yeoman

 These men might own or rent land and employs workers to come and work on their own land.

Husbandmen

Husbandmen rents the land he works on.

Labourers

Labourers simply work on other peoples farms.

For an unemployed poor person - finding work would be extremely limited. Their best bet is to go around looking for work as a labourer and work on someone else's land. For a common man, a full on hard day of work would earn you a Groat. One Groat is the equivalent of around four pence, enough for a loaf of bread. Luxuries of the day like a Lemon would cost £75 by todays standards, and a full chicken for dinner would spend you £100. Because of these harsh conditions, men would drink ale as alternative to water as the water was so polluted, it was safer to get ale. Men, women and children were practically starving whilst the rich dined on banquets.