Life in Tudor Times. People threw their rubbish into the streets. They smelt very unpleasant.

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Nathaniel Booker
7 years ago
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1 Life in Tudor Times Tudor Towns There were only 4 million people living in Tudor England and the towns were not very big. London was the largest. The Houses The Tudors built many thousands of new houses. A few were grand palaces made of stone but most were smaller. They had wooden frames pinned together with wooden pegs, and the spaces were filled with clay or brick. Brick and stone were only used for building big country houses. Most buildings were made of wood and plaster. They would build a wooden frame and then pack it with clay or daub. Lots of houses in the town were built upwards because there was not much space. The floors used to jut out over each other. They were built on both sides of the street and made the streets gloomy because they blocked the light. The streets were narrow and crowded this made it easy for criminals to rob and steal from shops, traders and people. People threw their rubbish into the streets. They smelt very unpleasant. Tudor shops were more like open market stalls. The shopkeeper had a picture sign to show people what they sold. This was better than a written sign because lots of people could not read.

2 Life At Home Everything had to be done by hand so the housewife was a busy person. The people then were not as particular as we are about changing their clothes. Washing would only be done about once a month In a big house, there might only be one washday in three months. People often did their washing outside in a stream. They used home made soap from fat and ashes. Most of the furniture was made of wood. Only important people had chairs, the rest had to sit on stools or benches. Rich people had big wooden four poster beds. Beds like this one were very precious and would be passed down to families when people died. Most people's beds were feather mattresses covered with thick sheets and wool blankets. The walls had wood panelling to keep out draughts. Food and Drink Most people ate well. The main part of each meal was meat. This could be beef, lamb, pork, rabbit, deer, goat or wildfowl, rich people even ate swans. Ordinary people cooked, ate and slept in the same room. They would cook over an open fire and would probably drink beer or cider with each meal.

3 Tables were made of oak. The dishes they used were made of earthenware which was a kind of rough pottery. Food was usually put into a big bowl in the middle of the table then people helped themselves. They didn't use forks just spoons and knives. Drinking cups were made of horns which had the pointed end cut off. Feasts and banquets took place in the great hall of a big house. The host and important guests sat at the top of the table which was raised up on a platform. The rest of the guests sat lower down. There was loads of food and often lots left over which was given to the servants. Anything they didn't eat was given to beggars who waited outside. Education Schools were mainly for rich children. Most pupils were boys and very few girls were educated. Some were taught at home by a tutor. Pupils spent a long time at school. After three years at a nursery school they moved on to a grammar school when they were seven. They only had two holidays of about two weeks each, one at Christmas and one at Easter. For the rest of the year they only had Sundays off. The day began at 6 or 7 o'clock in the morning. Lunch was at 11 o'clock and afternoon lessons lasted from 1 o'clock until 5 o'clock.

4 How people travelled The roads of England were very poor. Each village was supposed to repair its own roads. By a law of 1555, one man was chosen every year to be surveyor of the Highway. Rich people were supposed to provide the materials for road repairs and the poorer people were to work unpaid for 6 days a year. Some people left money for road repairs when they died. Nobody liked having the job of surveyor. Often the surveyor only bothered to repair those pieces of road which they travelled on. Roads then did not have good surfaces, and they were not properly drained like ours deep ruts made by carts filled up with water when it rained. Most people travelled on horse back or on foot. For shorter journeys you might pay to have yourself carried in a chair. Travelling could be very dangerous it was not a good idea to travel alone if you could help it. Servants at the inns where travellers stayed were sometimes in league with robbers. They looked at a travellers luggage and if they thought he was worth robbing,they found when they were setting off and where they were heading. Then they told the robbers,who would lie in wait and attack them taking all of their money and valuables.

5 Crime and Punishment People who committed crimes could be put in the stocks. They always stood where lots of people would pass and they would throw things at the criminals. Beggars were a big problem, people were afraid of them. If they became a nuisance they were dragged through the streets being whipped. Most towns had a ducking chair to punish women who were "scolds". The chair was kept near a pond or river and was hung on a see-saw. The woman was tied into the chair, dipped into the water and pulled out again. If people thought that a woman was a witch she would be tied up in a sack and thrown into the water. If she floated it meant she was not guilty. Other people could be burned at the stake.

6 Tudor Fashion Elizabeth I loved jewelled clothes and is said to have left over 2,000 decorated dresses hanging in her wardrobe when she died. Most ordinary people wore clothes similar to those of the rich and fashionable people but they were simpler and made from cheap materials like wool or linen. Children were usually dressed in smaller versions of their parents' clothes. Rich Elizabethan women wore a lot of clothes each day. They wore a thick petticoat. Over this went a bodice and a skirt. The skirt was held up by hoops and padded at the hips. An outer bodice and skirt went over this and on top of that there was a gown, which went down to the floor. Rich men wore a linen shirt and a tight-fitting jacket called a doublet. Over there was another jacket which came out over the hips. They wore stockings and padded breeches instead of trousers. Most wore a velvet or fur hat.

7 Tudor Fun and Games The Tudor kings and queens encouraged archery. It was the law that every fit man over 24 should be able to shoot a target 220 yards away. They had to practise on Sunday after church. There were cross bows and long bows. The best bows were yew and the three strings were made of hemp. Arrows were made of birch oak ash and hornbeam. They were tipped with grey goose feathers. People played other games like ours. Bowls was a favourite and some towns had bowling alleys. They used to play games like hockey the sticks were curved and the ball was wooden. Young men played it in the street. The favourite game was football. Any number could play and there was no referee. Villages challenged each other and nearly every match ended with cracked heads and other injuries. The Tudors also liked to go to bull and bear baiting rings. A bull or bear was chained to a stake. Then dogs were let in to tease them and fights began. Cock fighting was also popular. All countrymen enjoyed hunting, wealthy Tudors hunted deer on horseback while ordinary men hunted rabbits and other smaller things on foot. They also fished and enjoyed falconry. Noblemen liked to fence and tennis was enjoyed by the rich.

8 Theatre People liked to watch plays. During Elizabeth's reign the first real theatres were built in England. At first actors travelled from town to town and performed in the streets or outside inns. Then they began to build theatres. The Globe Theatre was built on the River Thames. It was circular and had seats around the walls which cost two pence or three pence if you had a cushion. These seats were sheltered from the weather. The rest of the people were crowded into the yard or floor. The floor or pit cost one penny. People in the pit moved about, leaned over on the stage and even talked while the play was going on. The stage was a platform that jutted out into the pit. They did not have many props or much scenery and an actor had to walk on to stage and tell people were the story was set so that they could imagine it. Women did not act so men and boys had to play the female parts. William Shakespeare lived during Elizabeth's reign. He is still the world's most famous writer. He wrote lots of plays which have been translated into many languages and are still performed today all over the world. His most famous plays include Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth.

SECTION 4: WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE FOR THE POOR IN TUDOR TIMES?

PUPIL WORKSHEET SECTION 4: WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE FOR THE POOR IN TUDOR TIMES? Poor people wore rough hardworking clothes, which were dictated by the sumptuary laws. Poor people had little money and bad housing.