1500-1750

• What was the population of London in 1550?

  Approximately 120,000
• What significant event occurred in London in 1665?

  The Great Plague returned
• How did the Great Plague of 1665 affect the population of London?

  It caused the deaths of between 70,000 and 100,000 Londoners
• What were the three important issues to focus on regarding people's health from 1500 to 1750?

  Living conditions, responses to plague, and public health improvements
• What were the main aspects of life in Britain from 1500 to 1750 that may have affected people's health?

  • Food and famine
  • Urban environment
  • Clean water
• What was the main industry in early modern England?

  The making of woollen cloth
• How did bad weather affect people's health in the countryside during 1500-1750?

  It could lead to a shortage of bread and hunger
• What was the population of England around 1550?

  Approximately 3 million
• What was the impact of the agricultural improvements by the 1700s?

  There was enough food for the growing population
• What invention did Thomas Newcomen create in 1712?

  The steam engine
• How did coal usage change in the early modern period?

  It began to be used in various industries and for fuel
• What was the significance of Bristol by 1750?

  It became an important trading port
• What was the effect of the closure of monasteries between 1536 and 1540?

  Monasteries and their water systems fell into ruins
• Who developed a powerful microscope in the seventeenth century?

  Robert Hooke
• What did Robert Hooke's book Micrographia contain?

  A collection of images seen through his microscope
• What was the public's perception of witches in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries?

  Many believed in witches and supernatural forces
• How did the printing press change people's lives in early modern England?

  It allowed for the quick and cheap production of books
• What percentage of adults could vote in early eighteenth-century elections?

  Only 3 percent
• What role did large landowners play in local governance?

  They enforced the law and acted as administrators
• What was a common beverage consumed by the common people in early modern England?

  Ale and beer
• How did the diet of wealthy people differ from that of poorer people?

  Wealthy people had a varied diet, while poorer people mainly ate bread and vegetables
• What were the consequences of the national addiction to coffee and sugar by 1750?

  Problems of rotting teeth and obesity emerged
• What was the main food source for the labouring poor?

  Pottage, a thick vegetable soup
• What could happen if there was a run of bad harvests?

  People could starve to death
• How did hunger affect people's health in early modern England?

  It weakened people's resistance to disease
• What were the conflicting views on eating fresh fruit in the sixteenth century?

  • Some believed it was healthy
  • Others thought it caused digestive issues and even plague
• What were the key features of people's health in early modern England from 1500 to 1750?

  • Changes in living conditions
  • Responses to plague
  • Improvements in public health
• What sweetener was commonly used in early modern England's coffee?

  Sugar imported from Britain's slave plantations
• How many coffee houses were there in London by 1750?

  Over 500
• What health issues arose from the national addiction to coffee and sugar?

  Rotting teeth and obesity
• What was the main diet of poorer people in early modern England?

  Mainly bread and vegetables with occasional treats
• What is pottage?

  A thick vegetable soup
• How did bad weather affect labourers' wages and food access?

  It caused grain prices to rise, making bread unaffordable
• What evidence of famine is found in the 1623 burial register of Greystoke?

  Burials of hunger-starved children and adults
• What were the common characteristics of the diet and living conditions of the labouring poor?

  • Diet mainly consisted of bread and vegetables
  • Pottage was a staple food
  • Daily wages barely covered food costs
  • Bad weather could lead to starvation
• Where did people in towns buy their food during the early modern period?

  From shops, markets, and street sellers
• What were the risks associated with food in early modern towns?

  High chances of food poisoning due to lack of preservation
• What animals were commonly found in the streets of early modern towns?

  Cattle, sheep, and geese
• What problems did loose dogs cause in early modern towns?

  Their excrement contained parasites that could spread to humans
• How did the condition of streets in early modern towns affect people's cleanliness?

  Streets were often muddy or dusty, making clothes dirty