lifestyles

• What was the basis of Elizabethan society?

  A structured class system
• What percentage of the population lived on the edge of starvation?

  20-30%
• What were the means through which rich landowners increased their wealth during Elizabeth's reign?

  • Agricultural change and profitable sheep farming
  • Exploitation of mineral resources like coal
  • Advantageous marriages
• What period is referred to as the 'great rebuilding'?

  The time when rich landowners built new homes
• What architectural style replaced old medieval dwellings during the Elizabethan era?

  Elizabethan mansions
• What was a common design feature of Elizabethan houses?

  Symmetrical design in E or H shape
• What materials were used in the construction of Elizabethan houses?

  Brick or stone walls
• What features were included in the homes of the rich during Elizabethan times?

  Large glass windows and fireplaces
• What type of clothing did Elizabethan noblemen and their wives wear?

  Latest fashions made of silk and velvet
• How were the sons of nobles educated during the Elizabethan era?

  Home tutored in classics and languages
• What skills were daughters of nobles taught?

  How to run a large house and staff
• Who supervised the day-to-day running of a nobleman's household?

  The nobleman's wife
• How did the gentry attempt to emulate the lifestyle of the nobles?

  • Built new homes out of stone and brick
  • Had stylish outfits without fine materials
  • Sent sons to grammar schools and universities
• What type of houses did the gentry build?

  Stone and brick houses
• What were the features of gentry homes?

  Fireplaces and large windows
• What type of clothing did the gentry wear?

  Modern, stylish outfits
• Where did the sons of gentry often attend school?

  Grammar schools and universities
• What careers did some sons of gentry pursue after university?

  Lawyers, clerics, or royal service
• What were the living conditions of the lower classes during Elizabethan times?

  • Lived in small, one-room cottages
  • Shared space with animals
  • Had thatched roofs and earth floors
• What type of clothing did the lower class typically possess?

  Very few clothes made of rough cloth
• What was the level of education for the lower classes?

  Received very little education
• What leisure activities did the lower classes engage in?

  Visited local inns for entertainment
• How did Tudor governments classify the poor?

  • Impotent poor: unable to work
  • Able-bodied poor: capable of work but unemployed
• What were some causes of poverty in Elizabethan times?

  1. Rising inflation
  2. Bad harvests
  3. Changes in farming methods
  4. Rack renting
  5. Rural depopulation
  6. Dissolution of the monasteries
  7. Costly foreign wars
  8. Changes in the cloth industry
  9. Rising population
• What was the societal perception of the increase in wandering homeless?

  Seen as a threat to society
• What were the different types of vagabonds in Elizabethan times?

  1. Hooker or angler
  2. Clapper dudgeon
  3. Doxy
  4. Abraham man
  5. Ruffler
  6. Drumerer
  7. Counterfeit crank
• What were the key pieces of government legislation regarding the poor?

  1. Statute of artificers (1563)
  2. Vagrancy act (1572)
  3. Act of relief for the poor (1576)
  4. Act for punishment of rogues (1598)
  5. Act of relief for the poor (1601)
• What were the key features of the poor laws enacted during Elizabethan times?

  • Compulsory seven-year apprenticeship
  • Severe punishments for vagrants
  • Houses of correction established
  • Overseers appointed for poor relief
  • Begging forbidden
  • Legal work to tackle poverty
• How successful were the poor laws in addressing poverty?

  Helped many but poverty continued to rise
• What was one positive outcome of the poor laws?

  Reduced threat of rebellion and unrest
• How long did the system of poor relief remain in place?

  Over 200 years