Family Life in Elizabethan England (OCR GCSE History B (Schools History Project)): Revision Note

Summary

Almost all adults in their twenties were married in Elizabethan England. People were mostly free to choose their marriage partners, although this was not always the case with families from the nobility and single sex marriages were not allowed.

Married couples had lots of children. However, due to the deaths of infants being common, families were not normally that large. People often left the family home at an early age in search of work. It was difficult to keep in touch with family members once they left the immediate area.

Husbands & wives in Elizabethan England

• Most people in Elizabethan England got married in their twenties

• The parents of wealthy people often tried to influence their child's choice in marriage, although formally arranged marriages were rare

  • People from 'middling-sort' and labouring backgrounds were completely free to choose their marriage partner

• Once married, the husband was the senior partner in the marriage

  • The wife was expected to 'obey' her husband

• A divorce in Elizabethan England required a private Act of Parliament

  • For almost all people, divorce was not an option when marriages broke down

    • Instead, people informally separated and lived their lives apart

• Early death was very common, especially in childbirth, and widowed people were expected to remarry quickly

Parents & children in Elizabethan England

• Although married couples had lots of children by modern standards, due to high rates of infant mortality, families were not that large

  • One in four children died before they were 10

Wealthy children

• 'Wet nurses' were often employed to feed the children of wealthy families when they were infants

  • From the age of seven, sons were sent to school

  • Daughters were not sent to school, so stayed in the family home

Poorer and 'middling' children

• Most children were expected to do some work as soon as they could walk

  • This might include helping with farming, gathering firewood or looking after younger children

  • At the age of 12, boys and girls, many girls and boys left their family home to become apprentices or servants in other houses

  • They would live in this other home until they married

Wider kinship in Elizabethan England

• Kinship refers to connections through family ties

  • Wider kinship refers to cousins, aunts, uncles, nephews and nieces, etc

• The wealthy and members of the nobility often maintained strong links with their extended family because they were more able to:

  • Travel

  • Write and send letters or send messengers

• For many people, it was difficult to keep in touch and maintain relationships with wider family due to:

  • Difficulty in travel

  • The lack of postal service

  • Low literacy levels

• People often left home in search of work or apprenticeships when young

  • This meant that most people's family ties did not extend beyond their own household in the Elizabethan era