Changes in Living Conditions in Early Modern Britain (OCR GCSE History B (Schools History Project)): Revision Note

Summary

There were no dramatic changes in living conditions from the medieval period to the Early Modern Period. The changes that happened did not have a positive impact on people's health and life expectancy. Most people continued to live in the countryside. Their diet, housing and sanitation remained much the same as those in medieval times. Things changed in towns, but not for the better, as the towns became bigger and more crowded. As a result, they became more polluted and clean water became even more difficult to come by.

The air also became more polluted because more fires were being burned. Coal, which is a more polluting fuel, became commonly used in the Early Modern Period.

The diet of ordinary people remained unchanged but the rich were able to afford new food and drink that was brought to Britain from the Americas.

Housing in early modern Britain

• There was no great improvement in housing in the Early Modern Period

  • Most people continued to live in timber-framed houses with wattle and daub walls

• Towards the end of the period, the number of houses made entirely from stone or even brick was increasing

  • This was particularly true in towns where outbreaks of fire were common

• The high price of land meant that townhouses were often one room wide but several stories high

  • The upper stories were commonly larger than the lower floors and jutted out over the street

Food in Early Modern Britain

• The diet of most people was still pottage

  • This vegetable soup was made with whatever ingredients were available but commonly consisted of onions, turnips, leeks, beans and barley

  • Bread, cheese and eggs were also eaten frequently but meat and fish were rare treats for most people

• The threat of starvation was greatly reduced from medieval times, but widespread hunger remained common

  • This lack of food left people weak and more likely to become ill

• The diet of wealthy people in the Early Modern Period continued to contain more meat but also new ingredients from abroad

  • Tea, coffee and hot chocolate all became popular amongst the wealthy at this time

  • There were hundreds of coffee houses in London in the 1700s

  • New foods from the Americas, including potatoes, tomatoes, chillies, pumpkins and squashes

    • These became common in diets of the rich

  • Sugar that was grown by enslaved people in Britain's colonies also began to feature in the British diet more than ever before

    • This damaged the teeth and health of the wealthy

Clean water in Early Modern Britain

• Drinking water continued to be very dangerous in the Early Modern Period

  • People of all ages continued to drink 'small beer'

    • This had a very low alcohol content but the brewing process helped kill germs and preserve it

• Drinking water in the rapidly growing towns was especially dangerous

  • By the Early Modern Period, most towns had built conduits or public water fountains

  • People would collect water in buckets from the conduits or buy it from water sellers who carried it from door to door

• In larger cities such as London, wealthy people paid for water to be piped into their homes

  • Lead pipes were used to transport the water from clean springs that were miles away from the city

  • Wealthy people could pay a subscription to receive the water

• Lead had been used for water pipes since Roman times as it is soft and easy to bend into shape and repair

  • The word 'plumber' comes from the latin word for lead - plumbum

  • However, we now know that lead is highly toxic and the use of lead water pipes can lead to lead poisoning

Waste & air pollution in Early Modern Britain

Dealing with waste

• The waste produced by people in the Early Modern Period was organic

• People produced much less waste than people in the modern era

  • Much of the waste was excrement,

  • This could be deadly if not disposed of properly, leading to the spread of disease

• Most people still lived in the countryside

  • In the countryside, people continued to dig small ditches to bury their excrement or walked into the woods, just as they had in medieval times

• In the growing towns and cities, the large amount of human excrement produced every day was a health issue

  • Where possible, privies (sometimes known as jakes) were built over streams and rivers

    • This meant the excrement would be washed away

  • Most people would use a cesspit that was dug into the yard of their home

  • These were often lined with barrels to try to stop the excrement seeping into the surrounding soil

  • The cesspits frequently leaked and could contaminate local water supplies

• Even if cesspits did not leak, they had to be emptied at least once a year

  • This was a dirty, dangerous and expensive job that involved moving barrels full of excrement through houses and streets

• The people who were paid to empty cesspits were known as scavengers and were well paid

  • General household waste, such as ash from the fire, was collected in towns every week by people known as rakers

• Excrement, both human and animal, was a daily issue in the Early Modern Period

  • Failure to keep excrement separate from both food and water supplies had deadly consequences

Air Pollution

• Cooking and heating of homes in the Early Modern Period relied on open fires

  • During the medieval period, the fuel used was almost always wood

  • In the 17th century, the price of coal dropped and became a very popular fuel in towns and cities

  • Wood smoke is harmful if inhaled; coal smoke is even more toxic

• Bakers, blacksmiths and many other trades would have also burnt coal in their ovens and forges

• The result was that towns became very smoky and polluted places

• Breathing air polluted by thousands of chimneys led to many people in towns and cities developing respiratory diseases

  • Londoners in the 17th century frequently coughed up black mucus from breathing in soot and smoke