Lifestyles, Homes & Fashion in Elizabethan Times (WJEC Eduqas GCSE History): Revision Note

What was England like in Elizabethan England? - Summary 

Life in Elizabethan England varied significantly across social classes. For the poorer classes, daily existence was challenging. Their daily life contained hard agricultural labour and poor living conditions. Their diets were poor, mainly consisting of bread, pottage, and the occasional piece of meat. 

The nobility enjoyed a life of relative luxury and privilege. Their large estates and wealth allowed for better lifestyles. This included large feasts, expensive clothing, and a variety of entertainment. They had significant political influence and often engaged in court life. 

The gentry, a class below the nobility, also experienced a comfortable life, though less extravagant. They owned smaller estates and were often involved in local government and trade. Education was valued among the gentry, and many sought to maintain their social status through strategic marriages and purchasing land. 

Contrasting Lifestyles of the Rich & Poor

• Elizabethan society was a clearly divided society 

• It had a very structured class system that kept everyone in their social class 

• At the top of the system was the monarch, Elizabeth 

• Underneath the monarch are the nobles and lords 

  • They were landowners with an income of up to £6,000 per year 

• Followed by the gentry 

  • Who were lesser landowners with an income of up to £200 a year 

• Under the gentry were the wealthy merchants and professionals 

  • This was a new class that was made up of lawyers and businessmen 

• Next were yeomen and tenant farmers 

  • Some yeomen owned their own land and had some servants 

  • Tenant farmers rented from a landowner 

• Near the bottom of Elizabethan society were cottagers and skilled artisans 

  • Cottagers had a small garden or farm 

  • Skilled artisans were men with trades 

    • Such as blacksmiths 

• At the bottom were landless skilled labourers, the poor, and the unemployed

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Life of the Rich in Elizabethan Society 

• Sons of wealthy nobles and lords were tutored at home and were taught

  • The classics 

  • French 

  • Latin 

  • Greek 

  • Social etiquette 

  • Hunting 

  • Hawking 

  • Dancing 

• Whereas daughters were tutored by a governess and were taught 

  • Domestic skills 

  • Music 

  • Dancing 

  • Social etiquette 

• The wife of a nobleman or lord was expected to run the household, including 

  • The staff 

  • Food 

  • House upkeep 

  • Children’s education 

  • Social events 

Life of the Gentry in Elizabethan Society 

• The gentry lived a similar lifestyle to those who were richer than they were, such as the nobility, but not on the same scale 

Education 

• Sons of the gentry attended grammar school

• There were approximately 360 grammar schools during this period 

  • Some of the most famous grammar schools from this period include Rugby and Harrow  

• They were taught subjects aimed at instruction on how to be a gentleman, including  

  • Greek 

  • Latin 

  • Social etiquette 

  • Hunting 

  • Fencing 

  • Music 

  • Dancing 

  • Sports 

    • Including tennis and bowls 

• The school day was long, starting at 6 am and finishing at 7 pm 

Life of the Poor in Elizabethan Society 

• The lower classes' lifestyle was very different from that of the richer classes 

Education 

• Most poor people were not educated during the Elizabethan period 

• Those who were educated went to local parish schools 

  • They were taught basic reading and writing 

  • Most left school before they were teenagers to work 

• They spent most of their time working 

• When they were not working, they would 

  • Visit a local tavern or inn 

  • Gamble in cock or bare-bailing 

  • Play dice or cards 

  • Fish 

  • Watch a play  

Work

• Most of the poorer classes were tenant farmers and labourers 

• They would work long hours 

  • From 5 am - 5 pm 

Elizabethan Homes & Fashions

Elizabethan Homes for the Rich 

• The Elizabethan period was known as the ‘Great Rebuilding’ 

  • Wealthy Elizabethans built many stately homes or renovated their homes 

• This was possible due to

  • Land was brought during the dissolution of the monasteries in Henry VIII's reign 

  • Agricultural changes 

  • Mineral resources 

  • Inheritance and marriage 

  • Trade

• Before the Elizabethan era, the main function of a home for the higher classes was for security and protection 

  • Homes were built with 

    • Defensive features like walls and gates 

    • A communal great hall where people ate, worked, and slept 

    • Narrow windows with shutters and no glass 

• During the Elizabethan period, homes were created for: 

  • Comfort 

  • Fashion 

  • As a display of people’s wealth and intellect 

• Homes were inspired by the French and Italian Renaissance. This is evident in the following features: 

  • The geometric plasterwork 

  • Features such as the loggia 

  • Symmetrical layout of the houses

    • Often in the shape of an ‘E’ or ‘H’ 

  • Oak wooden panelling 

  • Stonework

• New materials were being used, including 

  • Bricks 

    • For the construction of chimneys or used as an infill between beams 

  • Glass 

    • For windows 

• Gardens, as well as houses, were remodelled during the Elizabethan period 

  • Before this period, the garden was used to grow food for the house 

• Gardens were now used for

  • Entertainment 

  • Pleasure

  • Exercise 

  • Displaying wealth 

• Gardens followed the same design and inspiration as the rest of the Elizabethan houses 

  • Gardens were 

    • Symmetrical 

    • Inspired by Renaissance styles 

• There are many examples of Elizabethan houses in this style, including: 

  • Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire 

    • Created by Bess of Hardwick between 1590 and 1597 

• Burghley House, Lincolnshire 

  • Built by William Cecil and completed in 1587

• There were several new features in these Elizabethan homes 

• The long gallery ran the whole length of a house, usually on the upper floor 

• Long galleries were created as a place to walk when the weather was poor

  • They were spaces to play games, listen to music, and dance

  • Long galleries were opened or closed so they could be used in the winter or the summer months 

• In a long gallery, you would find

  • Family portraits

  • Portraits of the royal family 

  • Small tables 

  • Chests 

  • Stools 

  • Games

• Family wings would contain 

  • A parlour containing 

    • A sitting room 

    • Tapestries

    • Wooden panelling

    • Plastered ceilings

    • A large fireplace  

  • Bedrooms with  

    • Fourposter beds for privacy and warmth 

    • A selection of furniture, including dressers and chairs 

  • A master bedroom 

    • With a ‘withdrawing room’ next door for servants to sleep in 

• Servant quarters included

  • Kitchen 

  • Bedrooms 

• They would sometimes have been in the old great hall 

Elizabethan Homes for the Gentry 

• Many members of the gentry and yeomen tried to copy the same fashions and home improvements as the richer people in Elizabethan society, but on a much smaller scale 

• Homes were modernised by 

  • Building houses with brick 

  • Introducing servant quarters 

  • Decorating with tapestries, stone work, wooden paneling, and large open fireplaces  

  • Using glass in their windows 

  • Built chimneys 

Elizabethan Homes for the Poor  

• The poorer classes lived in smaller homes 

• These homes would have 

  • One room 

  • An earth floor 

  • Walls made of a timber frame and wattle and mud infill 

  • A thatched roof 

  • A few pieces of furniture, including a bed, table, and stools 

• Animals would often share the living space 

Elizabethan Fashion for the Rich and Gentry Classes

• Fashion was very important during the Elizabethan period because it was: 

  • A way of showing your wealth 

  • A status symbol 

• In 1562, Elizabeth passed laws to control what people wore

  • These laws were a way to reinforce hierarchy in Elizabethan England

• Fashion differed between men and women; however, some fashion items were a must for both

Elizabethan Fashion for the Poor Classes

• The poorer classes lived in such poverty that they owned very simple clothes 

• It was likely that they only had one or two spare items of clothing  

• Men mainly owned 

  • One pair of leather shoes 

  • Knitted woolen stockings 

  • Leather breeches 

  • A doublet 

  • A jerkin 

  • A felt hat 

• Women mainly owned 

  • A petticoat 

  • Mantle 

  • Doublet 

  • Kerchief 

  • A net or cap 

  • One pair of leather shoes 

Elizabethan Fashion for the Poor Classes

• The poorer classes lived in such poverty that they owned very simple clothes 

• It was likely that they only had one or two spare items of clothing  

• Men mainly owned 

  • One pair of leather shoes 

  • Knitted woolen stockings 

  • Leather breeches 

  • A doublet 

  • A jerkin 

  • A felt hat 

• Women mainly owned 

  • A petticoat 

  • Mantle 

  • Doublet 

  • Kerchief 

  • A net or cap 

  • One pair of leather shoes