Show Off!

There was a huge difference between the poor and the rich in Tudor times. Those with money loved to show off, they would buy the most beautiful clothes made from the most expensive fabrics.

Wealthy people had plenty of leisure time too. They enjoyed taking part in falconry, jousting, theatre and dancing. Poor people could only enjoy a public execution when they weren't working! There were some areas where rich and poor lives were the same; the rich still used a hole in the ground for a toilet, just like the poor!

Earning a Living

Yeomen and citizens were not regarded as gentlemen (those who had been born rich) but they still had comfortable lives. Both had enough money to own their own houses and employ servants. Yeomen would either own their own land or rent land which they would farm.

Yeomen were usually successful farmers making enough food to eat and to sell. They might also have been rich enough to afford to employ workers who would do the heavy farming jobs for them.

Citizens would live in the towns. They included clever merchants and skilled craftsmen earning a good living. Merchants mainly made their living by trading goods. Craftsmen made things and could often command a good price for the goods they made. Merchants and Craftsmen both would have belonged to Guilds who looked after their interests whether they were working sick or retired.

No detention?

At school today you might get detention if you misbehave, but if you were a bad pupil back in Tudor schools there were other punishments. Tudor teachers had a long cane called a birch and naughty pupils would get 50 strokes of the birch if they didn't do as they were told!

How Does a Sheep Sound ?

One of the jobs in Tudor times was to make violin strings. If your dad was a string maker he would have to take out the intestines of sheep. He would turn them into violin strings that were fit for the best players. A string maker would carefully remove the intestine so as not to damage it. He would send the thicker parts off to make sausage skins and the thinner ends of the intestine would be twisted together and dried to make strings. The whole job was skilful but also very, very messy. So how does a sheep sound? Very good indeed!

The Weekend?

In Tudor times very few children actually went to school as only those whose parents could pay the schoolmaster's fee could go. These schools were open for six days a week. School started as early as 6 in the morning during the summer and 7am in the winter! Most schools finished at 5pm. In villages and the smaller towns, the vicar sometimes taught the local children in what were called parish schools. Girls rarely went to school at all but were taught at home.

You Can't Beat Dad

Parents in Tudor times were a lot harsher than they are today. There was a religious belief that children were born wicked and had to have that wickedness beaten out of them. Aren't you glad you weren't born in Tudor times!

This doesn't mean that parents didn't love their children; in fact they cared for them very much. Sadly, with the horrible conditions families had to live in, it was very common for children to become ill and many died very young.

Dead Exciting

In Tudor times a public execution was an event not to be missed. A lot of people would queue through the night to make sure they got a good place! It was like a carnival, with many different traders coming to sell their goods.

The traders could make a nice profit, especially the pie sellers, beer merchants and makers of execution memorabilia; it was just like a modern day fair! It was not only merchants who took advantage of the large crowds; peddlers, minstrels, jugglers and other street performers were all keen to perform for the huge audience.

Dog Power

In Tudor times a lot of food was cooked over an open fire. Meat would be cooked on a spit. This was a device which rotated to make sure the food was properly cooked. The spit itself would sometimes be turned by a dog running on a circular treadmill or by a child turning the handle.

A Life of Grime

In the Tudor times there were no drains or sewers to safely manage people's waste. All sewage was thrown into the street and ran into open rivers and wells. These were places that people got their drinking water from, so disease was very common. The Tudors did not have flushing toilets either, so all toilet waste would also be thrown into the street! Imagine the smell!