There were also those that chose not to work but instead made a living from travelling from town to town begging or making a living from gambling. The Vagabonds and Beggars Act was introduced in to try to stop working people from being exploited. Vagabonds and beggars that were caught would be put in the stocks for three days and only be given bread and water. Unfortunately, the act did not distinguish between those who were unable to find work and those that deliberately avoided work.
Most people tried to obey the law since punishments for breaking laws were harsh. All classes, except peers, were likely to be tortured during investigations. If they were found guilty of treason they would be hung, drawn and quartered. Only peers were given the luxury of beheading. Women of any class could expect to be burned at the stake if found guilty of either treason or the murder of their husbands.
It was law that everyone attend church on Sundays and Holy days unless they obtained a special dispensation. It was forbidden to eat meat, butter or cheese on Fridays, Saturdays, during Lent, during Advent or on the eve of Holy days. People were able to obtain a dispensation to exempt them from a holy law but a fee had to be paid to the king and it was usually necessary to bribe the priest or clerk granting the dispensation. Many priests were corrupt and lived openly with concubines and had fathered children despite it being law that they remained celibate.
Most English people attended mass daily and truly believed the priest had the power to make the body of Christ. The tomb of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral and the shrine of our Lady at Walsingham were focal points for pilgrimages.
These shrines had become very wealthy because of the large numbers of jewels and stones that had been left by pilgrims. A very small number of people did not believe that the Catholic religion was the true religion. The Lollard Movement believed that every man should have the opportunity to read the Bible and interpret it as he saw fit. However, the authorities stated that these beliefs were heretical. Heretics were given the opportunity to recant their beliefs but if they refused they were burned at the stake.
Education had become increasingly important in England by the year and most large towns had a grammar school. Here the sons of those that could afford to pay for schooling learned Latin grammar. A knowledge of Latin grammar was essential for merchants who wished to trade across Europe and also for those that wished to pursue a legal or religious career. Lessons started at sunrise and often did not finish until sunset.
First published ; updated and re-published Sept 23 pm — Updated — Apr 22, pm. Heather Y Wheeler. What was England like in ? This was really interesting! You could write whole book about Tudor England from the perspective of the masses. I am confused at the fact hockey was mentioned as one of the games played in the s.
This continued through the centuries and is known to have been enjoyed by the Tudors. The modern game of hockey was first invented in 18th century England and played in public schools such as Eton.
The International Hockey Federation was founded in France in They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special.
When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man "could bring home the bacon. Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with a high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning and death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous. Most people did not have pewter plates, but had trenchers, a piece of wood with the middle scooped out like a bowl.
Often trenchers were made from stale bread, which was so old and hard that they could be used for quite some time. Trenchers were never washed and a lot of times worms and mold got into the wood and old bread.
After eating off wormy, moldy trenchers, one would get "trench mouth. Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or "upper crust.
Lead cups were used to drink ale or whiskey. The combination would sometimes knock them out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. In this context a wake means a watch or a vigil. It originated from an all-night watch kept in church before certain holy days. It later became associated with fairs and revelries held at such times.
Some towns in the north of England still observe local holidays called wakes. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable.
England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. Rural communities were normally directed by local lords and clergy. The church was at the center of the common life, the site of all important ceremonies, from baptisms, weddings, holiday observances and burials.
That is not to say that peasants were always theologically correct. Popular traditions blended with Christian orthodoxy to create a hybrid view of the world. Virtually everyone believed in magic. Magic was special knowledge needed to manipulate nature, and only some could attain this special knowledge. Alchemists focused on the manipulation of minerals, astrologers on reading the stars, and witches were thought to be particularly good at manipulating animals, including human beings, which they might do through a special knowledge of herbs and other organic substances.
One reason that witches were so feared is that almost no one, educated or not, doubted the reality of magic. Is it really so different today? Women were usually witches, or associated with witchcraft because they were understood to be more knowledgable about herbs and the body. The Christian clergy saw witches and sorcerers as competitors for their authority to assure blessings, healing and good fortune. This is one factor that contributed to the attack on witches in the 16th and 17th centuries.
In these centuries there were tens of thousands of witchcraft trials throughout Europe. The concern about witchcraft was a sign of troubled times. Our readings indicate many of the key aspects witchcraft trials. Some may have indeed engaged in witchcraft. But is also true that this class of women were both vulnerable and suspect because they are on the social fringes of the community. Some have even argued that such women were a burden on poor and struggling communities.
We see in the folktales such as Little Red Riding Hood that food and other resources are in short supply, and hunger is common, even if there are no wars.
How did villagers in Europe determine that witchcraft was at work around them? Most fundamentally, by observing that evil was occurring. The common thought was that evil forces directed by the devil caused bad things to happen. It is a logical proposition: all actions must have a cause. In a community which observes evil around them, the most fearful prospect is that evil will infiltrate the people in their own community on whom they depend.
Notice on p. The doctrine of witch-hunting was that witches gained their power by giving themselves to the devil. Again, the witch on p. Once again, it was thought women were most succeptible because of their emotional character. Witches were sometimes accused of having sex with the devil--and liking it. Witches were in the power of the devil just as Little Red Riding Hood was under the power of the wolf.
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