By: Devon Shiner and Taylor Morgan

Society began to form along new lines in the Tudor years. If feudal England was the age of a community, Tudor England was one of individuality. Nobility and knights were still at the top of the social ladder, but the real growth in society was in the merchant class.

House designs became more balanced and symmetrical, with E and H shapes common, which is said to be a tribute to Elizabeth and Henry VIII. Houses were mostly built around a courtyard, with the hall acting as the center of life. Gardens were a vital feature in the Tudor years

Latin was the main language of Literature in the Tudor years, despite the success of Geoffrey Chaucer, an English poet. Some famous authors and play writers during the Tudor years were William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, and Hans Holbein

The Tudor era saw the rise of modern commerce with cloth and weaving leading the way. The prosperity of the wool trade led to a surge in building in the active wool areas, which was commonly referred to as "Wool churches“.

A new class called the merchant had emerged during the Middle Ages. The growth of trade and the merchant middle class would then go hand in hand with the growth in towns. Towns were commonly built on trade, and the merchants were often the elites of town.

Guilds would control all of the the trade in a town. Merchant guilds would regulate prices, quality, weights and measures, and business practices. The power of the guilds was absolute in their domain, and to be expelled from a guild made it impossible to earn a living. Each guild would have a patron saint, would celebrate religious festivals together, put on religious plays, and looked after the health and welfare of the members and their families.

Separate from the merchant guilds were the craft guilds, which regulated the quality, working hours and conditions of its members. There were three levels of craftsmen, which consisted of masters, journeymen, and apprentices. Parents would pay a fee to place a boy with a master craftsman as an apprentice. There, he would receive food, lodging, where he would often be sleeping under the counter in the shop itself, clothes, and instruction in the craft.

The period of apprenticeship lasted for 2-7 years, after which time the apprentice became a journeyman. The term has nothing to do with traveling; it comes from the French "journee", (day), and meant that the journeyman was paid by the day for his work. After several years as a journeyman the craftsman would submit a piece of his best work to the guild for approval. If this "master- piece" was accepted he could become a master craftsman and own his own shop.

The day would officially begin with the ringing of the Angelus bell, which would happen at either 4 or 5 o,clock. It announced the first mass of the day and the end of the night watchman's duty. Most shops would usually open at 6 AM, which would provide plenty of early morning shopping before the first meal, which would happen at either 9 and 10 o’clock.