Elizabethan England Why is it called “Elizabethan”? Queen Elizabeth I reigned from 1558-1603 (45 years) William Shakespeare was born in 1564

Elizabethan England People were smaller Average man 5’6” Average woman 4’8”

Elizabethan (Shakespeare’s) England Life was not as glamorous No indoor plumbing.

Elizabethan England At Home Roofs were straw “thatch.” Pet dogs and cats, mice, rats, and bugs lived in the roof. If it rained the roof got slippery and it rained “cats and dogs.”

Elizabethan England At Home Nothing to stop animal droppings from landing on one’s bed Attached posts with a sheet on top, creating a “canopy’ to catch the animal doo-doo.

Elizabethan England At Home Folks slept in beds cross-wise Anne Hathaway, had a queen-sized bed she shared with two sisters and six servant girls before she married Will Shakespeare.

Elizabethan England At Home Anne Hathaway’s 6 brothers shared their room with 30 field workers. They all slept on the floor wrapped in blankets. There was no indoor heating beyond the ambient body heat.

Elizabethan England At Home The floor of most thatched houses was dirt. Only the wealthy could afford slate flooring. Everybody else was “dirt poor.”

Elizabethan England At Home Slate floors slippery when it rained. Spread “thresh” (straw) to keep from slipping. A piece of the wood at the door kept the thresh from slipping out, acting as a “thresh hold”.

Elizabethan England At Home People cooked over a fire in the fireplace. They hung a kettle over the fire and everyday added stuff to the kettle.

Elizabethan England At Home Mostly folks ate veggies. Meat was scarce. They ate stew and then the leftovers stayed in the pot for as long as a month.

Elizabethan England At Home Once in awhile they got some pork. They’d display the luxury bacon on a rack in the parlor to show it off. Sign of wealth if someone “could bring home the bacon”

Elizabethan England At Home Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom, family got the middle, and guests got the “upper crust.”

Elizabethan England At Home Lead drinking cups caused a powerful reaction with whiskey or ale Knocked out the drinker for days. Couldn’t tell if the unconscious person was dead or alive.

Elizabethan England At Home They laid out the unconscious person on the kitchen table to see if they would “wake” from it. They held a “wake.”

Elizabethan England Hygiene People usually bathed once-a-year, in May. Men first, then women, then the kids – in the same water.

Elizabethan England Hygiene Most weddings were in June, when couple and the guests were still relatively body odor-free. It was believed baths caused illness.

Elizabethan Entertainment Music Folks were expected to be musical, to be able to read and play music. Almost everyone could play the recorder or lute and sing in 8-part harmony. Barbers kept lutes customers could play while they waited for a new do.

Elizabethan Entertainment Fashion Fashion was a major pastime. Most Elizabethans wore their fortunes on their backs. They’d rather be well-dressed and penniless than rich and poorly dressed. Most folks dressed in the clothing of the social class above them.

Elizabethan Entertainment Cards People loved playing cards and frequently bet on the outcome.

Elizabethan Entertainment Tennis Tennis was played on a walled court with a roof and was very popular when it arrived as an import from France.

Elizabethan Entertainment Bear Baiting Bull- or Bear-baiting was popular. Dog turned loose on a tethered bull or bear. People bet on the dog or the bear.

Elizabethan Entertainment Public Executions Public executions were hugely popular and drew large audiences.

Elizabethan Entertainment Rooster Fighting Rooster fighting was the rage! People bet in the fights between specially-bred roosters with sharpened beaks and metal spurs. School boys were encouraged to bring their birds to school for fights. People bet on the fights.

Elizabethan Entertainment Human Competition Sporting opponents thumped each other with clubs and similar weapons (very bloody).

Elizabethan Entertainment “Football” Opposing sides tried to get a leather ball from one end of town to the other, while fighting each other. Fights resulted in broken bones and damaged businesses.

Elizabethan England This was life during the time of Shakespeare’s early pieces of literature.