Life in Elizabethan England: Education, Poverty, and Leisure

Life in Elizabethan England: Education, Poverty, and Leisure

Elizabethan society was hierarchical, with the monarch at the top and the poor at the bottom. However, the Elizabethan period also saw significant changes in education, attitudes to poverty, leisure, and culture.

Education

Education expanded significantly during Elizabeth's reign, though it was far from universal:

• Grammar schools — The number of grammar schools grew rapidly. They taught boys (aged 7-14) Latin, rhetoric, religion, and some Greek. School days were long — typically 6am to 5pm, six days a week. Discipline was harsh (beating was normal).
• Petty schools — Younger children (aged 5-7) learned basic reading and writing at small local schools.
• Universities — Oxford and Cambridge expanded. They trained future clergy, lawyers, and government officials.
• Education for girls — Most girls did NOT attend school. Wealthy girls might be educated at home by tutors in reading, writing, music, and needlework. Elizabeth herself was exceptionally well educated.
• Literacy — Literacy rates grew, but remained limited. By 1600, around 30% of men and 10% of women in England could read.

Poverty

Poverty was a growing problem in Elizabethan England:

Causes

• Population growth — England's population rose from about 2.8 million (1550) to 4.2 million (1600). More people meant more competition for jobs, food, and land.
• Enclosure — Wealthy landowners fenced off common land for sheep farming, displacing tenant farmers.
• Inflation — Prices rose faster than wages. Food prices roughly quadrupled between 1500 and 1600.
• Harvest failures — Bad harvests in 1594-1597 caused widespread hunger.
• Dissolution of the monasteries — Henry VIII's closure of monasteries (1536-40) had removed the main source of charity for the poor.
• Returning soldiers — Disbanded soldiers often had no employment to return to.

Attitudes to the Poor

Elizabethans distinguished between the "deserving" and "undeserving" poor:

Category	Description	Treatment
Helpless poor	Elderly, sick, disabled, orphans	Deserved charity and support
Able-bodied poor	Fit people willing to work but unable to find employment	Should be given work
Vagabonds/rogues	Wandering beggars, seen as idle and criminal	Should be punished

Poor Laws

The government passed a series of Poor Laws to deal with the problem:

• 1572 Poor Law — Introduced a compulsory local tax (poor rate) to fund poor relief. JPs were required to keep a register of the poor. Vagabonds could be whipped and bored through the ear.
• 1576 Poor Law — Towns were required to provide raw materials (wool, etc.) so the able-bodied poor could work. Houses of correction were set up for those who refused.
• 1601 Poor Law — The culmination of Elizabethan poor legislation. Made each parish responsible for its own poor. Overseers of the poor were appointed to collect the poor rate and distribute relief. The able-bodied poor were to be given work; the helpless poor were to be cared for in almshouses; vagabonds were to be sent to houses of correction.

The 1601 Poor Law remained the basis of English poor relief for over 200 years (until 1834).

Leisure and Entertainment

Theatre

• The Elizabethan period saw the birth of English professional theatre:
• James Burbage built the first purpose-built public theatre, The Theatre, in Shoreditch, London, in 1576.
• The Globe (1599), associated with William Shakespeare, became the most famous theatre.
• Other theatres: The Rose (1587), The Swan (1595).
• Plays attracted audiences of all social classes — up to 3,000 people at The Globe.
• Key playwrights: Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson.

• Theatre was controversial: Puritans opposed it as immoral and a breeding ground for plague, crime, and immorality. London's theatres were built outside the city walls (in Southwark) partly to avoid the City authorities' restrictions.

Other Entertainment

• Blood sports — Bear-baiting and bull-baiting were popular at all social levels. The Bear Garden in Southwark was near the theatres.
• Hunting and hawking — Popular among the nobility and gentry. Elizabeth herself was a keen hunter.
• Football — A rough, violent game with few rules, played by common people.
• Music — An important part of Elizabethan life; the lute and virginals were popular instruments. Elizabeth was a skilled musician.
• Fairs and festivals — Regular events in towns and villages.

Key Exam Points

• The Poor Laws are a key topic — know the chronology (1572, 1576, 1601) and how attitudes changed.
• Theatre reflects the cultural richness of Elizabethan England but also its social tensions (Puritan opposition).
• Be prepared to discuss how life varied for different social groups — rich vs poor, men vs women, urban vs rural.