THE LIFE OF RICH AND POOR IN TUDOR TIMES

By Henry and Jack y4

. THE RICHmany chimneys, forwhen the weather was bad. Keeping warm was a major consideration and Tudor mansions had Meals in Tudor times consisted almost wholly of meat – no vegetables. Tudor people drank beer or wine, and ate and drank from pewter plates and mugs.

rich and poor tudors

Rich lords built huge mansions in the countryside. One famous Tudor mansion is Hampton Court. The long gallery ran along the entire length of the house, where people could walk, or practise sword-fighting the many fires.

THE POORLife for the poor was difficult. Some things to bear in mind when thinking about poverty in Tudor and times are:

An average day for someone like a farm labourer would start at 5 am. Work was broken up by meal times when simple dishes like vegetable stew were eaten.

There was no welfare state in Tudor and England. If you lost your job or grew too ill or old to work, you had three options: beg, steal or die. There were some attempts to improve life for the poor, but these didn't always make much difference. In the towns, one in five people were living in extreme poverty. It has been estimated that in some places, a quarter of the population consisted of beggars. Some roamed in gangs stealing, or bullying people into giving them alms.

The Poor Laws

In the reign of Henry VIII, a number of laws were passed to try to prevent beggars, also known as vagrants, but they simply involved punishing poor people.

JODS IN TUDOR TIMES

Cordwainer

A cordwainer made shoes out of leather.

Weaver

A weaver made cloth by weaving yarn together on a loom. In Tudor times, many people, especially poor people, would make their

own clothes, so they would buy cloth from a weaver.

Tailor

A tailor made clothes for people who could afford to buy them rather than make their own.

Smith

A smith was someone who made things out of metal. There were many types of smith, including: goldsmiths, blacksmiths (who

worked in iron or black metal) and locksmiths.

Mason

A mason was someone who made things out of stone. Usually, they helped to build houses.

Barber

A barber was someone who shaved men’s beards and trimmed their hair.

TUDOR HOUSES