Different Experience Of Living In In 1500 Versus 1750: Comparative Essay

How different was the experience of living in London in 1500 versus 1750?

Today London is considered one of the most important world cities, and is a centre for both communication, trade and many of the world institutions and organizations. How did London become such an important city? When we look at London’s history, the city has been a centre for hundreds of years, and in 1750 it was already considered a centre for the European economy. However, if we look back another two hundred years, the picture was quite different. London was the capital of England, but England was not the capital of Europe. The change to a metropolitan city came with an important internal change, both in population, migration, structure, pollution and power. London was a changing city. This essay will examine how the changes in trade and economy also changed the experience of living in London. It does not focus on religion, gender, or political development although these factors were also important for the evolution of living conditions in London in this historical period. By becoming a global city, life in London changed. However, the opportunities it created depended largely on which class you belonged to.

1. In this time period, London became a global city with a rising population and international trade

In the 16th century, London was already considered a large city. The city of London had a population of about 60 000, and due to the high mortality rate the number of inhabitants did not change much until 1500. There was also a shortage of labourers which helped living conditions, since wages were high and rent was relatively low. This meant that all the classes had a reasonable standard of living. (heather wheeler) From 1500 to 1700 the population in London almost quadrupled, surpassing 500 000, and making London the largest metropolis in Europe (Joseph Ward, p.2). Throughout the 17th and 18th century the city developed from a modest capital city with export of wool as its main income to a metropolis with a considerable importance for the European economy. Because of London’s multiple interest abroad, the economy in London also affected much more than a country, but an empire. (Jeremy Boulton, p.315)

However, even though London grew, and become a large city, it is important to remember how common it was being a Londoner. There could be different reasons for coming to London, either to settle or perhaps the goal was to learn a trade, and then move out again. It is believed that one of sixth adults in England lived in London at some point in their lives. (Wrigely, p.49) The high mortality rate caused by different factors such as polluted air, children dying at an early age and the plague, combined with later marriage, shows how crucial immigration was for the population growth in London.

So, what was the reason for the migration to London and the growth of the city? Many would point to the emerge of international trade through the ports of London as the main reason. With this followed a massive occupational diversity and London went from a narrow economic base to a larger one. London’s relation to Europe had always been centred around one trade, the cloth trade. In the 16th century the consumer culture in London based itself on the export of unfinished woollen cloth. (Orlin, p.18) So in the 16th century the merchants of London were mainly exporting unfished cloth to Antwerp. In the 17th century new markets and trade routes were developing, and new companies exported to farther destinations. London became an imperial city.

2. The booming trade created the metropolitan citizen

With the economic changes, the idea of the metropolitan citizen appeared. With prosperity, the market for luxury goods expanded. The new trade routes made it easier to access new products, everything from new food to fashion items. With the domestic trade rising and a national market emerging in London, there was also a change in consumer behaviour. Cissie Fairchilds writes about the consumer revolution in England which she describes as “the transition from a traditional society of scarcity to one of mass consumption” (Fairchilds, p.851). London transformed into a nation of shoppers that bought small quantities of goods and products instead of large quantities to stock. (fairchilds, p.854) Under the influence of Henry VIII and his court, new vegetable and fruits became the fashion, and imported and fabricated goods were transported to different regions of London, making them more accessible. However, the distribution of imported goods was not that well allocated. There was a rising middle class, but an even bigger gap between the rich and poor. With the rapid expansion in commerce, new items and work possibilities became accessible to the middle class, and the rich with stakes in trade got richer. However, those without money, education or connections had to settle for the worst jobs.

In the beginning of the 16th century, the cloth trade was booming. The demand exceeded supply which meant that you could get a high price for your produce. (heather wheeler) In 1750, more people began working in trade related careers. These new careers options also made people take more education which entailed that many had a minimum degree of literacy. (wrigely, p.52) Already in the 1500s education became more important. Larger cities usually had schools where the sons of the people who could pay for a Latin grammar education, a skill that was essential for merchants who wanted to trade across Europe, and also for those who wanted to pursue legal or religious careers. (heather wheeler)

With all the changing factors in London, society changed. The new metropolitan city also gave each person the possibility to hide or reinvent themselves, and for many this became the possibility of a new beginning, where they could take part in the innovation and economy in London. (cavert, p.5). The emerge of both alehouses and coffee houses gave the public a new arena to discuss and argue over aspects in society. This gave a feeling of community but could also functioned as a form of surveillance. (William cavert, p.5) But in general, these public areas made it easier to share news and politics, and there was a whole new consumption of politics for all classes. However, this buzzing new city also had its disadvantages. As the city grew, so did crime. Professional criminals and prostitution became more organized. (Ian Archer, chap.2, p.215) Another aspect of the trade was the use of natural resources and the environmental changes it entailed. The raising pollution created a fog over London which affected living standards, and many had deteriorating health. Illness related to the lungs or asthma became usual. (cavert, p.33)

3. The economic changes restructured London

As London grew as an important city for European economy, so did the number of people employed in trade. In the 1500s, trade consisted largely of woollen cloth, and in the 1750s there had been a big change is exports and imports to London. In the 1750s, the English merchants by the help of for instance explorers had discovered longer trade routes and had access to finer merchandise. With the growth of export also came the wish from the upper class to control it and get a piece of the income either by taxation or investment. (boulton, 321) London was an oligarchy with a small group of people who held the power. There were a few people who controlled the business and continued to do so, since they could elect people from their own environment and stay in office for a long time. And even though the volume of trade going through London doubled, the merchants were not considered part of the elite (Archer, p.19). However, the upper class or elite depended on the knowledge of the merchants to bring in money to the city, and many in the upper class grew richer by taxation or investing in trade. (wrigely, p.52)

The economic changes in the city, also made a change in London’s neighbourhoods. In the 1500s, the streets of London were narrow and dirty. Because the roads were not paved, it created a mess when it rained, and because the houses were made of timber, fire could spread quickly and destroy large areas. (heather wheeler) The combination of trade and a growing population created a rising request for accommodation in London. The fire of 1666 triggered the construction of a large number of new buildings and gave the possibility to rebuild the streets with an increased order and structure. (Jeremy Boulton, p.320). Furthermore, London was rebuilt with areas for parks and leisure, such as entertainment spaces and theatres. (Orlin, p.18) This reconstruction of the city also expanded the gap between rich and poor. With an elite that pushed the need for more trade forward and becoming accustomed to eating sugar and reading books, London transformed into an increasingly touristic city and a leisure place for the rich.

In the 16th century, the society emphasized the responsibility of the family patriarch to keep the household in order. In the 1500s, big families in the same household was normal. Normally, people married quite young and it was usually expected of the newlywed couple to move in with the husband’s family. In the 1750s, conjugal family life had become more of a norm, which meant that there was a need for more housing. (Wrigley, p.53) Over the period, as the city grew, more institutions with regulative functions appeared. (archer,chap.2, p.218) Institutions and guilds were installed with the goal of keeping order in the city. Critics often accused the city’s trade guilds of not having enough regulative measures to control the trade and immigration better and thus create standards. (ward, p.2) The way things were now, the richer became richer (if they involved themselves in trade), the middle class was rising, but the lower class remained poor, with few legal regulations to protect their rights.

Conclusion

London’s transformation from medieval, small city to a metropolis took place between 1500 and 1750. About 1500, the woollen cloth trade was the main traded goods from London. Demand exceeded supply, which meant that merchants could get a relatively good price for their produce, and lead to a reasonable living standard for all classes. When the city developed into a metropolitan centre for trade, this created a need for different occupations and an important immigration followed. Because of the high mortality rate, London was in the beginning of the period between 1500 and 1750 dependent on immigration to the city to sustain the population growth.

The changes in both economy, population and occupations, the social life in London also changed. With access to a world market, different items became available and consumption behaviour changed. The different occupations that were needed in the new metropolitan city also drove forward the need for literacy and education, which meant that more people became educated. However, this applied mainly to the rising middle class and not to the poorest who seldom had the opportunity or could afford to put their children in school. Other aspect of society also changed, such as the emerge of alehouses and coffeehouses. These gathering points made also political discussions available for more people. There were a lot of positive effects from the booming trade. Nevertheless, not all the changes were positive and with rising pollution and crime, and a population with important health problems, London life still had its difficulties.

With the growing economy also came the wish to control and profit. Many from the upper class invested, and government taxed the traders. However, there was a distinction between old money and new, and the merchants were not able to become a part of the elite. Institutions and guilds appeared and was supposed to make measures to control and structure the trade, yet it had limited success and the rich became richer and the poor became poorer. How different the experience of living in London was in 1750 compared to 1500, depended on which class you belonged to. There was a rising middle class with more education and more occupations to choose from, there were more merchants and people involved in trade, and the upper class had also began taking an interest in the trade since it produced money. However, if you were from the poorest category, you still had little legal protection of your rights. It could be easier to quit legal occupations and rather join the rising crime. Nevertheless, the changes that occurred when London went from a capital to a metropolitan city had a general effect that many people could take part in, such as a different structure of the city, more parks, easier to come by information and products, and a booming city life.

Sources:

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