Elizabethan: Clothing, Food and Drink, Housing

Elizabethan England

The Elizabethan Era was a huge changing point in English History along with William Shakespeare and his world-changing poems and plays. The Elizabethan age was named after the greatest queens of England- Queen Elizabeth the first.There many things that changed during the Elizabethan times and we will be talking about 4 of these things. They include, The clothing people wore during the Elizabethan age, the housing and how people lived, the food they ate and the choices they had and finally the social hierarchy during the Elizabethan age.

Clothing in the Elizabethan ages

The subject of clothing and fashion during the Elizabethan age range from the type of person they are in the social hierarchy. Upper-Class Fashion – rich, sumptuous materials and elegant styles to clothes worn by the lower classes using basic materials. Each item of Elizabethan clothing has been designed for different people and different uses. The aim of women’s fashion was to show the woman’s status in society and make her attractive as possible. Women wanted a really small waist to look slim, so they did anything possible to make their waists appear smaller than the actual size. Men’s clothing was as colorful as were the women’s clothing, but men wanted to look stronger and show their dominance, so they wore clothing in the shape of armor with broad shoulders, broad hips, and narrow waists. It would usually be compared to a suit of armour as it would make them look very strong.

Food and Drink during the Elizabethan ages

Food and drink were a major part of life in Elizabethan times. People had three important meals everyday. Breakfast was the first and most important meal of their day. The people during the Elizabethan ages ate a variety of different foods and had many ways of getting ready for there meals. The people also had to have very good table manners while eating. In early times water was the main drinking source for people. As farmers became more important to the environment and to the community, other types of drinks came along. Milk was another important source of drink as it would be for building healthy bones and giving a refreshing taste as a drink you would have after dinner or dessert. Farmers got milk from cows and female goats. Other sources of liquid were a part of dinner meals such as, stews and potages.

Housing and how people lived during the Elizabethan ages

The Architecture of Elizabethan Houses was different to any others and many examples of Tudor and Elizabethan houses can still be seen in England today. This proves how good the architects and builders of Elizabethan houses were. There were several types of homes in this period: royal works, great houses, smaller country homes, and farmhouses. As in modern times you didn’t always get the house you want is usually depends on his income and the social class with which he was associated. The kings and queens had the royal works, which were usually spread for miles, as far as the human eye could see. The upper-class, usually doctors or businessmen, had what was known as great homes. These were not as extravagant and extraordinary as the royal works but were definitely very large and quite nice. The smaller country homes were usually owned by the merchants and craftsmen (tradesmen). Lastly, there were the farmhouses, which most of the time were occupied by farmers and their families. As the royalty of the Elizabethan period grew, so did their homes, not only in size, but also in greatness and volume. These homes had glorious stone foundations with several levels and too many rooms to count. Many of these houses contained numerous halls, chapels, great rooms, parlors, large bay windows, and several flying buttresses. The courtyards had miles of beautiful vegetation and extraordinary stone gardens and walls. These homes were not commonplace for this period, but they were nothing less than absolutely remarkable.

Social hierarchy

During the Elizabethan age, the social hierarchy was very important. There were five main classes Elizabethan England was split into; the monarch, the Nobility, the Gentry, the Yeomanry, and the Poor. The class for people would be put into was determined by what they could wear, where they could afford to live and the jobs the parents and kids could get into.

• Monarch- The highest rank in the social hierarchy, was the ruler of the nation (usually king or queen)
• Nobles- Second level in the social hierarchy, these were rich and powerful people. Owned large houses.
• Gentry- The third rank in the social hierarchy, known as gentlemen, Aristocrats who owned small parts of land and households, these people possessed great wealth
• Merchants- Fourth position on the social ladder, contained shopkeepers, innkeepers and traders. Main growth considered in this section
• Yeomen- Fifth rank in the social ladder, rural equivalent of citizens, owned agricultural land and word on there farms.
• Poor/ others- Final rank on the social ladder, consisted of servants, laborers and the peasants, Little social respects, responsibilities and rights. these people were very poor and owned no land of their own.

Conclusion-

As you can tell the Elizabethan England age was very important in shaping some of England and the world we live in now. Lots of people have influenced the changes that were made during this time period. Queen Elizabeth the First and Willam Shakespear had dramatic effects on England and created the England we know today. We talked about 4 things during this time period that was a lot different to today. These were: clothing, food and drink, housing and architecture and the social hierarchy. These were only some things out of the millions of things that made the Elizabethan England era so special.