Charles I of England

Charles I was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649.

Practical stays for working women

Working-class women wore stays for warmth and practicality, and unlike elite versions, these were often made of leather or canvas and did not restrict movement or breathing.

Respectability through Sunday best

To maintain respectability despite limited income, common people kept a wardrobe with at least two outfits, saving the better one for Sundays, holidays, and leisure.

Ale as payment for musicians

Ale was commonly known as fiddlers' wages, as itinerant musicians frequently performed in taverns and alehouses in exchange for drink, food, or money.

High earnings of ballad singers

Ballad singers, such as those known as Outroaringe Dick and Wat Wimbas, could earn as much as 20 shillings in a single day by performing at fairs and wakes.

Everyday Travel for Work and Market

People regularly travelled between towns for work and trade, such as a 14-mile walk to return home from weaving or travelling 6 miles to sell crops at market.

Slow Pace of Early Coaches

Early coaches were slow and uncomfortable, often moving at a walking pace of about 2 to 3 miles per hour because of poor road conditions.

Education and early childhood labor

Boys might attend petty school from age five to learn English, while poor children often started working full-time at age seven.

Fetching water from public conduits

Most poor families collected water from public conduits or communal street pumps because private piped water was rare.

Ale and beer replaced water daily

Ordinary people avoided water because it was considered unhealthy, instead consuming about one gallon of ale or beer per day.

Pottage was a staple vegetable stew

Poor families relied on pottage, a thick vegetable stew often flavored with small amounts of bacon or meat when available.

Cost of shoes and boots

While basic items were affordable, clothing was costly, with a simple pair of child's shoes costing 7d and boots ranging from £4 to £10.

Daily wages for English laborers

In the early seventeenth century, unskilled labourers typically earned fourpence to fivepence per day, while skilled labourers earned sixpence to eightpence.

Common Jobs in Early Modern England

Most people worked in agriculture or rural trades, with tasks including milking, harvesting, and various domestic chores performed by both men and women. Work was not purely seasonal; households often combined farming with commercial tasks, crafts, and errands throughout the year.

The Daily Working Routine

Workdays were surprisingly structured by clock time, with peak activity between 8 am and 5 pm and a break for dinner. Many workers, especially those in service, started before dawn around 4 or 5 am and frequently continued laboring long into the evening.

Informal delivery of private mail

Before official reforms in 1635, ordinary people relied on an informal network of servants, merchants, carriers, and chance travellers to deliver their letters.

The labor of letter-writing

Letter-writing was a personal and laborious task that required assembling supplies like paper, ink, and wax, often carried by those traveling from home. People who could not write themselves sometimes paid shopkeepers or others to compose letters for them.