Life+in+Elizabethan+England

Crime and Punishment: In Elizabethan England there were a large number of crimes and because of this the laws were very strict and even the smallest of crimes could be punished by torture or even execution. Many crimes in Elizabethan England are still considered crimes today but there were some rather unusual ones. There were also many things permitted in Elizabethan England that are illegal now. There were many different rules for the upper and lower classes and as such the upper class was allowed to do many things that would have gotten them executed if they were in the lower class. This is because they were usually participating in some political plot and could therefore state that it was for political or religious purposes. Crimes that the upper class could get away with included High Treason, Blasphemy, Sedition, Spying, Rebellion, Murder, Witchcraft and Alchemy. Due to the large amount of unemployment in the lower classes there were many people who were forced to commit crimes in order to stay alive. This means that many crimes were more common than others. The most common crimes were Theft (theft of anything worth more than 5p could result in execution), Cut purses, Begging (beggars were beaten and driven out of the city), Poaching, Adultery, Debtors, Forgers, Fraud and Dice coggers (people who ran illegal gambling games with loaded dice).Acting and Travelling without a licence was also considered a crime. Crimes that were not serious enough for execution were treated with torture or public humiliation, including The Pillory and the Stocks, Whipping, Branding (usually with a letter that represented the crime e.g. T for Treason, P for Poisoner etc.), Pressing, Ducking stools (for suspected witches), The Wheel, Boiling in oil water or lead (usually reserved for poisoners), Starvation in a public place, Cutting or Gouging out various body parts (also with a relation to the crime e.g. hands for forgers, eyes for peeping toms etc.), The Gossip's Bridle or the Brank (for town gossips or nagging wives) and The Drunkards Cloak (a barrel worn if caught drunk in public). If the crime was more serious the criminal could be executed by hanging or burning (this was the method of execution that Queen Elizabeth’s half-sister Queen Mary I preferred when executing protestants). Beheading did not happen as often as is commonly believed because it was reserved for those of a high standing. After the beheading the head was lifted by the executioner, but not to show the crowds the head but to show the head the crowds and the body because the brain continues to function for 8-11 seconds after being separated from the neck until it runs out of oxygen. The most feared method of execution was to be hung, drawn and quartered. This was described by William Harrison, who observed this spectacle.

//"The greatest and most grievous punishment used in England for such as offence against the State is drawing from the prison to the place of execution upon an hurdle or sled, where they are hanged till they be half dead, and then taken down, and quartered alive; after that, their members and bowels are cut from their bodies, and thrown into a fire, provided near hand and within their own sight, even for the same purpose." //

Medicine and Illness: In Elizabethan England the average life expectancy was 25-35 years, depending on your social standing. This was most likely because of the poor medicinal and sanitary standards. Many diseases were very common because there was very little hygiene and the cures were ineffective and seem crazy by today’s standards. This may be because most Elizabethans believed in Galen’s theory of Humorism. This is that the body is comprised of four different components and that each one corresponded with a particular element. There was yellow bile (fire-hot, dry), black bile (earth-cold, dry), phlegm (water-cold, wet) and blood (air-hot, wet). There was a great variety of doctors in Elizabethan England and the one you went to depended on your social standing. The best doctors were the physicians, who had done a medical degree at a University. They wore long coats, gloves, boots and masks to protect themselves from the plague, which actually worked because the fleas that carried the plague could not bite them. However, these physicians were expensive, charging 10 shillings per visit, too much for a regular countryman. The next rank of doctor was a surgeon, who was inferior to a physician but charged less. Surgeons had a similar reputation to barbers, despite being of a higher standing compared to them. The rank below surgeon was barber, who not only cut beards but also pulled teeth if someone had a toothache or bled someone to cure diseases such as the bubonic plague. The lowest rank of doctor was an apothecary, who were not allowed to practice medicine but only sold drugs and herbs. These were the first people the members of the lower class visited and as well as medicinal supplies they also sold lollies and cosmetics. Doctors in Elizabethan England had a large variety of cures that ranged from plausible to totally bizarre. They had a cure for almost everything, even if the cure was rather outlandish. These include using a poultice of garlic, butter and onions, tobacco, arsenic, lily root or dried toad for bubonic plague; herbs such as lavender or bay or head pains; wormwood, mint and balm for stomach pains and sickness; liquorice and comfrey for lung problems as well as vinegar for cleansing wounds.

Food and Entertainment: People in the lower class who were living in Elizabethan England quite often ate a meal of bread and fish every meal, only occasionally eating red meat. They would also eat vegetables, but only if they grew the vegetables themselves. On the other hand, the upper class would eat a much greater variety of food, including lamb, beef, mutton, pork, goat, bacon, veal, rabbit, fowl such as peacocks, swans, herons, and geese, deer, boar, hares, freshwater and ocean fish such as herring, salmon, eel, whiting, cod, trout and pike,shellfish including crab, oysters, mussels and cockles, herbs, vegetables, and fruits such as parsnips, leeks, garlic, apples, pears, plums, cherries and woodland strawberries, honey, marzipan, pastries, tarts, cakes, cream, custard, crystallized fruit and syrup. Vegetables such as carrots and turnips came from the ground and as such were only good enough for the lower class. During the Elizabethan Era there were many European explorers traveling off to new worlds and bringing back many different kinds of food that they found there. These included love apples (tomatoes), turkey, kidney beans, potatoes, peppers such as red peppers, cayenne, and paprika, Vanilla, pineapples, lima beans, peanuts, tapioca, pumpkins, corn, avocado, pecans, cashews, squash, coffee, maize, chocolate and tea. There were also a large number of spices being brought back from the orient, including cinnamon, mace, ginger, cloves, raisins, saffron and sugar. Spices were especially important in Elizabethan England because they were used to disguise the large amount of salt that was used to preserve meat because there was no refrigeration. As such, the spice trade was a very profitable business. Water in Elizabethan England was unclean due to all of the garbage and sewerage that was dumped in the Thames, so both classes drank alcoholic beverages. The lower class drank poor quality ale (a drink made from barley and yeast) and mead (made from honey and wheat). The upper class drank better quality ale and mead as well as beer and wine. In Elizabethan England wine was not only made from grapes but from any fermented fruit, even apples. This “apple-wine” was similar to today’s apple cider.