Concetti Chiave
- During the 17th century, village and countryside life was predominant, with local trade being the norm, supplying essentials like food and beer from nearby areas.
- The increase in foreign trade introduced products like coffee, tea, and luxury items, which changed the lifestyles of the wealthy and boosted various industries.
- Social life evolved with the emergence of theatres and coffee-houses as social hubs, alongside the rise of newspapers, enhancing communication and personal freedom.
- Despite some social advancements, daily life lacked modern conveniences, with no trains or electricity, and basic hygiene practices were rudimentary.
- Education was limited, primarily accessible to the sons of wealthy families, while most children learned trades through apprenticeships, reflecting the era's vocational focus.
Life in Villages and Local Trade
In those years most people lived not in the towns, as nowadays, but in the villages and the countryside. Life in the country was simpler than in the towns. Trade was still local. Flour, beef, bacon, eggs, butter and cheese came from the immediate neighbourhood. Beer was home-brewed. Workmen worked in their own homes or in small workshops with a master craftsman and two or three apprentices.
After the first decades of the 17th century foreign trade began to increase. Many products which were imported gradually affected the way of life of the whole nation, especially of the rich. Coffee was introduced in 1637; tea came a little later, during the 1650s. Silks, spices, wines, tobacco, Chinese pottery, paper, glassware, cloths, mechanical inventions, works of art, foreign fashions in dress and manners, all helped to change the habits of the rich and to stimulate industries.
Social Changes and Personal Freedom
Amusements and social life began to be like ours. After 1660 the theatres became a regular feature in the larger towns. Personal liberty was much greater than it had ever been before. The first newspapers appeared; they were more common and cheaper. Coffee-houses were used as clubs and people could speak freely.
Nevertheless, during this period, life wasn't easy. There weren't the modern comforts which today we consider as necessities. There were no trains, mots and bycicles. Thus people had to ride on horseback or walk or row on the rivers to get from one place to another. There was no electric light or gas, so people had to go to bed with the sun or work by candles.
England was very dirty, the streets were seldom cleaned. People had no baths; many of them ate with their knives and their fingers. There was a basin of water near the table so that they could take the grease from their fingers.
Education and Vocational Training
Few children went to school in Stuart times. They were mainly the sons of the rich family. There were grammar schools built in some of the large towns, but still most of the children in England were not taught to read or to write. They were trained to use their hands and were apprenticed to carpenters, joiners, builders and others.
The roads were still bad, but communication was improving; travelling all over the country was still dangerous, but it became more and more common to visit London and to go to the newly created watering-places in the summer.
Towards the end of the 18th century England was becoming a modern country; completely different to the Middle Ages.
Domande da interrogazione
- How did local trade function in villages during the early 17th century?
- What impact did foreign trade have on English society after the 17th century?
In the early 17th century, trade was predominantly local, with essentials like flour, beef, bacon, eggs, butter, and cheese sourced from nearby areas. Beer was brewed at home, and craftsmen worked in small workshops or their homes.
After the 17th century, foreign trade introduced products like coffee, tea, silks, and spices, which influenced the lifestyle of the wealthy and stimulated industries, altering social habits and fashions.
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