Concetti Chiave
- In Stuart times, most people lived in villages and the countryside rather than towns, with a simpler lifestyle centered around local trade and home-brewed beer.
- After the early 17th century, foreign trade introduced new products like coffee and tea, influencing the lifestyle of the rich and stimulating industries.
- Theatres and coffee-houses became popular social hubs, with increased personal liberty and the appearance of more accessible newspapers.
- Despite social advancements, life lacked modern comforts; transportation relied on horses and rivers, and lighting was limited to candles.
- Education was rare, primarily for wealthy children, with most learning practical skills through apprenticeships rather than formal schooling.
Life in Stuart times
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.
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.
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
- ¿Cómo era la vida en el campo durante la época de los Stuart?
- ¿Qué cambios trajo el aumento del comercio exterior en el siglo XVII?
- ¿Cómo era la vida social y el entretenimiento después de 1660?
- ¿Qué dificultades enfrentaban las personas en la vida diaria durante este período?
La vida en el campo era más sencilla que en las ciudades, con comercio local y productos como harina, carne y queso provenientes de los alrededores. La cerveza se elaboraba en casa y los artesanos trabajaban en sus hogares o pequeños talleres.
El comercio exterior introdujo productos como café, té, sedas, especias y tabaco, que cambiaron los hábitos de los ricos y estimularon las industrias. También se adoptaron modas extranjeras en vestimenta y costumbres.
Después de 1660, los teatros se convirtieron en una característica regular en las ciudades grandes, y las casas de café se usaban como clubes donde la gente podía hablar libremente. La libertad personal era mayor y aparecieron los primeros periódicos.
La vida diaria era difícil sin comodidades modernas como trenes o luz eléctrica. Las calles eran sucias, la gente no se bañaba regularmente y comían con los dedos. Los niños, en su mayoría de familias ricas, rara vez asistían a la escuela.
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