Stuarts - Land and Its People in 1603

Describe childhood for aristocratic individuals around 1603.

Childhood for aristocratic individuals (~1603):

• Born at home, often sent to a wet nurse

• Raised by nannies and tutors

• Parents focused on political/social life in London

• Tutors provided education and companionship

• Learned humanistic curriculum: Latin, Greek, some math, religion

Describe education for aristocratic individuals around 1603.

Education for aristocratic individuals (~1603):

• Only males received formal schooling

• Age ~10: sent to “public” schools (Eton, Harrow, Winchester)

  • Studied English, some Greek, Latin classics & history

  • Networked with future political peers

• Age ~16: university (Oxford or Cambridge), similar curriculum, optional degree

• After university: Inns of Court for law and refinement

• Wealthiest sons: Grand Tour of Europe for culture, languages, diplomacy, art

• Return: debut at court, seek office and marriage

Describe marriage for aristocratic individuals around 1603.

• Married young, matches arranged for property and status

• Parents chose partners, but marriage not forced

• Compatibility valued over love

• Love rare; wealth and alliances prioritized

• Marriages seen as family business deals

• Some married below class for money

• Many had extramarital affairs

How did childhood, education, and marriage differ for commoners?

• Childhood: Born with midwives’ help; mothers nursed; children helped on farms

• Education: Depended on class; grammar schools for merchants/yeomen; petty schools for farmers’ children; literacy growing (¼ men, 1/12 women)

• Service: Most worked outside home in service or apprenticeship

• Marriage: More personal choice but wealth mattered; met during work or church; marriage for practicality—men sought managers, women providers

How did life and social structure differ between the countryside and the towns around 1603?

• Countryside: Sunrise-to-sunset farm work; family-based labor; modestly improved homes; illness and accidents common; limited medical care

• Towns: Hierarchies based on wealth, not land; mayors and aldermen led; guilds regulated trades; small elite families held power

What was church like for most English village dwellers around 1603?

• Attendance at Sunday services mandatory by law

• Seating reflected social hierarchy

• Taught obedience and prayer for the monarchy

• Protestantism reduced rituals and saints

• People still believed in Catholic and pagan superstitions (witches, fairies, ghosts)

Explain England’s approach to poverty around 1603.

• No welfare system; relied on Poor Law and neighbors

• Poverty widespread due to inflation, rent hikes, and job loss

• Many became migrants and beggars

• Poor Law divided poor:

  • Deserving: women, children, aged, sick → some aid

  • Undeserving (“sturdy beggars”): punished (stocks, whipping, branding)

• System harsh and insufficient; charity filled gaps

Explain colonization in the 1600s.

• Early failed attempts (Roanoke)

• Jamestown (1607): founded for gold, succeeded with tobacco and enslaved labor

• By 1635: 35,000 people, Crown took control after bankruptcy

• Plymouth (1620) and Massachusetts Bay (1629): religious refuge and economic outlet

• Rhode Island: founded by Roger Williams for tolerance

• Maryland: haven for Catholics

• By 1642: ~60,000 English settlers in North America

How was the formation of the colonies in North America a reflection of social pressures/tension in English society?

• Colonies provided refuge from poverty and religious conflict

• Outlet for those unable to thrive under Anglican dominance

• Puritans, Catholics, and other dissenters sought freedom

• Served as a “safety valve” for England’s poor and discontented