Margaret of Foix

What people wore

Essential tool pouches on belts

Peasant men wore belts with pouches to carry essential tools, such as sharpening stones or sewing implements.

Daily life

Home lighting and water collection

Common dwellings featured floors of beaten earth covered with straw, and interiors were lighted by doors or small, unglazed windows. Water was a heavy burden to collect, with women often carrying it in jugs from distant sources for household use.

Work

Female roles at the Nancy Mint

At the Nancy Mint, female workers known as tailleresses were specifically employed to trim excess metal from coin blanks to ensure they reached the correct weight. This task was frequently performed by the wives or daughters of the male minters.

Music

Chapel choir life and rewards

The Duke's chapel choristers at Saint-Georges received an annual salary of 96 francs, a well-paid position at the time. On Saint Cecilia's Day, children of the choir were treated with distributions of small pastries.

At the table

Daily Bread, Porridge, and Soup

Ordinary Lorrainers typically ate one to two pounds of bread daily, often supplementing it with soup, porridge made from grain cooked in lard, and cheese. Vegetables like legumes were dietary staples, while meat was primarily consumed as boiled soup meat.

Getting around

Travel by foot and pack animals

Ordinary travelers, including artisans and merchants, typically traveled on foot or used pack animals like horses, asses, and mules because carts frequently became stuck in mud on the roads.

What it cost

Cost of shoes

The cost of shoemaking, specifically a pair of shoes, ranged from 0.6 to 1.34 sols tournois during the 16th century.