In the news1631
First French newspaper is founded
Théophraste Renaudot founded La Gazette in 1631, which became the first newspaper in France.
London, 24 Oct 1633 – Saint-Germain-en-Laye, 16 Sep 1701
19 facts3 sources
1633–1685
Duke of York
24 Oct 1633
Born in London
1660–1692
25 children are born
1660–1673
Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
1660–1673
Lord High Admiral
1685–1688
Monarch of England
1685–1688
King of Ireland
1685–1688
Monarch of Scotland
1685–1688
Lord High Admiral
1688–1701
Jacobite pretender
16 Sep 1701
Dies in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, aged 67
He lived through 8 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around London.
General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.
In the news1631
Théophraste Renaudot founded La Gazette in 1631, which became the first newspaper in France.
Getting around
Transport via packhorses
Travelers often used packhorses to transport goods, and humble passengers sometimes rode on packsaddles between baskets.
In the news1630–1631
A series of continuous rains in 1630 led to widespread crop failures, causing a severe famine that lasted from August 1630 until May 1631 and caused massive demographic losses.
Daily life
Candles and open fires lit homes
Lighting and cooking relied heavily on fire: people used candles for light and open fires for cooking. Many houses were built close together and often of wood, increasing the risk of fire.
What people wore
Ordinary women's linen smocks
Ordinary women wore smocks as an undergarment, which were loose, all-enveloping linen dresses. These could be made of holland linen for best or coarser fabrics for daily work.
Music
Psalm Books as Treasured Possessions
Commoners and nobility alike cherished psalm books, which were sometimes bound with bibles and could be easily carried in a purse due to their small size.
At the table
Beer and ale safer than water
Most people avoided water because it was rarely clean and could spread disease, so they drank beer or ale made from malted barley and water. Beer was the cheapest drink because its higher alcohol helped it last; some beers were aged for up to two years.