Charles FitzCharles, 1st Earl of Plymouth

Getting around

Regulated Fares and Timed Travel

Travel costs were fixed by regulation, such as three stuivers for the Delft-Rotterdam summer trip, and hourglasses were used on boats to ensure ships did not pause too long at stops. Children up to age two traveled for free, while those up to twelve paid half price.

Daily life

Religious focus in children's education

Children learned to read, write, and perform arithmetic at elementary schools, with instruction often heavily focused on reading the Bible and the Calvinist catechism. Schooling was considered a religious duty, and by 1680, roughly 44 percent of women in Amsterdam were able to sign their marriage certificates.

What people wore

Practical daily dress for women

Ordinary women typically wore a practical two-piece dress featuring a bodice, often stiffened with reeds or felt, over an undergarment. Their skirts were often not floor-length to remain functional during daily work, and clothing colors remained sober with black, white, red, brown, and gray tones.

Music

Popular egg dance at festivals

In the 17th century, the egg dance was a popular folk tradition where dancers skillfully moved eggs out of a chalk circle using only their feet to the sound of a fiddle and bagpipe.

At the table

Beer as a Safe Daily Staple

Ordinary families drank beer throughout the day because local water was often contaminated and unsafe. Children consumed a low-alcohol small beer, as the brewing process killed dangerous bacteria.