Robert Stuart, Duke of Kintyre and Lorne

What people wore

Simple attire for common men

Common men's wardrobes were functional and simple, typically consisting of a shirt, breeches often made of leather, a waistcoat, and a heavy wool coat.

Daily life

Lighting homes with animal fat rushlights

Ordinary people relied on rushlights made of rushes dipped in animal fat for light, as beeswax candles were too expensive.

Work

Common Jobs in Early Modern England

Most people worked in agriculture or rural trades, with tasks including milking, harvesting, and various domestic chores performed by both men and women. Work was not purely seasonal; households often combined farming with commercial tasks, crafts, and errands throughout the year.

Music

Ale as payment for musicians

Ale was commonly known as fiddlers' wages, as itinerant musicians frequently performed in taverns and alehouses in exchange for drink, food, or money.

At the table

Pottage was a staple vegetable stew

Poor families relied on pottage, a thick vegetable stew often flavored with small amounts of bacon or meat when available.

Getting around

Slow Pace of Early Coaches

Early coaches were slow and uncomfortable, often moving at a walking pace of about 2 to 3 miles per hour because of poor road conditions.

What it cost

Daily wages for English laborers

In the early seventeenth century, unskilled labourers typically earned fourpence to fivepence per day, while skilled labourers earned sixpence to eightpence.