Alexander Stewart, Duke of Ross

At the table

Workers drank over 4 liters of beer

Manual workers were expected to consume a massive daily allowance of 4 quarts, or over 4 liters, of beer.

What people wore

Limited wardrobes for the commoners

Many ordinary people owned only one set of clothes for daytime wear and lacked dedicated sleepwear, opting to sleep in their smocks and nightcaps.

Getting around

Carts were for cargo, not people

Carts and wagons were used to transport cargo, not people, and passengers who rode in them sat on the floor among straw or baggage. These vehicles were extremely slow and were widely considered an uncomfortable or shameful way for a person to travel.

What it cost

Earnings of Workers and Servants

Unskilled laborers earned between £5 and £10 per year, while skilled workmen typically earned about 6d per day. Farm workers often earned no more than half a shilling (6d) per day, and many servants were paid as little as six shillings annually plus board.

Music

Paying Minstrels for Parish Festivals

Parish records show that minstrel hire for Whitsuntide festivities was common, with payments reaching up to 8s 4d for a single minstrel in 1533.

Daily life

Schooling for children

Children often started school at age seven, with some wealthy children beginning as early as four using prayer books called primers. Middle-class children sometimes attended school for ten to twelve hours a day to train for trade or administrative careers.