Ethelreda Malte

At the table

Ale was the common everyday drink

Ale was the common drink because it was safer than local water, with almost every household brewing its own batches. The fermentation was short, often lasting only a few days, resulting in a low-alcohol drink that was considered safe for everyone, including children.

What people wore

Footwear and Headgear in the Highlands

Highlanders often went barefoot and barelegged, though some wore simple single-soled shoes and flat, generally blue, soft caps.

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

High Cost of Subsistence Goods

Rising costs of basic goods hit the poor harder than the rich because subsistence households relied heavily on expensive domestic agricultural products like grain and ale.

Music

Nightly Patrols by Civic Musicians

Civic musicians called waits often patrolled town streets at night on winter nights, providing entertainment and calling out the time or weather.

Daily life

Open fire cooking and cookshops

Cooking usually took place over an open fire, often involving stews in a cauldron or roasting meat on a spit. Many poorer people lacked cooking facilities at home and relied on cookshops for takeaway food.