Gerard de Dönhoff

What people wore

Home-made clothing and marriage expectations

Peasants aimed to make all clothing themselves to avoid purchasing, with women expected to know how to weave to be considered suitable for marriage. While shirts were sewn at home, outer garments like coats were typically taken to a tailor.

Daily life

Town Water and School Discipline

In towns, residents were required to provide a public well for every ten households to ensure access to water for firefighting. Teachers were permitted to use a rod for discipline, but beating pupils with fists or sticks was strictly prohibited.

Work

Daily Peasant Labor and Craft Trades

Many ordinary people in the region were peasants who performed daily labor on manor fields, while others worked as skilled artisans such as blacksmiths, carpenters, or millers. In some areas, these peasants were required to perform mandatory labor from Monday through Friday on manor lands.

Music

Wedding musicians and performance disputes

At weddings, musicians were hired to play after feasts, though guests sometimes complained if the musicians played poorly or failed to show up.

At the table

Beer was the main beverage

Beer was the most common beverage and was considered liquid bread due to its caloric content, often consumed more frequently than water.

Getting around

Winter travel by horse-drawn sledge

Horse-drawn sledges were commonly used for transportation in winter, and they were often considered more valuable and practical than wheeled vehicles even in the 17th century.

What it cost

Staple foods and worker pay

Rye bread was a staple for ordinary people, while white bread was considered a celebratory or refined food in towns. In Riga, herring was sometimes provided as part of payment for workers like stonemasons.