Winston Churchill

What people wore

Practical stays for working women

Working-class women wore stays for warmth and practicality, and unlike elite versions, these were often made of leather or canvas and did not restrict movement or breathing.

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

Highly Seasonal Female Agricultural Work

Women's agricultural work was highly seasonal, with 72.7 per cent of their recorded workdays occurring between July and September.

Music

High earnings of ballad singers

Ballad singers, such as those known as Outroaringe Dick and Wat Wimbas, could earn as much as 20 shillings in a single day by performing at fairs and wakes.

At the table

Ordinary diets centered on pottage

For poorer people, pottage (a thick vegetable stew) was a main food, alongside bread and vegetables. This diet left many lacking vitamins and iron, and hard times meant hunger when prices rose.

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

Typical food prices in England

When bread cost a penny a pound, cheese cost threepence a pound, and butter cost fivepence to sixpence a pound.