Frances Hyde, Countess of Clarendon

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.

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.

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.

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.

Daily life

Education and early childhood labor

Boys might attend petty school from age five to learn English, while poor children often started working full-time at age seven.