Ethelreda Malte

At the table

Diet of pottage and oats

Families frequently ate pottage, a thick soup or stew made from whatever was available, such as oats, peas, beans, and vegetables like cabbage or leeks. Oat-based foods like porridge and bannocks—rough, thick cakes—formed the core of their daily diet.

What people wore

Workday and Holiday Clothing Restrictions

Sixteenth-century sumptuary laws restricted labourers and husbandmen to wearing only grey and white clothing on workdays, while allowing them light blue, green, or red on holidays.

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

Church music and the Reformation impact

In the early 16th century, Scottish churches commonly used organs, while high-status occasions featured trumpets, shalms, and clarions. By the mid-16th century, the Reformation led to the removal of organs and the disbanding of choirs in many churches.

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.