Henry, Duke of Cornwall

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.

Daily life

Classical Schooling for Future Professionals

Education at the Dunfermline Grammar School focused on classical Latin and Greek literature to prepare students for employment in the Church or advanced legal studies.

Work

Imported luxury household goods

Luxury household items found in inventories from the 1530s, such as carved beds and Flanders counting tables, were likely imported from abroad.

Music

Festivals, dances, and popular music

Ordinary people enjoyed diverse dances such as ring dances, where men and women held hands, and country dances like the flail or the speyde. Musicians, often called minstrels, played instruments including fiddles, bagpipes, and recorders at festivals, weddings, and local fairs.

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.

Getting around

Horse litters and ferry travel utilized

When travel by land was impractical due to illness or pregnancy, people of rank sometimes used horse litters, though these were unsuitable for long journeys. Water travel was essential, with ferries routinely carrying people, livestock, and goods across firths and rivers.

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.