Facts, Trivia, Common Beliefs
This guide provides a brief overview of women's lives during
the Early Modern period in England. From the types of work they engaged in and the
common beliefs and societal norms they encountered, here are some insights into
the daily realities and challenges faced by women. Whether you are crafting a
protagonist who defies convention or a supporting character whose life reflects
the typical experiences of the time, these facts, trivia, and common beliefs
will help you create a more accurate and compelling narrative.
Work
- Unmarried
women were legally obligated to work.
- Some
women became teachers, opening schools in their homes to teach children to
read religious texts.
- Midwifery
was a common occupation, requiring a license from the Church.
- Women
also worked in the textile industry, producing laces, ribbons, spinning,
weaving, and dyeing fabrics from home.
- Other
jobs included running shops, printing houses, working in fields
(especially farmer's wives), or working as laundresses.
- Girls
aged 14 to 21 could start apprenticeships, which were common and
contributed to a higher average marriage age for commoners compared to
aristocrats.
- Marriage
was forbidden during an apprenticeship.
Relationships
- Couples
sometimes became engaged or betrothed through a promise or an engagement
ceremony known as handfasting.
- It was
illegal to marry someone else while engaged.
- In
1753, the English Parliament adopted the Marriage Act.
- To
marry, men and women simply had to declare themselves husband and wife to
each other.
- A
housewife's primary duty was to her husband, followed by the rest of the
household, including children, relatives, servants, and other employees.
- Housewives
were expected to treat minor illnesses and know remedies and herbal cures.
Society Trivia
- A
poorly regarded job was that of night-soil men who cleaned toilets at
night.
- Residents
were required to clean the outdoor areas around their homes; failure to do
so resulted in fines.
- Donkey
milk was a standard drink sold by dairymaids who milked the animal on
demand at customers' homes.
- There
were separate guilds for white bread and brown bread.
- Dogs
known as turnspits helped with meat roasting by running in a wheel to keep
the spit turning.
- People
owned personal cutlery, spoons, and knives, which they took along when
traveling.
- The
bodies of convicts could be dissected after death.
Girls' and Women's Problems
- Greensickness,
now known as hypochromic anemia, was commonly treated with marriage.
- Terms
for menstruation included "flowers" (e.g., "she has her
flowers upon her"), "courses," "terms,"
"catamenia," "unwell," "monthly sickness,"
"gift of nature," and "a time common to women."
- Under
the humoral theory, eating fruits was believed to cause illness due to
their wet properties.
- If a
woman concealed her pregnancy and the baby died (or was murdered), she was
tried and, if found guilty, hanged.
- Wealthy
people had wedding celebrations that included a bride cake made of wheat
and barley, eaten by the bride and groom as they said their vows. The
party might feature a mary-bone pie, filled with marrowbone and oysters,
considered aphrodisiacs.
- After
giving birth, women were advised by the Church to "lay in" (rest
in bed) for 30 days if they had a baby girl and 60 days if they had a baby
boy.
Common Beliefs
- It was
commonly believed that "a maid that is 'fat, sleek, fair, and full'
is better liked than 'lean, lank, spare, and dull'" – Thomas Lodge
(1558-1625), A Fig for Momus.
- Sumptuary
laws regulated dress codes according to social class.
- Suicide
was considered "self-murder," and those who committed suicide
had their estates confiscated.
- One
girl attempted suicide by smoking spiders (believed to be poisonous),
locking herself under floor beds, and reopening old wounds.
- Adolescent
girls commonly experienced a religious crisis.
Education
- Protestant
women were more literate and were encouraged to keep diaries.
- Puritan
women made anagrams from their names to see if they were chosen for heaven
or damnation, reflecting Calvin’s theory of predestination.
- Scolding
women were punished with the scold's bridle if found guilty.
- During
the English Civil Wars, women protested in front of Parliament, including
an event in 1643 where 300 women gathered for peace, wearing white ribbons
in their hats. The next day, the number grew to 5,000.
- Some
noblewomen involved themselves in politics:
- Brilliana,
Lady Harley, defended Harley Castle in North Welsh in her husband's
absence by putting up an armed resistance.
- Lady
Ann Halkett helped the 14-year-old Duke of York, later King James II,
flee to France.
- Elizabeth
Murray, a royalist, spied for her party.
- By the
mid-17th century, only 10% of women in England could sign their names,
although more may have been able to read, as reading and writing were
separate subjects.
- The
keeping of a commonplace book was encouraged by reformed religions as part
of "personal reflection on piety."
- In the
late 17th and early 18th centuries, Cecilia Fiennes traveled through
England on horseback, documenting her experiences. A book based on her
memoirs, Through England on a Side Saddle in the Time of William and
Mary, was published in 1888.
- Isabella
Whitney (1566–1573) was the first woman to write poetry for publication.
