Women in Early Modern England (1550-1750)

 

Facts, Trivia, Common Beliefs

 When writing historical fiction set in Early Modern England (1550-1750), it's essential to portray characters and settings with accuracy and authenticity. This period, rich in cultural, social, and political transformations, presents unique challenges and opportunities for writers seeking to create believable female characters.

Women in this era navigated a world shaped by rigid social hierarchies, religious influence, and evolving gender roles. Their lives were marked by various experiences—from work and education to marriage and societal expectations. Understanding these aspects is crucial for writers aiming to capture the essence of the time.

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.

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 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.

 This structure organizes the information by category, making it easier to navigate and understand the various aspects of women's lives in Early Modern England.

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Women’s Spaces in a Medieval Italian City

 

When writing a novel set in Italy at the height of the Renaissance, one must be mindful of the physical presence of characters. In medieval and Renaissance times, the physical division of spaces was not just by household but by gender. Women and men did not share the same spaces, as they did not share the same lives, whether in private homes, neighborhoods, or public areas.

The Gendered Geography of Urban Spaces

Urban centers were male-controlled domains. Men were the governors, judges, police, lawmakers, and bankers. Women, on the other hand, were confined to private and domestic spaces. Jealous husbands and overprotective fathers kept a watchful eye on their wives and daughters, often restricting their movements.

Impressions from Travelers

Medieval Italian cities were famous tourist destinations even then, drawing travelers from across Europe. Many left behind memoirs and notes, which give us insight into how women lived during this era. These travelers were often shocked by the scarcity of women in public spaces, especially compared to the streets of their own European homelands. The women they did see moved quickly, wrapped in mantles and veils.

Forbidden Spaces for Women

For many women, stepping into the streets of Italian cities was akin to entering a forbidden world. There were certain spaces, like piazzas and guild halls, where women were rarely seen and never truly welcome, and if they must enter, it was often dangerous.

Noblewomen: Indoors and Out of Sight

The daily life of noblewomen was one of seclusion. Most of their time was spent indoors, often in rooms at the back of the house, without windows to avoid being seen by outsiders. These women had limited social contact, even with their neighbors, and rarely ventured out. They were mostly alone, sometimes spending time with children and other women of the extended family.

Chaperoned Outings and Restricted Movements

When noblewomen did leave the house, they were often accompanied by an older chaperone, usually hired by a male relative. The most common destination for women was the church, and they either traveled on foot or by carriage. When walking, they wore platform shoes called "zaccoli" or "chapiney," which, though high, were not meant to protect their skirts from mud but rather to limit their mobility.

The Dangers of the Streets for Working Women

For working-class women, venturing into the streets was a necessity, often to provide for their family, but it came with risks. The streets were unsafe, and many women faced harassment or the threat of violence. Jobs that required women to leave the home were scarce and included professions like midwives, servants, and laundresses.

Laundresses: Women in Public Spaces

One of the few female-dominated professions that involved spending significant time in public was that of the laundress, or lavandiere. These women brought laundry to public fountains, many of which were located in the city’s piazzas, spaces male-exclusive. Here, they were at risk of being caught in the middle of stone fights between gangs or harassed by men.

Prostitutes’ Quarters: A Rare Female-Dominated Space

The only public spaces where women exercised significant control were the courtesans’ and prostitutes’ quarters. Isolated from other parts of the city, these areas were managed by women, though men were the customers. In places like Renaissance Florence, these quarters were located in the heart of the city.

The Significance of Controlled Movement

The geography of the medieval Italian city reflects a broader truth about gender dynamics at the time: women’s movements were controlled, restricted, and dominated by men. Even in spaces where they had some degree of freedom, such as churches or prostitutes’ quarters, their roles were still circumscribed by societal norms.

Why Does This Matter for Writers?

Why should writers care about these historical details? Beyond ensuring accuracy, these insights offer a chance to illuminate the struggles and restrictions women faced in the past. Incorporating these obstacles into your story can make for a more compelling heroine, one who must navigate a world dominated by men to achieve her goals. These historical details enrich your plot and offer a deeper connection to your readers.

Why historical context is essential for your historical fiction

 

Historical fiction writers have a hard job. They not only need to write a great story with an engaging plot, settings, dialogues, and unforgettable characters, but they must also keep everything as close to the truth as possible, be accurate, and be knowledgeable about the historical era their novel is set in.

The Doge's Palace in Piazza di San Marco,
Venice Italy, 1735

However, not all writers fit the above description. I've started reading many novels where, a few chapters in, I still had to guess the historical time and event that may have influenced the plot or the characters. And because I didn't know where I was, I stopped reading. I told myself, "Oh, how awesome would have been had they only established some historical context in the first chapter…"

If you are writing historical fiction, here are my reasons (as a reader and a history teacher) why you should consider adding historical context to your work.

Readers can better understand your story (and love it more)

 Remember the fairy tales? Once upon a time, there was a princess who lived in a castle, and every day, she went about her princess business until…

From the first line, the tale reveals the context. The "once upon a time" is a period usually far away in the past, in our imaginary past, a mythologic time, as opposed to the real, present time. The castle she lived in placed her in a geographical space. Although restricted, we do know where she is when the story begins. If we close our eyes, we can almost imagine it. Sometimes, the story tells us she may have been the princess of a specific country, who her parents were, and if they had friends and enemies.

Next, we discover what happens around her when the story takes place and what conditions she lives in. Because of these conditions, the story must rise, sometimes changing them or, other times, freeing herself.

The hero operates within the context of the time, place, and existing conditions. Sometimes, he moves through space (and time) or changes the world, but the reader won't know it if the author fails to tell them. A patient reader may guess, but an impatient one may give up the book altogether. After all, a fiction piece is meant to entertain. The historical context is the starting point.

It helps readers relate to your story

 Most readers carry with them the past of their ancestors. We all came from something; most of us know our grandparents well. We may even know our grand-grandparents and their origin. Some of us come from families with long traditions, some with shorter ones. Few of us don't know or don't care about our family's past.

Imagine knowing that your family immigrated from where the story takes place. Imagine that the story was set in your grandma's birthplace, in the streets she used to walk; imagine the pictures you've seen of that place, and maybe you've even visited. And now you read a book about it. It could have been your family story. Sure, these are fictional characters, but they starkly resemble the real ones.

The goal of a novel is to make readers identify with a character and find an entertaining escape. Give the context, and they won't forget your book. Maybe spread the word.

Readers may learn from your story

How often have you read or heard something and said, "Wow, I didn't know that!" A well-researched and written historical novel could be an endless string of wows. A great way to pass a piece of information, a nugget of wisdom, or a grain of understanding onto your readers. But they won't see it unless you set the stage for it.  

Sometimes, a fact doesn't make sense unless you explain the back story. For historical fiction writers, the back story is called context. Readers will easily get confused if they do not know where they are (like navigating a new city without a map) or if their knowledge is not according to what they read or is incomplete. Historical fiction writers must set the stage with places, dates, important landmarks, and events.

The curiosity factor

Each era has its peculiarities. Some people like regency romance because of the opulence of the upper class. Some would instead read World War II to learn how ordinary people overcame its hardship, or, if it is a combat novel, for the weapons and tactics—or both.

Every era has its charm that appeals to readers, and the job of a historical fiction writer is to dig that charm and make it shine through the pages of the book. Like a magical object, the charm would transport the reader to a time and place where they can escape reality and, if the writer is very skilled, identify with the story's heroes.

The accuracy factor

Context is essential for accurately portraying people, places, and events. Imagine writing a novel set in Egypt during the Ptolemaic Dynasty under Cleopatra's rule. Then imagine every reader thinking that Cleopatra was the most famous Egyptian native! Wouldn't it be wrong? Cleopatra may have had no Egyptian blood, as her family came from Macedonia. Readers will be confused if the book doesn't explain the ruling family, where they come from, how they got the power, and how they passed it on.  

Or imagine writing a piece where the action spans two continents and our hero makes the journey in a year. What took them so long? However, describing the means of transportation in that particular time and place may explain it and teach us what we take for granted today.

A better story

Ultimately, the context makes for a much more exciting story and a much better book.

So, happy writing.