Living conditions in early modern Britain Flashcards
(12 cards)
farming and food in early modern Britain
bad harvests could still lead to hunger, but by 1750, improvements in farming methods meant more people could be fed
towns and trade in early modern Britain
towns grew in size and became more overcrowded, mines opened in the north and coal for fires was shipped to the London, by 1750 large quantities of sugar and tobacco came to Britain from America and the Caribbean due to the expansion of the British empire
new discoveries and technology in early modern Britain
people began to search for a more scientific understanding of the world as opposed to religion, in the 1660s Robert Hooke discovered a powerful microscope
parliament and government in early modern Britain
by 1750, Parliament had become more powerful than the monarch and they continued to make laws that affected different aspects of peoples lives
religion in early modern Britain
in 1500 the country was still Catholic with rich monasteries but by 1750 it was Protestant and all the wealth of the church had been taken by the state
diet and effects of diet of the rich vs poor
rich - large quantities of varied meat and fish, enjoyed new food from overseas trade, white bread, small amount of fruit and vegetables, wine and ale drank more than water. Around 80% protein so had digestive problems and gout (severe joint pain)
poor - bread, vegetables, pottage, occasional meat/fish. Healthier but lacked vitamin C and iron - periods of hunger and starvation
issue with meat from markets
could rot quickly and were often sold from diseased animals
threats from the streets to health
animals roamed freely leaving excrement and hence spreading bacteria
streets were unpaved and would become muddy tracks in the rain
Respiratory diseases caused by burning wood and coal in open fires
water supply to rich people vs poor people
rich - companies piped water to houses in some towns but it was expensive so it was more often bought from a water seller
poor - collected water from free public water fountains called conduits, if they could afford they’d buy from a water seller
keeping clean - rich vs poor
rich - servants took care of washing clothes, bathtubs were used with water heated from a fire, soap was made from olive oil
poor - bathed in rivers, used brushed on their skin (dry washing)
assess the effectiveness of the solution to household waste
Solution - scavengers or rakers collected ash, food waste and sweepings from houses once or twice a week, dung heaps outside of towns
Effective? - yes and rakers sold the waste to market gardeners
assess the effectiveness of the solution to urine and excrement
Solution - flushing toilet invented in 1596 but not popular, privies were emptied into rivers if built nearby, but most emptied into a cesspit which could overflow
Effective? - flushing toilet was expensive and only for the very rich, privies and cesspits polluted rivers and wells, spreading disease
