Life In The
16th Century
By Keira, Danielle, Lewis
Sharp
And Lewis F
Clothing
 Clothing
in the 16th century not only
served the purpose of keeping people dry
and warm ,it also reflected social status.
Every class, rank and profession had its
own distinctive dress. Laws called the
‘Sumptuary laws’ were passed in the early
15th century to stop people dressing
‘above their station ‘ in a manner which is
not suited to their position in society ).
Housing for the (poor)
 Poor
people lived in homes that were not
much better than sheds . Often there was
only one room downstairs with a bare
earth floor . Sometimes there was a loft
above for sleeping in and storing hay,
herbs and food . The thatched roof was a
fire hazard and mice , rats and insects
also lived in the roof . Windows did not
have glass , but only wooden shutters.
Housing for the (rich)
 Richer
people lived in stone-built houses
with glass in the windows . Rooms were
panelled in wood with painted patterned
ceilings . Furniture was sparse but was
solid and well built . Large tapestries were
hung on bedroom walls to keep in the
warmth and to look nice , and curtains
around the bed also helped to keep
people warm.
Sleeping
 Important
members of the royal court
would have bedchambers to sleep in.
these rooms would have contained a bed
and a small amount of furniture including
chests for clothing. There would also be a
fireplace in the room to provide heating,
and candles would have provided
lighting. Tapestries would have been hung
on some walls to provide decoration.
Toilets
 Toilets
were simply holes in the ground ,
which took waste in to a cesspit or a ditch
at the foot of a wall . Today , this toilet has
a decorative cover over the hole for
safety.
Sanitation
 Sanitation
was non-existent for the
peasant population, and very basic for
the wealthier classes. Even in Falkland
Palace, where the Kings and Queens
stayed , the toilet was nothing more than
a a hole in the ground. All waste and
rubbish was thrown into the streets and
animals roamed the streets of the towns
quite freely.
Cooking
 The
kitchen from Falkland Palace was
under the great hall so that food did not
have to be carried far before it was
served . The kitchen contained a large
fireplace where all of the cooking was
done, as well as a water trough and a
large table to prepare food. Falkland
palace also had a bakehouse where
bread was made.
Food (Food for the poor)
 Poor
soil ,bad weather and inefficient
farming methods , combined with lack of
money restricted the food types available
to the poor . The basic food of a peasant
family consisted of barley bannocks , oat
cakes , sour-milk cheese , butter , soup ,
salted mutton sheep’s-head broth and
fish. In coastal areas seaweed was also
eating.
Food (for the rich)
 The
rich could afford to import food so
they had a much more varied diet . Their
diet included fresh fruits , dried fruits and
nut and a wide range of fresh meat and
fish. Vegetables were only eaten in soups
.As hunting was a popular pastime for the
royal court , they would have eaten boar,
venison, hare, rabbit and game birds
caught during the hunt.
Local trade
Trading was very restricted at this time .
goods could only be traded at burgh
markets, so for a town to be made into a
royal burgh was a great honour. Goods
brought into the burgh were weighed and
valued at the Tron (a weighing machine )
,then taking to the mercat
cross(market),where each trader was
allocated a booth or a stall.
Transport
In the 16th century there were few roads .
Most of these were formed from trampeddown soil and provided a network of tracks
between castles and burghs . Travel by
road was dirty ,tiring , slow and dangerous
as there was always a risk of ambush.Travel
by road was best on horseback as carts
and wagons made slow progress on the
rough ground.
Entertainment and Business
 The
great hall was the largest room at
Falkland Palce , it is not complete today
because of damge caused by Cromwell’s
troops .The great hall was used for
entertaining ,eating , and for discussing
business or conducting trials . The large
fireplace provided heat for the room .
Tapestries may have been hung on the
walls, and rushes would have covered the
floor.
Here are some pictures
THE END
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