School and work
School
Generally, only boys attended school and privileged girls would receive private tutoring at home for subjects like arithmetic, reading and how to be a good mother and wife. If you were nobility there is no way you would attend school, you would receive private tutoring from home. Back in the Elizabethan time, students were taught in a way that was almost like having their education beaten into them, like their manners and behaviour. The most basic form of schooling was a petty school which was run by a young wife who teaches the local children to read and write English and to do sums for a very small fee. A petty school is in theory a lot like a primary school. The next level in Education is a grammar school. The primary study of a grammar school is Latin grammar, this is needed to prepare you for university, where courses are conducted in Latin. Music, modern languages, and science are meaningless.
Here is a sample of a timetable from a Nobility’s School Day.
7:00-7:30 Dancing
7:30-8:00 Breakfast
8:00-9:00 French
9:00-10:00 Latin
10:00-10:30 Writing and Drawing
10:30-1:00 Prayers, Recreation, Dinner
100-2:00 Cosmography
2:00-3:00 Latin
3:00-4:00 French
4:00-4:30 Writing
4:30-5:30 Prayers, Recreation, Supper
Work
In the Elizabethan Era, occupations varied for each class. Professions in this time and age ranged from rabbit catching to working with royalty. Making weapons, clothes, working in the house, working in the castle, selling goods in the marketplace, farming, acting, writing and healing others were just some of the more common trades of the time. Some people usually paupers even spent their time as thieves or beggars.
Food and Drink
Food and Drink was a big part of an Elizabethan person’s life. Many social events were based around food, such as banquets and feasts. Food and drink were always different, according to classes. For example, a Noble Man would indulge much more in food...