Elizabeth's London : everyday life in Elizabethan London

730 Pages·2005·2.23 MB·English

by  Queen of England Elizabeth I

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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Preface
Prologue
Part One: The Place
Chapter 1: The River
The long ferry
The legal quays and up-river
The river’s moods
Great occasions
Tilt-boats, wherries and watermen
Flood control
Fishing
The swans
Chapter 2: The Main Streets, Water Supply and Sewerage
Southwark
London Bridge
The City gates
To the north
The east/west route via Cheapside
Thames Street
St Paul’s/Ludgate/Fleet Street
The City to Westminster
Road surfaces
Transport
Traffic
Water supply
Engineers and quills
Refuse disposal
Public toilets
Chapter 3: The Buildings
Timber-frame construction
New stone and brick houses
Survivals
Chapter 4: Interiors and Furniture
House moving
Interior walls and wall coverings
Gilt leather and embroidery
Tapestry
Wood panelling
Ceilings and floors
Furniture
Silver
Chapter 5: Gardens and Open Spaces
Garden design
The Inns of Court
Livery companies and churchyards
Gardening techniques
Planting plans
Open spaces
Part Two: The People
Chapter 6: Health, Illness and Medicine
Expectation of life
The Bills of Mortality
The Plague
Smallpox and other diseases
Care of the sick
Mental illness
Diagnosis and treatment
Medical theories
The medical establishment
Accidents and emergencies
Chapter 7: Foreigners
Blackamoors and lascars
Foreign tourists
Immigrants
The 1593 Return of Strangers
Naturalisation
Tax and other penalties
Social organisation
Chapter 8: Clothes and Beauty
Ruffs
Men’s dress
Women’s dress
Children
Colours, fabrics and decoration
Underwear and nightwear
Shoes and headgear
Accessories
Furs and jewels
Washing, etc.
Cosmetics
Teeth
Chapter 9: Food and Drink
The markets
Other food shops
Street sellers
Fish days
Cooking and recipes
Meals
Table manners
Drink
Eating out
Chapter 10: Sex, Marriage, Family Life and Death
Sex outside marriage
Marriage
Servants
Childbirth
Childhood and manners
Death and funerals
Chapter 11: Education
The first years
Figures
Schools
Christ’s Hospital
Apprenticeship
The Inns of Court
Further education
Private tuition and the foreign tour
Chapter 12: Amusements
Home entertainment
Free shows
Bear baiting, bull baiting and cock fighting
Theatre-going
Sport
The lottery
Inns and taverns
Recreational drugs
Chapter 13: Networks and Boxes
The livery companies
Parishes
Wards
Servitors and retainers
Chapter 14: Crime, Punishment and the Law
The underworld
Criminal law enforcement
Minor offences
More serious punishments
The civil law
Statutes, proclamations and the Custom of London
Chapter 15: The Poor
The welfare system
Emergencies and single payments
Begging licences
Private charities
The sick poor
Chapter 16: Religion, Superstition, Witchcraft and Magic
The Elizabethan religious settlement
Dissidents
Continuity
The sermons at Paul’s Cross
Superstition
Witchcraft and magic
Epilogue
Appendix I: Words and Pronunciation
Appendix II: Currency, Wages and Prices
Appendix III: An Elizabethan Invoice
Notes
Index
Copyright
To the Reader Divers writers of histories write diversely … For though it be
written homely, yet it is not (as I trust) written untruly. And in histories the chief
thing that is to be desired is truth. Wherefore, if thou find that in it, I beseech
thee, wink at small faults, or at the least, let the consideration of my well
meaning drown them.