Education and Leisure

The Edexcel specification expects candidates to understand not only high politics — queens, plots and Armadas — but also the texture of Elizabethan society. This lesson covers two areas: how Elizabethans were educated, and how they spent their leisure time. Paper 2 Q4(a) and Q4(b) questions on these topics are common, and the detail is specific enough to differentiate a Level 2 from a Level 4 answer.

Two themes run through both sections: class (who got what) and change (what was new under Elizabeth).

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Education: the Humanist inheritance

Elizabethan education was shaped by the Humanist movement that had reached England through scholars such as John Colet, Thomas More and Erasmus. Humanism valued:

• The study of classical Greek and Latin texts
• Rhetoric (the art of persuasive speech)
• Moral philosophy drawn from ancient authors
• The idea that a well-educated gentleman was better fitted to serve his country

Humanist thinking shaped what was taught in grammar schools and universities — though most of the population never saw that classroom.

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Schools by level

Petty schools

• Taught children aged 5–7 the basics: reading, writing, arithmetic, religion
• Usually run by an educated woman ("dame school") in her own home, or by a local clergyman
• Fees were low; literacy was rising but still limited
• By 1600, roughly 30% of men and 10% of women in London could read

Grammar schools

Grammar schools were the main engine of Humanist education.

Feature	Detail
Age range	Roughly 7–14 or 15
Curriculum	Latin grammar and literature; some Greek; catechism; rhetoric; logic
Teaching style	Learning by rote, with regular corporal punishment
Hours	Long — 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., six days a week in some schools
Fees	Usually charged; some free places for poorer scholars
Who attended	Mostly boys of the gentry, merchants, and yeomen

Around 42 new grammar schools were founded during Elizabeth's reign. This was a significant expansion, even if the intake was still overwhelmingly male and middling-class or higher.

Universities

England had only two universities: Oxford and Cambridge.

• Degrees focused on theology, law, medicine, and classical studies
• Cost was prohibitive for all but wealthy families
• Probably around 2% of young men attended
• Women were not admitted

The Inns of Court

For those intending a career in law or government, the Inns of Court in London offered legal training. They were sometimes called England's "third university" because they served a similar social function.

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Education by class and gender

Educational provision was unequal by design.

Social group	Typical education
Nobility (boys)	Private tutors, grand tour, Inns of Court
Nobility (girls)	Tutors at home — modern languages, music, needlework, some classical learning
Gentry (boys)	Grammar school, sometimes university
Gentry (girls)	Home education — reading, writing, household management
Merchant / yeoman (boys)	Petty school, grammar school if the family could afford it
Merchant / yeoman (girls)	Petty school, basic literacy
Labouring poor (boys)	Rarely more than petty school; often straight to work
Labouring poor (girls)	Rarely any formal schooling

Note: some women of rank were extraordinarily learned — Elizabeth herself read fluent Latin, Greek, French and Italian. But she was an exception, not a norm.

flowchart TD
    Start[Age 5] --> Petty[Petty / Dame School<br/>basic literacy]
    Petty --> Divide{Boy or girl?}
    Divide -->|Boy, family can pay| Grammar[Grammar School<br/>age 7-15]
    Divide -->|Boy, family cannot pay| Work1[Apprenticeship or labour]
    Divide -->|Girl| Home[Home education<br/>or domestic service]
    Grammar --> Uni{Wealthy enough?}
    Uni -->|Yes| Oxbridge[Oxford / Cambridge / Inns of Court]
    Uni -->|No| Work2[Trade, Church, or gentry estate]

    style Start fill:#3498db,color:#fff
    style Oxbridge fill:#27ae60,color:#fff

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Leisure by class

Leisure was shaped by social rank. Gentry sports required land and horses; popular sports were cheap and, often, violent.

Gentry and noble leisure

Activity	Detail
Hunting	Deer, foxes, hares — on private land with dogs and horses
Hawking	Trained falcons used to hunt birds and small game
Real tennis	Played indoors on specially built courts
Fencing	Practised with rapier and dagger; training for real duels
Music	The Elizabethan gentry played lute, virginals, and madrigals
Dancing	Elaborate court dances — pavane, galliard, volta
Literature	The court was a patron of poetry and drama

Popular leisure

Activity	Detail
Football	Played between villages; rules varied; often violent
Wrestling	Common at fairs and festivals
Archery	Encouraged by law as practice for military service
Bowls	Played by all classes, including Drake (legendarily at Plymouth Hoe in 1588)
Cockfighting	Birds fought; large wagers placed
Bear-baiting	Dogs set on a tethered bear; popular in London and provincial fairs