Elizabethan Society: Rich and Poor

Elizabethan England was a society of stark contrasts. The wealthy lived in magnificent houses, wore elaborate clothes, and ate extravagant meals, while the poor struggled to survive. Understanding this social divide is essential for AQA GCSE History and for evaluating the challenges Elizabeth's government faced.

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The Social Hierarchy

Elizabethan society was rigidly hierarchical. Everyone had a defined place, and social mobility — while possible — was limited.

Social Rank	Description	Approximate Proportion
Monarchy and Nobility	The queen, dukes, earls, barons; owned vast estates; held political power	Less than 1%
Gentry	Knights, esquires, and gentlemen; owned land; served as JPs, MPs, and local administrators	Approximately 2%
Yeomen	Prosperous farmers who owned their own land; the "middling sort"	Approximately 5–10%
Merchants and Professionals	Traders, lawyers, doctors; growing in wealth and influence, especially in towns	Approximately 5%
Husbandmen	Tenant farmers; rented their land from a landlord	Approximately 20%
Craftsmen and Labourers	Skilled and unskilled workers; dependent on wages	Approximately 30%
The Poor	Unemployed, disabled, elderly, orphans; dependent on charity or parish relief	Approximately 20–30%

Key Term: The "Great Chain of Being" was the belief that God had placed everyone in a fixed position in society, from the queen at the top to the poorest beggar at the bottom. Challenging your place in the chain was seen as going against God's will. This belief justified the social hierarchy and discouraged rebellion.

flowchart TD
  Q["Monarch and Nobility<br/>queen, dukes, earls, barons<br/>under 1 percent"] --> G["Gentry<br/>knights, esquires, gentlemen<br/>about 2 percent"]
  G --> Y["Yeomen<br/>prosperous landowning farmers<br/>about 5-10 percent"]
  Y --> MP["Merchants and Professionals<br/>traders, lawyers, doctors<br/>about 5 percent"]
  MP --> H["Husbandmen<br/>tenant farmers<br/>about 20 percent"]
  H --> CL["Craftsmen and Labourers<br/>skilled and unskilled workers<br/>about 30 percent"]
  CL --> PO["The Poor<br/>unemployed, disabled, elderly<br/>about 20-30 percent"]

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The Lives of the Rich

Houses

The Elizabethan period saw a boom in country house building among the gentry and nobility. These houses were designed to impress and to host the queen if she visited on one of her royal progresses (tours of the country).

Feature	Detail
Design	Large windows (glass was expensive and showy); symmetrical facades; E-shaped or H-shaped plans
Famous examples	Hardwick Hall ("more glass than wall"), Longleat, Burghley House
Gardens	Elaborate formal gardens with hedges, fountains, and sculptures
Interior	Long galleries for walking and displaying portraits; great halls for entertaining; private chambers

Food and Drink

Feature	Detail
Meat	Beef, mutton, venison, pork, rabbit, and poultry were staples of the wealthy diet
Exotic foods	Sugar, spices, dried fruits, and almonds — imported and expensive
Drink	Wine (imported from France), ale, and beer
Banquets	Elaborate multi-course meals served on silver plate; designed to display wealth and status
Sugar	Consumed in vast quantities by the wealthy; Elizabeth's teeth were famously black from sugar

Fashion

Clothing was a crucial marker of social status. Sumptuary laws attempted to restrict certain fabrics and colours to specific social ranks (for example, only royalty could wear purple silk), although these laws were difficult to enforce.

Feature	Detail
Men	Doublets, ruffs, hose, cloaks; elaborate embroidery and jewels
Women	Farthingales (hooped skirts), bodices, ruffs; heavily embroidered fabrics
Materials	Silk, velvet, satin, and fur for the wealthy; wool and linen for the poor

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The Lives of the Poor

At the other end of the social scale, life was a constant struggle for survival.

Causes of Poverty

Cause	Explanation
Population growth	England's population grew from about 2.8 million in 1550 to about 4.1 million in 1600, putting pressure on food and jobs
Inflation	Prices rose much faster than wages, reducing the purchasing power of the poor
Enclosure	Landlords enclosed common land for sheep farming, displacing peasant farmers who had relied on common land for grazing and firewood
Bad harvests	Harvest failures in 1594–1597 caused severe food shortages and famine
Dissolution of the monasteries	Henry VIII's closure of the monasteries (1536–1540) had destroyed the main source of charity for the poor
Demobilised soldiers	Returning soldiers from foreign wars had no jobs or income
Cloth trade fluctuations	Economic downturns in the cloth trade caused unemployment in textile-producing areas

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Types of Poor

The Elizabethan government distinguished between different types of poor people:

Category	Description	Government Attitude
The "deserving" (impotent) poor	The elderly, disabled, orphans, and those unable to work through no fault of their own	Deserving of charity and relief
The "deserving" (able-bodied) poor	Those willing to work but unable to find employment	Should be helped to find work
The "undeserving" poor (rogues and vagabonds)	Those considered capable of working but choosing to beg or steal instead	Should be punished; seen as idle, criminal, and dangerous

Exam Tip: The distinction between "deserving" and "undeserving" poor is crucial for understanding Elizabethan attitudes to poverty. The government believed that some poverty was unavoidable, but that able-bodied beggars were simply lazy or criminal. This attitude shaped the Poor Laws.

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Vagabondage

Vagabonds (wandering beggars) were seen as a major social problem. The government feared that large numbers of rootless, unemployed men would cause disorder, crime, and even rebellion.

Punishments for Vagabonds

Date	Punishment
1547	Vagabonds could be branded with a "V" and enslaved for two years (rarely enforced)
1572	Vagabonds could be whipped, burned through the ear, and imprisoned. Repeat offenders could be executed.
1597	Vagabonds to be whipped and sent back to their home parish

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Living Conditions of the Poor

Feature	Detail
Housing	Small one- or two-room cottages made of wattle and daub (sticks and mud); thatched roofs; earth floors
Diet	Bread, pottage (vegetable soup), cheese, and ale; meat was a rare luxury
Health	Poor sanitation; contaminated water; malnutrition; susceptible to disease
Work	Agricultural labour, spinning, weaving, or casual work; wages were low and irregular
Life expectancy	Much lower than for the wealthy — probably around 35–40 years for the poorest

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The Growing Gap

The gap between rich and poor widened significantly during Elizabeth's reign. While the gentry built grand houses and wore fine clothes, the poorest members of society faced hunger, homelessness, and persecution.