What about the women? ‘Some of the most famous people in Tudor and Stuart history were women: Elizabeth | and © Compare the lives of Mary Queen of Scots, for example. But what Teds Hed seerhmeel about other women? How were they treated? What was everyday life like for them? Let’s look for some answers. h and poor women in * Explore how some men treated their wives. life ie peed 4 “get up, clean the clothes, milf the cows, collect eggs, © poor men, poor women faced tough lives. In fact Glen deh hihes ae their lives remained much the same as they had been eaiile ky fae ne 3 for women in the Middle Ages. Almost 95 per cent of Deere batter cheese ond gs the population stil lived in the countryside and the women worked just as hard as the men (see Source A). A SOUROE At! armer describes his wifes The dangers of childbirth Co ce Regardless of whether you were rich or poor at this time, having children was particularly dangerous People didn't know that germs caused illness, and women often gave birth in filthy conditions - dirty water, filthy rags, no disinfectant, and no antibiotics. Babies often died soon after they were born and one in every five births ended with the death of the mother. Historians can find out a lot more about richer women, but being wealthy didn’t always mean that their lives were a lot better than poorer women's. Read the extracts in Source C, which were written by Samuel Pepys, a London gentleman who famously kept a diary during Stuart times. His wife was called Elizabeth pe Saas the inside of a country cottage. BER Cy estos e a 2 May 1663 PR CUEUA a etd) i ‘Slept until 7 o'clock, then up to my office. Argued with ee my wife about her not Keeping the house clean, I called rn paeeenine era “beggar” and she called me a “prick (ouse’.” eee ai ag 19 December 1664 eke eta oC ‘Twas angry with my wife for not telling the servants Det ier eerie eee what to do property. She gave me an angry answer so I neers acre fit her over the left eye, such a blow as the poor wretch Ress) id cry out. She then scratched and bit me." A SOURCE @ fatracts fom Samuel Pepys’ diary. MEE) 0 22 estorationwoman's life Many women, especially those from wealthier families, had their husbands chosen for them by their parents. ind husbands had a lot of power over their wives. for instance, a ‘nagging’ wife could find herself on the ducking stool. She would be tied to a stool and Jowered into the local pond as punishment. If that didn’t work, she may even be forced to wear a scold’s, bridle for a day or so ~ an iron mask was put over the woman's head, with a piece of metal that went into her mouth to hold her tongue down and stop her talking The husband would then lead her around on a leash to show other men that he had her under control. Wornen were not allowed to divorce their husbands but even if they could have done so, they wouldn't have been able to take any of their property with them. The law stated that once a woman was married, everything she owned became her husband's, Men, however, were allowed to divorce their wives. One kind of divorce was a wife sale in which men were allowed to sell off their wives. ‘As you can see, many women lived tough lives but some visitors to this country thought differently. The } writer of Source F thought that wealthy women were still better off than women from other countries ‘Wives in England are in the power of their fi ut they are not Rept as strictly as in Spain, Nor ar shut up... They go to market, are wel dressed. So take it easy and leave the care of the household servants... They spend time walking and riding, cards and visiting friends, talKing to neighbours ‘making merry with them at childbirths and cri All this with the permission of their kusbands. eee A SOURCE F: iitten from the Netherlands in 1575, male visitor conte Read Source C again. [tis rom the E-Sien diary of Samuel Pepys. Imagine that Elizabeth Pepys kept a diary too. Write her diary entries for 2 May and 19 December, She would probably have had a different view of the incidents! ducking stoo!_scold's bridle _ wife sale SOURCE D: 4 scold’ bridle. “He put a ope around her neck and le fer to the market place. He put her up to be sold tothe hig bidder, as if she were a forse. A buyer is usually arranged beforehand,’ A SOURCE E: this description of a wife sale was writen in 1700, 1 Write a sentence or two to explain the following + ducking stool + scolds bridle + wife sale 2 Look at Source B. a There are three people in the picture. What are they doing? b Look at the woman cleaning clothes on the table. Describe the sort of day you think she was having, Use Source A to help you. ‘¢ How has cooking and washing changed since then? 3. a Why doyou think one in five births ended with the death of the mother? b How are conditions different today? 4 Read Source F @ Do you think the visitor was describing the lives of rich or poor English women? Give reasons for your answer. b_ He describes England at this time as the paradise of married women’ Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer, using evidence from these pages. 9 The Restoration