English Daily Life
Examines the traditional foods, clothing, housing, and lifestyles of England.
Lifestyles of Historic England
England is a historically agrarian society with its roots in the medieval feudal system. The quality of life, diet, and housing of its citizens have all changed considerably over time. In the medieval era, most families worked as peasant farmers. Those on the lower rungs of society, the villeins, lived in serfdom and were legally tied to a landed estate. They supplemented what they grew through labor at their lord’s manor. Other peasants owned modest acreage and could grow all of their own food and livestock. In either case, they typically had few legal rights and were expected to pay taxes and tithes to their lord and local clergy.
The upper classes of English society, meanwhile, enjoyed access to a higher quality of life. They spent much of their time pursuing sports like hunting and archery. In exchange, they were expected to provide military support to the king or a higher lord. Between these two extremes were the knights, a military class who traded their skill in battle for a comfortable living.
This social dynamic began to change with the Black Death, which ravaged the nation in 1348. Severe depopulation left England with more land than workers. Combined with increasing foreign trade, the remaining peasants of England saw their social value rise considerably. Later colonial wealth brought new foods, ideas, and opportunities to the island. It also made industrialization possible, pushing many families to relocate to urban centers. Today, about 83 percent of the UK’s population live in cities.
Traditional English Cuisine
The upper and lower classes of medieval England relied on different diets. Inefficient farming methods meant that wheat, most meats, and many vegetables were luxuries beyond the reach of the peasants. Imported spices and wines added flavor to otherwise dull dishes but were similarly restricted to the wealthy. Poor farmers instead survived on staple foods like dairy, barley, oats, rye, and vegetables such as beans, cabbages, onions, and turnips. Besides breads and cheeses, women cooked most meals in large cauldrons. Porridges, soups, and stews were common. Weak alcohols like beer and ale were commonly consumed as a preferable alternative to unsafe water. Famine remained a constant threat.
As living standards improved through the Middle Ages, access to goods like mutton, beef, tea, fish, fruits, and pork increased. Contact with the Americas brought new staples such as potatoes and squash as well as luxuries like chocolate. Later, colonial holdings introduced foreign spices, most notably Indian curry. Favorite traditional dishes include fish & chips, meat pies, sandwiches, pork sausages, roast beef, and various sweet or savory puddings.
Housing in Medieval and Renaissance England
The homes of England vary by region, period, and wealth. Many ancient structures have been modified and rebuilt several times over the centuries. As a consequence, little vernacular architecture from the Middle Ages is still standing. A typical peasant holding in the 14th century consisted of multiple buildings, sometimes divided between separate households. Poorer families lived in single-room, timber-framed houses thatched with straw. Their walls consisted of wattle-and-daub or plaster. Women cooked meals over a central hearth or in a free-standing kitchen. Furniture was sparse and relatively plain, even among the wealthy.
The Tudor era saw rural homes grow larger and more refined. Timber framing became more extensive and even artistic, accompanied by glass windows and brick chimneys. These homes eventually gave way to rural cottages and urban townhouses or apartment complexes. While the rich continued to live in spacious and ornamental homes, typically with gardens and acreage, the poor crammed into tiny apartments with poor sanitation. London did not receive a sewer system until the mid-19th century. Following the bombings of World War II, a massive housing push saw the widespread construction of council houses. These community-oriented buildings still supply much of the nation’s housing.
English Fashion
As a general rule, women of the medieval era wore long-sleeved dresses or tunics and covered their hair with a hooded mantle. Men wore shorter tunics over tight hose or trousers, also with a caped mantle. Flax and wool served as their primary textiles, dyed with natural plants like red madder and blue woad. Embroidery was an important art in England for centuries.
Over time, these styles grew more elaborate and reflected shifting European styles. Women began to wear veils instead of hoods, which transformed into ever more complicated hats. Increasing trade introduced richer fabrics like silk or velvet. Men’s tunics transitioned to shorter, padded jackets known as doublets. These were often accompanied by large, starched collars and ruffs. In the 1600s, short, voluminous pants over hose became the standard in male fashion. Gowns with enhanced waistlines and visible, embroidered petticoats came to dominate female trends.
Georgian and Victorian fashions tended toward high waists, sophisticated drapery, pleats, and military forms. Cotton shipped from the colonies grew common as a clothing material. Dresses grew simpler in the 19th century, and men began to wear tailored suits. These developed further during the 20th century into modern Western apparel. Fashions among the peasantry always lagged behind those of the upper classes. For the working poor, modest dresses, shirts, and pants remained the common outfit across many time periods.
Modern Life in England
Today, the people of England and the United Kingdom are members of a multicultural society offering countless lifestyles. The vast majority live in cities, where they work in a variety of industries including retail, manufacturing, finance, service, and education. An influx of immigrants from around the world has introduced new cuisines, music, and entertainment to the formerly insular society. Long-standing English traditions like gardening, pubs, and vacationing remain generally popular.
References
Dyer, Christopher. Everyday Life in Medieval England. Cambridge University Press. 2000.
“England.” WorldAtlas, WorldAtlas, 7 Apr. 2017, www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/england/ukelandst.htm.
Hibbert, Christopher. Life in Victorian England. New Word City. 2015.
Jenkins, Simon. A Short History of England. Profile Books. 2011.
Kumar, Krishan. The Idea of Englishness: English Culture, National Identity and Social Thought. Ashgate Publishing. 2015.
Olsen, Kirstin. Daily Life in 18th-Century England. 2nd Ed. ABC-CLIO. 2017.
“The World Factbook: United Kingdom.” Central Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, 12 July 2018, www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/uk.html.
“Total Ancestry Reported.” American Fact Finder, US Census Bureau, 5 Oct. 2010, factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_10_1YR_B04003&prodType=table.
White, R.J. A Short History of England. Cambridge University Press. 1967.
About TOTA
TOTA.world provides cultural information and sharing across the world to help you explore your Family’s Cultural History and create deep connections with the lives and cultures of your ancestors.
