What was daily life like for rich and poor in Elizabethan England?
The Elizabethan social hierarchy, the problem of poverty and the Poor Laws, the golden age of culture and theatre, and the voyages of exploration and the New World.
A focused answer to the daily life section of AQA's Elizabethan England depth study, covering the social hierarchy, the rise of poverty and the 1601 Poor Law, the golden age of theatre and culture, and the voyages of exploration including Drake and Raleigh.
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What this dot point is asking
This part of the Elizabethan England depth study covers daily life: the rigid social hierarchy, why poverty grew and how the government responded with the Poor Laws, the flowering of theatre and culture, and the voyages of exploration that opened the New World to England. You need both rich and poor life, because comparison questions are common.
The social hierarchy
Poverty and the Poor Laws
Poverty grew sharply during the reign for several connected reasons: population growth (England's population rose by roughly a third), rising prices (inflation that outpaced wages), the enclosure of common farmland for sheep (which threw people off the land), bad harvests in the 1590s, and unemployment. Wandering beggars, or "vagabonds", alarmed the authorities, who feared crime and disorder.
The golden age of culture
The reign saw a cultural flourishing often called a "golden age". Purpose-built theatres such as the Globe and the Rose were constructed, and playwrights including Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe drew large, socially mixed audiences, from groundlings standing in the yard to nobles in the galleries. Music, poetry and fashion also flourished. Theatre had its critics: Puritans condemned it as immoral, and some authorities feared large crowds spread disease and disorder. But it was hugely popular and enjoyed royal favour.
Exploration and the New World
The downside of exploration matters for balance: it fuelled the conflict with Spain that led to the Armada, and it involved the slave trade, so it was not an unmixed glory.
Try this
Q1. Name the two categories the Elizabethans divided the poor into. [Knowledge recall]
- Cue. The deserving poor and the undeserving poor.
Q2. Explain why poverty grew in Elizabethan England. [Short explanation]
- Cue. Population growth, rising prices, enclosure of farmland, bad harvests and unemployment combined to push more people into poverty.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
AQA 20188 marksHow convincing is Interpretation A about the reasons for the growth of poverty in Elizabethan England? Explain your answer using Interpretation A and your contextual knowledge.Show worked answer →
The Paper 2 British depth study interpretation question (8 marks, mostly AO4). Use the interpretation's content and test it against contextual knowledge to judge how convincing it is.
Content. Quote the view, for example that poverty grew "because of rising prices" or "because of enclosure".
Contextual knowledge. Support it: population growth, inflation (the price rise), enclosure of farmland, bad harvests and unemployment all increased poverty. Qualify it if the interpretation stresses only one cause.
Judgement. Decide how convincing the interpretation is overall: convincing if it captures the main causes, less so if it oversimplifies. Support the verdict with precise detail.
AQA 20208 marksExplain two ways in which the lives of the rich and the poor in Elizabethan England were different.Show worked answer →
A Paper 2 "explain two ways" comparison question (8 marks). Markers reward two clearly explained, supported differences.
Way one. Housing and wealth: the nobility and gentry lived in grand houses with fine furnishings and many servants, while the labouring poor lived in small, basic cottages or, for vagrants, had no settled home.
Way two. Security and treatment under the law: the rich enjoyed status, leisure and protection, while the poor faced unemployment, harsh treatment of vagrants, and dependence on parish relief under the Poor Law.
Top band. Develop each difference with specific detail rather than listing.
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Sources & how we know this
- AQA GCSE History (8145) specification — AQA (2016)