Expert: Joseph Logue - 2/25/2008

Question
In the Shakespeare and Elizabethan Era what was the living conditions like in the homes?

Answer
Hello Leticia,

For such a broad area, I am going to recommend that you head to a nearby library and look for books (or better, ask a Reference Librarian for help) on the subject "England Social Conditions 16th Century."  Using this as a subject search in American online catalogs will get you many titles to consult.

You must remember that "homes" meant many things to many people.  This is an era when a home could be anything from the grandest palace to the most miserable hovel.  I think you should decided on whose homes you wish to concentrate (royalty, nobility, tradesmen, farmers, urban workers, the poor and destitute) and go from there.  There was so much disparity in social classes that you will most likely find the subject overwhelming if you seek to make blanket appraisals.

Sincerely,

Joseph Logue