Category: Daily Life in the Past

By Tim Lambert The Poor in Tudor Times In Tudor times there were thousands of people without jobs wandering around looking for work. There were also disabled beggars. Some people pretended to be mad or disabled to beg. Tudor governments tolerated people who were disabled begging. However, they did not tolerate able-bodied people without jobs… Continue reading A Brief History of the Poor Law

By Tim Lambert About 650 BC a people called the Celts migrated to Britain. Then in 43 AD, the Romans invaded. It is impossible to accurately estimate the population of Britain before the Romans came. However, the population of Roman Britain was probably about 4 million. Roman towns would seem small to us. The largest… Continue reading A Brief History of the Population of England

By Tim Lambert The Right to Vote in Britain In the 18th century, only a small minority of men in Britain could vote (only those who owned a certain amount of property). But in 1832 the government introduced a reform but the franchise was only extended to about 14% of men. The working class was… Continue reading A Brief History of the Right to Vote

By Tim Lambert Celtic and Roman Towns The Celts who lived in Britain before the Roman invasion of 43 AD could be said to have created the first towns. Celts in southern England lived in hill forts, which were quite large settlements. (Some probably had thousands of inhabitants). They were places of trade, where people… Continue reading A Brief History of Towns

By Tim Lambert Early Toys Before the 20th century, children had few toys and those they did have were precious. Furthermore, children did not have much time to play. Only a minority went to school but most children were expected to help their parents by doing simple jobs around the house or in the fields.… Continue reading A Brief History of Toys

By Tim Lambert TRANSPORT IN THE ANCIENT WORLD The first form of transport was, of course, the human foot! However, people eventually learned to use animals for transport. Donkeys and horses were probably domesticated between 4,000 and 3,000 BC (obviously, the exact date is not known). Camels were domesticated slightly later, between 3,000 and 2,000… Continue reading A Brief History of Transport

By Tim Lambert Before the Industrial Revolution unemployment was much less of a problem than it is now. It existed of course but there was no mass unemployment. In an agricultural society, the economy was usually stable and it changed little from year to year. However, from the 18th century, the British economy went into… Continue reading A Brief History of Unemployment

By Tim Lambert Washing in the Ancient World The Egyptians are known for their cleanliness (they bathed frequently) and they used many cosmetics. Meanwhile in Babylon before 2,000 BC a form of soap was made. The Greeks knew that diet, exercise and keeping clean were important for health. The Greeks even invented a form of… Continue reading A Brief History of Washing

By Tim Lambert Prehistoric Weapons Human beings have probably always killed each other. Early people used clubs, axes, and spears. They also used bows and arrows. (Cave paintings from Spain dating from 10,000 to 5,000 BC show men fighting with bows). A wooden club is a surprisingly effective weapon. As early as 6,000 BC African… Continue reading A Brief History of Weapons

By Tim Lambert Women’s Education in the Ancient World There have always been some educated women. In the past, generally, upper-class women were well-educated. Middle-class women often had some education. But poor girls, like poor boys, had little or no access to education. Sumer was the world’s oldest civilization. It arose in what is now… Continue reading A Brief History of Women’s Education