Life in London City in the Sixteenth-century
Written by: animallover8
During the 16th century, London City was very crowded, dirty, unsanitary, and overpopulated. London City was not the best place to live because of its poor conditions. Many people moved into London City because they wanted to seek their fortune.
Since London was so small, unsanitary, and overpopulated, disease spread very rapidly. One disease that spread was Leprosy. Leprosy is very contagious. People who had leprosy were confined in small areas so the disease would not spread as much. Many people died from diseases and other ailments. The number of deaths was always exaggerated about. Some of the worst areas were nicknamed “Stinking Lane” and other similar names. They were given those names because the laborers, who lived in small, cramped houses, threw their household waste outside their house into the street. People who passed by also contributed to the horrible stenches.
Along with the bad stenches, there was no plumbing. Chamber pots were used and after a few days of uses, they needed to be emptied. John Harrington, Elizabeth’s godson designed a “privy in perfection” for royal use only. It was called a water closet. The water closet had an elevated cistern, a wooden seat, and a valve that flushed water out from the cistern down through the basin and out through a drainpipe. The only problem now was, there was no system for treating the sewage. Therefore, the water closet did nothing to help with the sanitation problem. In London city, freshwater was piped in from springs.
Houses were made of wood and covered with straw. Since the houses were made of wood and straw, they caught fire easily. The fires spread rapidly through the city. The roads were made of cobblestone. There were many thieves, so everyone had to be careful. For the buildings, they used the ideas from ancient Greece and ancient Rome. They were designed with flat and wide windows. They also used simple arches, pediments, and columns. Along the Thames River, there were many tall, elegant houses and many shops. London Bridge was made of a broad stone structure threaded by a narrow roadway.
In London, the population grew rapidly. That added to London being so overcrowded. During the 16th century, the population was between 100,000 and 200,000 people. The amount of people who moved into London City changed because people wanted to seek their fortune. People thought that they would be able to seek their fortune in London. Moving to London was both a good choice and a bad choice. It was a good choice because many people did become successful and achieved their fortune. It was a bad idea because of all the crime, diseases, and fires. By so many people moving to London, London became even more overcrowded and more unsanitary. Toward the end of the 16th century, Queen Elizabeth issued a proclamation (while fearing rampant disease and disorder) which banned the construction of any new homes within three miles of the city’s gates and prohibiting any new families (from moving in). She did this so she could try to control the spread of disease and to help stop more people from creating London to be more overpopulated.
William Shakespeare was interested in moving to Stratford-upon-Avon to seek fortune and to get his plays to become famous. London (was and is) one of the world’s great centers for classical and popular culture. It has enjoyed a reputation for superb theater since the 16th century when Shakespeare lived and wrote.
There was a social order in London during the 16th century. It was as follows: at the top were Nobles, knights, and landed gentlemen. The class below them was the middle class, which consisted of Businessmen and compromising merchants. The class under them was the Craftsmen and farmers who owned part of the land that they worked. Below them were the domestic servants and day laborers. Below them, at the bottom of the social class were the Beggars and the vagrants.
For fun, the people of London watched and participated in drama and theater. In addition, for fun, they played cards, board games, passed the wassail bowl, and they sang carols. Passing the wassail bowl was a salutation or drinking toast made during festivities. They also went to festivals. On Holy days (Sundays and Holidays) the churches put on festivals that brought the townspeople together. Celebrations were hosted by the parish churches. Church-ales were where food and drink were sold to raise funds for the parish. Rich citizens paid a large portion of the costs and opened their homes to the townspeople at harvest time and during Christmas. Most holidays combined the religious and secular.
London was so important to Shakespeare’s success because many people enjoyed plays during the time period and they still do now. His writings became more famous and they are now well known in many places. London was like today’s “Hollywood” where you go to become famous.
London is like many cities today because you can go anywhere to be famous. All you need to become famous is to do something important (heroic), be well supported by people, and be good at something. London was one of the largest cities in the world during the 16th century, but today there are many cities in the world that have a larger population than London.
Works Cited
Chamberlin, E.R. The 1500s: Headlines in History. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 2001.
“What Life was like in the realm of Elizabeth.” Time Life Books. Richmond, Virginia: Time Life Inc., 1998.
