17th Century London Life

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Life In 17th Century London
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Standard of Living

The seventeenth century represents a fascinating period of English history, drawing the attention of whole generations of historians. This turbulent age saw three major events that had a deep impact on England’ s political as well as social life—the English Revolution, the Restoration of the Stuarts in 1660 and the Glorious Revolution in 1688.
Setting up home in 17th century London Equipping a house, hiring servants, expenses. When Margaret Blagge married Sidney Godolphin in the 1670s, not long after this portrait was painted, she needed advice on how to equip and run her household.

The 17th century was a time of great political and social turmoil in England, marked by civil war and regicide. Matthew White introduces the key events of this period, from the coronation of Charles I to the Glorious Revolution more than 60 years later. The 17th Century was an unsettled time for Britain, and particularly London. The Gunpowder Plot, 1605 'Remember, remember the fifth of November, Gunpowder, treason and plot ' Explore our Gunpowder Plot activities here: Bonfire Night.

In the middle of the seventeenth century, the period of price and population rises ended and the country entered a period of stability in both, that was to last until the mid-eighteenth century. The expansion of the landowning classes continued until the mid-century but thereafter, this group faced growing pressure. Quite apart from those who lost land or had to pay fines as a result of the upheaval of the Civil War, from 1660, taxation continued at a high level.

After 1689, for example, the land tax was levied at its full 20% rate of four shillings in the pound. Rental incomes stopped rising as rapidly and as food prices fell in the latter century, tenants found it harder to pay rents at all. Generally larger landowners were able to cope with this better and in some areas, although not universally, great estates expanded as smaller gentry were forced to sell up. Society, however, was not entirely static and people continued to cross the gap into the class of ‘gentlemen’. Among smaller farmers there were also pressures from the mid-century.

While pastoral farmers in forest areas may have escaped relatively unscathed or even prospered, small arable farmers found it difficult when grain prices fell. Many small farms were engrossed into larger units worked by paid labourers. Therefore in certain areas, there was a marked shift to larger farms and fewer small farmers. When prices began to stagnate or fall after 1650 a period of prosperity began for the labouring population of England. With population no longer increasing, there was less competition for work and wages began to rise. The wage-earners therefore had more disposable income.

The seventeenth century also saw an expansion in the numbers and wealth of great merchants, a result of the struggles for control of international markets which had begun in the previous century. Merchants were attracted by new products from expansion into more distant territories such as sugar and tobacco from the Americas or silks and spices from Asia.

The East India Company obtained it’s royal charter in 1600 to allow it a monopoly of trade in the Indian Ocean region. In the late seventeenth century, some contemporaries began to comment that goods normally restricted to the upper landed classes were being bought, worn and eaten by a much greater range of people. More people were eating meat and wheat and although the new goods from abroad were initially often re-exported to Europe, they were later retained and consumed at home and their prices began to fall.

The growth of the consumer society is demonstrated by the further development of shops and the retail trade which had begun in the sixteenth century. The two best known shopkeepers of the late seventeenth century are Roger Lowe of Leigh and William Stout of Lancaster both of whom stocked a wide range of goods of English, colonial and foreign origins.

Travel

Stage coaches first appeared in the 1630s and at first only covered the shorter distances linking nearby towns. By the later 1650s there were a few longer routes between London and York and London and Exeter that were served by coaches in the summer months only. The trip from to Exeter in 1658 took four days and such travel had the advantage of accommodation in coaching inns along the way and advertised departure times. The chief problem, from the point of view of the poor, was the cost, with fares for inside passengers being, typically, 4d. or 5d. a mile and for outside passengers 2d. or 3d.

Currency

In February 1663 the first coins minted with a milled edge to prevent clipping began to issue from the Royal Mint. They were manufactured using a machine developed by a Frenchman Pierre Blondeau, who despite considerable opposition from the moneyers was made ‘Engineer of the Mint’ early in the reign of Charles II. To accommodate changes in the price of gold, a new 20s. gold coin was issued with gold brought to the mint by the African Company. Stamped with an elephant (later an elephant and castle) these became known from the place of origin of the metal as ‘guinea pieces’.

In 1662, the old English groat was discontinued. This century also saw the development of banking and in association with that the emergence of a paper currency. The fist surviving cheques date from the 1670s but records of the Court of Chancery show that they were in use by 1665. Gradually during the Civil War and Commonwealth period, landowners and merchants transferred their liquid cash from the care of stewards and scriveners to the goldsmiths who were prepared to pay interest on money lodged with them. You might deposit a lump sum with a goldsmith and be given a receipt or a number of receipts of convenient amount but equal in total to the sum deposited. An account was opened in your name and you had an agreement, with might or might not be on the face of the receipt, as to the interest you were to get and the length of notice you were to give before withdrawal.

As early as 1668, and probably some time before that, these seem to have become exchangeable as on 29 February Pepys notes that he has sent his father Colvill’s note for £600 for his sister’s portion. Colvill being one of the three goldsmiths with whom Pepys did most of his business. This is the earliest recorded use of a goldsmith’s note for making a payment but this gradually became common place. From 1667 paper orders or assignments of revenue were issued to those who lent money to the Crown or supplied goods. They could be exchanged and were paid in order as the revenues came in. They were issued in convenient amounts of £1, £2 and £5 and were effectively the government issue of paper money.

In 1672 financial pressure caused a decision to suspend for twelve months, any payments on these orders to divert funds to the war effort. This confirmed in the eyes of the commercial world, the unsafe condition of a bank under a monarchy so when the central bank came to be formed it was but into private hands. The Bank of England was created in 1694 and the first issue of bank notes followed in the same year.

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That if you have a faithful Woman or Housemaid, it will cost you little trouble. It were necessary that such a one were a good Market-woman, & whose Eye must be from the Garret to the Cellar; nor is it enough they see all things made cleane in the House, but set in order also; That if any Goods be broken or worn out they shew or bring it to her that she may see in what condition it is, that nothing be hid or imbezel’d. .... She should bee the first of Servants stirring and last in bed, & have some authority over the rest, & you must hear her & give her credit, yet not without your own Examination & inspection, that Complaints come not to you without cause. It is necessary also she should know to write and cast up small sums & bring you her Book every Saturday-night, which you may cause to be entered into another for your self, that you may from time to time judge of Prices & things which are continually altering.
Mary Evelyn, Oeconomis to a Married Friend, c1677

Equipping a house, hiring servants, expenses

When Margaret Blagge married Sidney Godolphin in the 1670s, not long after this portrait was painted, she needed advice on how to equip and run her household. The Godolphins were very comfortably-off, but not really rich like this 17th century aristocratic household. They would start married life with just enough silver for their dining table but were advised to go on building up their stock, keeping to classic designs that would not go out of fashion. An earthenware fruit bowl would do until they could afford better.

Mary Evelyn, an older friend, emphasised how vital it was to find a good 'Woman or Housemaid' to supervise everything, including the other servants. Employing casual labour from outside the household should be minimised since 'Out-helpers...make Gossips'.

The distinction between the family and their servants is obvious in the budget. The master and mistress would sleep between sheets costing more than twice as much as the senior servants' bedlinen, and four times as much as the sheets for the 'ordinary Men and maid-servants'. They would have their sheets washed every two weeks, while the servants' bedlinen had to last a month.

With white linen tablecloths and napkins as well as sheets piling up, on average two shillings a week would be needed for soap, starch and washing, plus a large quantity of coal to heat water if the laundry was not sent out to washerwomen. No smoothing irons are mentioned; instead Mary Evelyn lists a napkin press and a polished hardwood slickstone made of lignum vitae. (See the history of ironing page.)

The early 17th century napkin press illustrated to the left is very ornate and elaborately carved and may well have cost more than one pound, the sum Margaret Godolphin was advised to spend on hers. The folded linen was pressed under the board attached to the screw, and some could go in the drawer[s] beneath.

Mary Evelyn warned that there was not much leeway in the budget: £500 a year was to cover Sidney Godolphin's clothes, horses, a groom and so on as well as all the household expenses. A reserve of £60 was 'little enough considering Sickness, Physicians, and innumerable Accidents that are not to be provided against with any certainty.' Sadly, the young Mrs. Godolphin died in 1678 after giving birth to her first child, Francis.

The World of the Country House in Seventeenth-Century England
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7 November 2007

For more on old washing methods see:
Washing & cleaning for a 17th century duke
The great wash and wash days
Lye and chamber lye
Laundry blue
Washing bats and beetles
Washing dollies
History of washboards
Also:
History of ironing

Life In 17th Century London