Elizabethan England / 1558-1603
Elizabethan England: Leisure
Leisure mixed violence, music, and performance, but class still shaped who enjoyed what.
What To Remember
- Football was rough, violent, and mostly linked with poor and lower class people.
- Bear baiting, bull baiting, and cock fighting drew large crowds and were hugely popular.
- Music and dancing were enjoyed by all classes, but people still kept their distance socially.
Sport and spectacle
Football had very few rules: players could trip each other up, the ball could be carried, and huge numbers of people might join in.
Bear baiting and bull baiting were major spectator sports, and Elizabeth I is said to have enjoyed bear baiting herself.
Cock fighting was also common, but Puritans hated it, especially when it happened on Sundays.
Music and dancing
Wealthy families listened to lutes and harpsichords in their homes, often hiring musicians for meals or parties.
Lower class people heard bagpipes and fiddles at fairs, markets, taverns, and churches.
Dancing was popular in every class, but upper and lower class people did not dance together.
Revision Prompt
What kinds of leisure did different classes enjoy in Elizabethan England?