17th Century Almanac for April – Early Modern social order
The 17th Century Almanac for April – the ‘Sweet Month’ and ‘fairest child of Spring’. This must have been a time of joyous relief for those that had made it through the 17th century winter months of cold, Lenten hunger and sickness.
All Fools Day – washing the lions at the Tower of London
In the 17th Century, the first of April was All Fools Day. The first record of ‘Fooles Holy Day’ comes to us from 1686. However, it was almost certainly an older practice. One report from 1698 tells us that “yesterday being the first of April, several persons were sent to the Tower Ditch to see the lions washed”.
Apparently, this prank played on gullible visitors to London remained popular well into the 19th century. Of course, the animals at the Tower of London had no such annual bath. Either way, All Fools Day probably reflected peoples’ joyous relief at getting through the winter and feeling the first warm sun on their backs.
17th Century Life & Agriculture in April – piglets & ewes’ milk
With spring came the birthing of piglets and the start of milking sheep on the croft or farm. Dairy work would go on through the summer and autumn until St Andrew’s Day (30 November). Timber was felled, carted and stacked for ship making and building work. And the cuckoo and swallows arrived.
In the fields, April saw the last sowing of spring crops. Peas, beans, barley or oats were sown on last year’s wheat field and harrowed in to protect them. Unlike the communal wheat field, each tenant was able to choose which spring crop they grew on their individual acre strips.
This opportunity for enterprise allowed some to ‘engross’ their holdings, taking over the tenancy of additional acre strips from those less successful. This created a degree of social mobility, with families rising or falling within the village hierarchy.
Early Modern Social Order – hierarchy & interdependence
17th Century society remained distinctly hierarchical. Each family sat within a specific class, with its allotted rights and dues. A state of interdependence existed within the parish.
Social mobility – both up and down the class structure – was not uncommon. However, the upheaval of The General Crisis and English Revolution was to bring calls for radical change.
The 17th Century Village – yeomen, husbandman & cottager
Class structure was most evident within the 17th Century Village. The gentry were commoners (not nobility) that owned land. They might farm their own land or let it out for rent. But they would be referred to as ‘Squire John’ and be expected to fulfil certain roles within society.
Yeomen were generally tenant farmers. However, they employed others as farm labourers. They and their wives were addressed as ‘Goodman John’ or ‘Goody Elizabeth’. In some cases, successful yeomen farmed more land than poorer gentry neighbours.
Herdsmen worked their own holding of four acres or more. This might be a series of strips within older medieval open fields, or enclosed fields they rented. But the acreage was key to defining their status. Cottagers held less than four acres and were unable to sustain a family independently. They needed to supplement their livelihood with other work. This might be a trade such as weaving, or farm labour.
Together, these classes made up the ‘better sort’. Within unenclosed parishes, they each had common rights. These included grazing animals on the commons and sharing in the harvest. Below them sat the mass of landless labourers who depended on being hired each quarter to stave off poverty.
Early Modern Towns & Cities – merchant, apprentice & journeyman
Social divisions were almost as evident in towns as in villages. Merchants dominated urban society and governance. They ran the trade guilds and appointed themselves to be aldermen and mayor. They expected to be called ‘Master John’ and their wives ‘Mistress Elizabeth’.
Journeymen were skilled independent craftsmen. However, they worked for others, hiring themselves out for a fee. The term ‘journeyman’ is a derivation of the French word for a day and refers to their day wages.
Those who aspired to become a journeyman or merchant first had to learn their trade as an apprentice. This meant working for a master craftsman or merchant for at least seven years. Apprenticeships were not free. An indenture had to be bought and acted as a signed contract.
Below the journeyman and apprentice sat the labourer. These were the mass of unskilled workers, those who could not afford or were not given an apprenticeship. Many had to que to get hired for a day’s labour. They were often exploited and in debt to foremen who selected those that got hired.
The Poor, Vagrants, Vagabonds, Soldiers & Outlaws
At the bottom of the social structure sat the poor. Those that were reliant on charity. By the 17th Century, these were divided into the ‘deserving’ and the ‘idle’ poor. The former included the old and infirm, those who were poor through no real fault of their own.
Poor relief was the responsibility of the parish. Those that could, provided for the poor within their own parish. But they only provided for the poor that had an established place within the parish, those that belonged to the parish. Not outsiders. Outsiders had no place within the social fabric and were shunned.
Acts of enclosure were particularly brutal in forcing many poor families to leave their village. Once beyond the parish boundaries, they were no longer the responsibility of the parish. They joined the many vagrants that tramped the roads looking for work, or swelled the numbers on the streets of towns and cities.
Sadly, vagrants were seen as a threat. They existed outside of society and were, therefore, without loyalty to anyone or any place. This was considered dangerous in a society based on hierarchy and interdependence. Along with vagabonds and discharged soldiers, vagrants tended to be seen as outlaws.
The Levellers – social change, four acres & the vote
During the period of the English Civil War and early Commonwealth, the old social order was increasingly challenged. Key to this challenge was the Leveller movement. They advocated for social change.
The levellers argued for the breaking up of royalist estates and the granting of four acres to each parliamentary soldier – equivalent to a herdsman’s holding. They also argued that every Englishman who owned property should have the vote – not just the gentry, merchants and richer yeomen who owned land worth forty-shillings or more.
The levellers put their arguments to the New Model Army leadership at the Putney Debates of 1647. However, the Leveller dream was to be cut short. The ‘Grandees’ supressed the levellers and bought up the sequestered royalist estates to increase their own social standing.
Easter – moveable feast of veal & bacon – set by the moon
Easter is late this year. It is almost as late as it can be. Maundy Thursday – when the king washed the feat of the poor and still gives out alms – will be marked on 17 April. Easter Sunday will be celebrated across the Christian world on 20 April. Thomas Tusser tells us that all good herdsmen should celebrate Easter with veal and bacon.
Today, it seems extraordinary that this key date in the global calendar is still set by the moon’s cycle. However, this would have been absolutely natural to all in the 17th Century. The state of the moon remained key to defining so much of Early Modern life, from planting and reaping to sailing on a tide.
St George & Vaisakhi – England, Punjab & farmers everywhere
The feast of St George is and was celebrated on 23 April. This Roman soldier, slayer of dragons and patron saint of England is also the patron saint of all farmers. His feast day was followed by that of St Mark the Evangelist on 25 April.
Today we might also note that 14 April is the Sikh holy day of Vaisakhi, or Khalsa Day. This is the day when Punjabi farmers celebrate their two extraordinary harvests of rice and wheat, grown each year, one after the other, in the same fields.
Moon, Stars & Humours – Egg Moon, meteors & melancholic Taurus
For those who still follow the old cycles, this year we will have a full Egg Moon on 13 April, the last moon before Easter. A new Milk Moon will rise on the 27th to be full on 12 May.
Jupiter and red Mars will rule the evening sky. They will be joined by Venus each morning. If you can, look out for the ‘morning star’ on 24 April when it will be at its very brightest.
April is also the month of the Lyrid meteor shower. This heavenly display normally starts around 15 April and is gone by the end of the month. It is usually at its peak on 22-23 April.
This is the month of Taurus, the bull. Those born under its earthy influence were said to have melancholic temperament. According to Galen, their cold and dry humour tended to towards being strong, well set, dark.
ANZAC Day – a moving, memorable, morning commemoration
Last but not least, if you have the opportunity to join an ANZAC Day ceremony on the 25th of April, go. It is a very moving, early morning commemoration that is distinctly different from Remembrance Sunday.
I have been lucky enough to be invited to attend a number of overseas ANZAC days and have never failed to be moved. The traditional breakfast afterwards is also something to behold.
Follow & Read More of the 17th Century Almanac
Whether your feast is bacon, veal, or roti, dal and rice, I wish you all the joys of Spring. As ever, if this post is not the four acres you fought for, please tell me where it went wrong.
I will post more of the 17th Century Almanac, next month. Each article discusses a topic of interest, such as 17th Century Climate Change and conflict, as well as annual activity in Early Modern Britain for that month. If you would like to receive email notification of the next post, click the button to follow.
17th Century History – articles, maps & events
In the meantime, this website includes articles and pages about life in 17th Century Britain, Europe and the Americas at Historical Notes and Maps. These include notes and pages on the impact of the Little Ice Age and The General Crisis of the 17th Century. They include articles on the English Revolution and Great Rebellion. They also include historical notes on the English Revolution and the Great Rebellion, as well as Pike and Shot Warfare and battles of the English Civil War.
You can also find more posts on Early Modern history, Living History and re-enactment at News & Blogs. You may also wish to read about the English Civil War history talks and battlefield walks I give.
Divided Kingdom – English Civil War historical fiction
The 17th Century almanac blog posts provide a backdrop and set the scene for the Divided Kingdom books. This historical fiction series is set in Early Modern Britain during the English Civil War. These posts are part of their backstory.
The Divided Kingdom books take a fresh approach. They are not based on a single hero. They do not take sides. Their voices – ordinary men and women – face each other in the chaos of Britain in civil war. They are both relatable and sharply relevant today. They are also as historically accurate as is possible.
Please do check out some of the writing at Divided Kingdom Books, including book tasters and a FREE ebook short story.
See More – social media & the Divided Kingdom Readers’ Club
Alternatively, check out Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or YouTube for more posts. These include notes from my historical research, Living History and English Civil War fiction. They also include upcoming events and opportunities to meet. Or, follow on social media at #DividedKingdomBooks or #EnglishCivilWarFiction on:
If you want even more, join us in the Divided Kingdom Readers’ Club. Clubmen receive FREE exclusive access to unpublished short stories, email and more. Click the link to sign up and join us.
Spread the Word & Share
If you like what you see, please click, share and spread the word via email or your social media on:
