New
New
Year 8
Social life for the poor in Tudor England
I can explain how social life for the poor changed in Elizabethan England.
New
New
Year 8
Social life for the poor in Tudor England
I can explain how social life for the poor changed in Elizabethan England.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Social life was affected by changes to the Church and changes to the seasons.
- Many forms of entertainment remained the same throughout the Tudor period.
- Blood sports became more popular during the Tudor period.
- Theatres were built in London as a venue for plays to be performed.
Keywords
Blood sports - blood sports are forms of entertainment involving hunting, wounding or killing, usually of animals
Theatre - the theatre is a venue where plays are performed
Common misconception
The English have always been a nation of animal lovers.
Blood sports were a very popular form of entertainment for hundreds of years. A large variety of animals were killed for our entertainment, such as bulls, bears and badgers.
Virtual tours of The Globe are available online: show students a virtual tour in order to help them understand the setting and appeal of plays during this time period.
Teacher tip
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
refers to the countryside.
Q2.
Which of the following is the correct definition of subsistance?
the act of trying live above basic living conditions
the act of keeping others at the most basic level
Q3.
Why did sheep farming present problems for the rural poor?
There were not enough sheep and so it was not profitable.
Q4.
Rural people who moved in order to find work, food and shelter were known as .
Q5.
Why did food prices increase during the Tudor period?
There was more common land available for subsistance.
Q6.
Which of the following statements best explains why the Elizabethan elite were alarmed by the ever-growing urban poor in London? Select the best explanation.
They feared the occasional food riots.
They feared the crime.
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
means the form of entertainment involving hunting, wounding or killing, usually of animals.
Q2.
A is a venue where plays are performed.
Q3.
How much of the year was given over to holy days in Tudor England before it became Protestant?
roughly 1/2
roughly 1/4
Q4.
Which sport did men have to practise on Sundays after church in preparation for war?
football
bear-baiting
Q5.
Choose the concerns that Puritans had with blood sports.
Blood sports were an abuse of animal rights.
Q6.
The name of the first theatre to be built, in 1576, was .
Additional material
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