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What was life really like for the poor in the countryside of Elizabethan England?

The historian, Ian Mortimer, journeys back in time to find out what life was really like for the rural poor in Elizabethan England. He discovers that for many Elizabethans living in the countryside life could be very harsh. Ian visits a reconstructed Elizabethan thatched cottage to experience the living conditions for himself. Inside it is very basic and its inhabitants would have had few possessions. Society was strictly divided by class and these people were among the poorest. They would have earned a meagre living by labouring on nearby farms and without growing some of their own food and making their own clothes, life would have been a real struggle for survival.

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Duration:

9 minutes