Syllabus Edition
First teaching 2024
First exams 2026
Leisure in Elizabethan England (Edexcel GCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Natasha Smith
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
What did Elizabethans Do in Their Free Time? - Summary
Elizabethans worked longer hours than modern workers. They had less free time for hobbies and pastimes than we do today. Elizabethans still enjoyed sports, literature, music, the theatre and dancing. Similar to their education system, Elizabethan leisure activities depended upon a person's gender and social status. The nobility had more time and wealth to pursue a wider variety of arts and sports. Some sports were too violent for most social classes. Women could not participate in some sporting activities. Elizabethan exploration and religious changes fuelled new thinking in the fields of science, theology, philosophy and the arts. In particular, this impacted Elizabethan theatres and literature. The theatre was incredibly popular among all classes in Elizabethan England. Elizabeth used this popularity to spread important messages to her subjects. |
Sport for the Nobility in Elizabethan England
The nobility enjoyed a number of different sporting activities
Private tuition and grammar schools taught the majority of the skills needed to participate in upper-class sports
Some sports were exclusive to noblemen
Types of sports played by the Elizabethan nobility
Sport | Were men allowed to participate? | Were women allowed to participate? |
|---|---|---|
Hunting - To hunt animals on horseback with the use of hounds | Yes | Yes |
Hawking - To hunt animals using a trained hawk | Yes | Yes |
Fishing | Yes | Yes |
Fencing | Yes | No |
Real Tennis - An early form of tennis with elements of modern-day squash. Participants played the game indoors and players could bounce the ball off the walls | Yes | No |
Wrestling | Yes (in private) | No |
Swimming | Yes | No (not in public) |
Examiner Tips and Tricks
In Elizabethan times, society expected women to be feminine and modest. You may have noticed in the table above that the majority of activities women were not allowed to participate in relied upon physical strength. Society would not see noble Elizabethan women as strong enough to play these sports. It also went against their education. Private tuition taught higher-class women to attract a wealthy husband. Participating in sports considered 'masculine' would lower a noble girl's chance of finding a husband.
Sport for the Working Class in Elizabethan England
Some sports united both the working and upper classes
Wrestling and swimming were popular sports for all classes of men
Working-class men would wrestle in public matches
The working classes also enjoyed hunting
They would hunt rabbits rather than deer
Elizabethan craftsmen, farmers and labourers played some different sports from the nobility
The main sport that the working classes played was football
The aim of Elizabethan football is the same as the modern-day version - to place the ball in the opponent's goal
There are key differences between the rules of Elizabethan football and football today. For example, the pitch in Elizabethan football was much larger
People played the game between villages. This meant the pitch could be miles in length
There was no punishment for:
Picking up the football
Attacking another player. It was not uncommon for people to die during football matches
Having a larger number of players on your team than your opponents
Due to this, Elizabethan nobles considered football too dangerous to play
Spectator sports
All classes watched and gambled on the same sports in Elizabethan times
The two key spectator sports were baiting and cock-fighting
Baiting
The sport required a bear or a bull
The owner would file the bear's teeth and then tie the animal to a post
The organisers would release dogs to attack the bear or the bull
Spectators would bet a large amount of money on if the dogs would kill the bear or the bull
Owners wanted the bear to win as they were expensive animals in Elizabethan times
Bulls were less expensive to purchase. Owners allowed bulls to fight to the death with the dogs
Cock-fighting
The sport required two cockerels
These animals are aggressive when they are close to another male cockerel
The owners placed metal spurs on the cockerel's head
The organisers would place the two cockerels together to fight to the death using their spurs or their beaks
Spectators would bet a large amount of money on which cockerel would win
Baiting and cock-fighting were very popular in Elizabethan England
Many towns had specialised arenas for bear-baiting and cock-fighting. People built bull rings for bull-baiting
Queen Elizabeth enjoyed watching both sports
Examiner Tips and Tricks
The British government bans all forms of baiting and animal fighting. Even in Elizabethan times, not all people condoned baiting or cock-fighting. Puritans campaigned for the banning of animal fights. They disagreed with the fights occurring on Sundays. Puritans believed Sunday was the holy day of the week. In addition, they argued that God opposed the sport. In 1583, a bear-baiting arena in the Paris Garden, on the Bankside of London, collapsed and killed several spectators. The Puritans believed this was evidence of God's anger at the sport.
Worked Example
Describe one feature of Elizabethan leisure for men
2 marks
Answers:
One feature of Elizabethan leisure for men was wrestling (1). Both the upper classes and the working classes enjoyed wrestling. The upper classes would wrestle privately whereas the lower classes would wrestle in public matches (1).
Examiner Tips and Tricks
This question focuses on the key features and characteristics of Elizabethan leisure for men. Testing your knowledge and understanding will help you achieve full marks.
This question previously asked students to describe two features of a given event. This question was out of four marks. However, as of 2025, Edexcel will split this question into two subsections, asking you to describe a feature of two different events. Each subsection is worth two marks.
Elizabethan Literature
Elizabethan exploration inspired writers
Explorers published written accounts of their discoveries in the Americas
For example, Sir Walter Raleigh wrote The Discovery of Guiana (1596). It exaggerated what Raleigh had found there
Writers created biographies on famous explorers like Sir Francis Drake
The preservation of the past was also important to Elizabethan writers
History was a popular genre in Elizabethan times
Humanism encouraged the translation of Ancient Greek and Roman texts into English
Medieval works like The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer were widely read among the literate
The Elizabethan upper classes liked creative writing. Poetry was the most popular format
Queen Elizabeth wrote many poems
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Very few people in Elizabethan times could enjoy literature. By 1603, only 30% of all Elizabethan men and 10% of Elizabethan women could read. In an exam question about leisure activities in Elizabethan times, try not to overstate the importance of literature. It was only the pastime of most of the upper classes and some middle-class Elizabethans.
Elizabethan Theatre
Theatre became increasingly popular during Elizabeth's reign
England had no theatres in 1555
Many local authorities blocked the building of theatres because travelling actors impacted law and order
Some wealthier Elizabethans decided to support actors and build theatres to perform their plays
Dudley, Earl of Leicester, gave financial and legal support to actors in London
He owned a theatre company called Leicester's Men in 1559
Elizabeth established The Queen's Men in 1583
Elizabeth did not attend the theatre herself. Theatre companies would perform plays for her in the royal court
From 1567, London allowed the building of theatres
The first purpose-built theatre was the Red Lion in Whitechapel
Other prominent Elizabethan theatres include James Burbage's The Theatre (1576), The Rose (1587) and The Globe (1599)
Features of Elizabethan theatre
The theatre's popularity made it a powerful tool for Elizabeth
She could use the theatre to spread political messages and warn of the dangers of religious conflict
Elizabeth's government introduced censorship of the theatre in 1572
Theatre companies needed the royal licence to operate
A government official read and approved all play scripts in Elizabethan England
Examiner Tips and Tricks
The most famous Elizabethan playwright is William Shakespeare. The use of Shakespeare in your exam answer is problematic. Shakespeare wrote and performed his first play in 1591. This course runs from 1558 to 1588, three years before Shakespeare's first play. Understanding the success of theatre by 1588 explains why Shakespeare's plays were so successful.
Elizabethan Music and Dancing
All classes in Elizabethan England enjoyed music
The increase in the production of plays created new styles of music
Advances in technology allowed improvements in instruments
Music in Elizabethan England
| Upper classes | Lower classes |
|---|---|---|
Musical instruments | Lutes, spinets and harpsichord | Fiddles and bagpipes |
Listening to music | The nobility would pay for male musicians to perform in their households. This happened during meal times, especially for special occasions like feasts | The lower classes would experience music at fairs, markets and on days of public celebration. Local churches and taverns were also a source of music |
Singing | The upper and middle classes could employ singers to perform. They also brought madrigal songbooks to allow themselves and their guests to sing | Elizabethans could purchase books of popular songs so they could perform them. Those who were illiterate would often sing their own words to popular melodies |
All Elizabethans participated in dancing
The upper and lower classes would not dance together
The upper classes would dance in private balls in noble households. The lower classes would dance publicly at fairs
Men and women within the same social class would dance together
Worked Example
Describe one feature of leisure in Elizabethan England
2 marks
Answers:
One feature of leisure in Elizabethan England was the popularity of the theatre (1). Theatres such as the Red Lion and The Rose were constructed between 1558 and 1588. New styles of plays such as comedies created a rapid increase in the popularity of the theatre (1).
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