BOOK
The Time Traveller’s Guide to
Elizabethan England by Ian Mortimer
(The Bodley Head, 2012)DISCOVER MOREDr Ian Mortimer is the author of 12 books
and many articles on English history. He also
writes fiction, publishing three of his novels
under the name James ForresterYou have to watch
what you say and
do in public – and
even when among
the servants in
your own home
Elizabethan people experience every
day, dark shadows appear in the
golden glow.
You might say that that makes the
great achievements all the more
remarkable. But you might also
conclude that, when we look at our-
selves in the mirror of the past, we see
many different aspects of humanity,
and have a different insight into what
we really are.reputation, be humiliated in front of
the community, and may find yourself
shunned thereafter.
People might report you simply out of
env y or malice. This is especially the case
with witchcraft: if someone’s child dies and
that person has a grudge against you, he
or she might blame the death on your
necromancy, especially if you are a woman.
Such accusations can end up with you on
the gallows, swinging with a rope round
your neck. It does not matter that witch-
craft is mere superstition; people are still
terrified of it – as they are terrified of death,
invasion and harvest failure. What is more,
the law is on their side. After 1563, witch-
craft is officially recognised as a means of
killing people.
All in all, the late 16th century might
be a golden age of literature, exploration,
scientific discovery and architecture – but,
when you consider the sensations thattrouble you just as much as the lack of food
and the prospect of dying from a fatal
disease. If someone sees a person of the
opposite sex enter your house after dark,
they might report you to the authorities,
suspicious that you are committing
adultery. Then it is down to you to provide
compurgators to prove your innocence.
If you do not, you will lose your good
A beggar is whipped
through the streets in
this c1567 woodcut