Level 3 History (90658) 2011 Assessment Schedule

NCEA Level 3 History (90658) 2011 — page 2 of 35

Assessment Schedule – 2011

History: Examine a significant historical situation in the context of change, in an essay (90658)

Evidence Statement

Content Guidelines

Topic One: Early Modern England 1558–1667

Topic One: Essay (a)

Describe the traditional roles of women in early modern English society between 1558 and 1667.

Evaluate the extent to which periods of crisis influenced the lives of women and brought changes to their roles.

The candidate’s response to the first part of the essay question could include:

·  England was a patriarchal, hierarchical society, with the secondary role of women reinforced by church, state and family. Women were expected to be obedient, submissive and conforming. They were generally denied a formal education and were limited in roles they could take up outside the home. In times of major upheaval these roles could change, but women were expected to conform again once the upheaval was over.

·  Women’s inferior role was reinforced by religious beliefs. Eve was created after Adam, and from part of his body. Eve had sinned first and tempted Adam to join her in eating the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden. The scriptures also were seen to prohibit women from speaking in Church.

·  Some medical writers considered women to be deformed males — at conception, all foetuses were male, but in approximately half something 'went wrong' and they were born female. Women were seen to be physically weaker and with smaller brains. The emotional changes associated with women's menstrual cycles and their menopause, made them unfit for any role needing reasoned thought and unclouded judgement, such as managing an estate or business.

·  Medieval society placed great value on fighting skills and the physical strength to perform heavy agricultural work. Society placed on women the main burden of caring for home and children – roles that did not require very much education, nor give them experience of the male-dominated world.

·  The legal position of women was similar to that of children. They were meant to be either in the care and protection of their father or husband. Local authorities could compel any women between the ages of 14 and 40 who were alone to go into service under the authority of a male householder. However, an unmarried woman, or feme sole, had far more legal rights than her married sister, a feme covert. A girl was able to give legal consent to marriage at 12, compared with 14 for a boy.

·  The doctrine of coverture stated that 'Man and wife were one person, and that person was the husband'. The wife had few rights over her body in relation to her husband. Wife beating was legal, although society generally disapproved of it. Prosecution for marital rape was legally impossible. Married women could not make contracts except for the supply of personal food and clothing. Her earnings belonged to her husband and she could neither sue nor be sued in a civil action. Any dowry or personal property she inherited became her husband's unless there were special provisions in the will. There were some exceptions to coverture, especially in the trading rights women enjoyed in some cities. In London, especially, local custom allowed all women to trade as femes sole. Despite the common-law principal of coverture, the law courts did, in practice, allow married women some property rights. A married woman had the right to be maintained by her husband during his lifetime. If she outlived him she was entitled to a jointure – one-third of his estate if she had children, one-half if she did not.

·  Women did not have full rights of citizenship. Women could not vote in parliamentary elections, could not sit in the House of Parliament, and could not be jurors, sheriffs or coroners. Women were occasionally appointed to minor offices such as parish constable, but they probably exercised the functions by deputy.

·  Women usually became involved in public duties only when the traditionally female and male spheres came in contact. In witchcraft cases a 'jury of matrons' examined women's bodies for 'witch marks', and they judged whether women sentenced to death were pregnant.

·  Women were employed in public institutions performing work, which was an extension of their domestic skills, eg Queen's Wardrobe Mistresses, warders for female prisoners, charitable institutions – which cared for children and the elderly, and as nurses in hospitals.

·  Women were ineligible to hold office in the Church. However, some Interregnum sects such as the Quakers did allow women to preach. Women were still often very important in the religious life of their parish community. They were particularly important in ensuring the survival of Catholicism.

·  While male-dominated, the economy was less exclusively male. Men owned most property, managed most farms and businesses, performed most of the skilled labour. The role of most women was subordinate. There were, however, exceptions: Widows often continued their late husbands' businesses. Some livery companies allowed widows to take over their husbands' memberships and even to train apprentices. Women sometimes ran their own businesses, especially those which adapted women's traditional household skills such as in the food and hospitality industries, laundries, schools. They also acted as nurses and midwives. In the sixteenth century some women were licensed as surgeons.

The candidate’s response to the second part of the essay question could include:

·  Crisis Situations such as poor harvests caused economic disruption as well as starvation in the 1590s, 1620s and 1648 – 52. Attempts to find jobs and food caused considerable internal migration. Epidemic disease such as the plague, influenza and smallpox often followed bad harvests. Diseases caused instability for families, disrupted the economy and caused unintended mobility if the family attempted to run away from the disease. During these times women frequently lost their husbands or fathers, and were forced to assume more masculine roles for a short period of time in order to survive. In 1630 – 31, women staged public protests at the high prices demanded for grain.

·  Patricia Crawford claims that the Civil War intensified the existing problems and risks faced by women and families. The Civil War led to the deaths of approximately 10% of the adult male population of England, probably more in Scotland and Ireland. It separated husbands and wives, postponed marriages and reduced the birth rate. Families suffered economically from the absence of men needed to run the farm or business, high taxation, compulsory billeting of soldiers and disruptions to trade. With the absence of so many men, women assumed many tasks usually performed by men; however, this role in farms and businesses was usually an extension of the situation, which arose when the man was away, or the woman was left a widow.

·  Women were involved in looking after sick and wounded soldiers, preparing food, and as prostitutes during the war. Some women became involved in the fighting, usually in defence of their homes. Ladies on both sides organised the defence of castles (eg the Duchess of Portland and Lady Brilliana Harley). When Lady Bankes' house was attacked, her chambermaids joined her in throwing stones and hot embers on the heads of the attackers. Women also acted as fire wardens in several sieges and assisted in building earthworks or demolishing those of the enemy. A few women disguised themselves as men and fought. Some women acted as spies (eg Jane Whorwood, who carried money and information through enemy lines to the king).

·  Women were affected emotionally by worry and grief and by divided families eg for Susan, Countess of Denbigh, her husband, William, fought for the King at Edgehill, while her eldest son, Basil, Lord Fielding, was on the other side.

·  Women whose husbands were away were exposed to sexual temptation or to rape. Women were casualties in sieges; like men, they contracted diseases transmitted by mobile soldiers; they were forced to travel even when pregnant and suffered deprivation when war disrupted the economy. Wives of lower-class soldiers and sailors suffered financially as their husband's pay was low and erratic.

·  The Civil War increased the political activity of women. In 1640 women attempted to vote in the Worcestershire and Suffolk election. Women petitioned Parliament in support of the Levellers and of the Independent Churches. Women appeared before Parliamentary committees pleading for the return of their royalist husband's estates. Women frequently favoured peace initiatives and often joined radical sects.

During the Interregnum the Levellers included many women. Women preached in some of the radical sects and were particularly influential among the Quakers. After the Restoration though there was a return to 'normality' in gender roles and relationships. Women’s activities during the Interregnum generally resulted in more male disapproval than admiration.

Topic One: Essay (b)

Describe the main features of popular beliefs that were held by people in England between 1558 and 1667. Evaluate the extent of the influence of popular beliefs on the lives of people during this period.

The candidate’s response to the first part of the essay question could include:

·  Popular beliefs arose from a traditional oral culture based primarily on early pagan superstitions generated from a fear of natural and spiritual forces.

·  Popular beliefs in early modern England, however, contained an amalgam of aspects of Christianity with traditional pagan beliefs in magic, fortune telling, astrology, prophesy, witchcraft, and spirit beings.

·  Popular beliefs were concerned more with the daily affairs of life, and the dangers and misfortunes of life than with salvation after death. A supernatural world was believed to exist alongside the natural everyday world and in almost everything there was a supernatural / spiritual explanation.

·  There were blurred margins between traditional pagan (goblins, fairies, witches, sorcerers, vampires, and werewolves) and Christian (demons and angels) spiritual worlds.

·  Magic and folklore took various forms (tokens, charms or flowers, divining rods, magic words, the power of healers and cunning men). King Charles II revived the Royal touch to ward off the “King’s Evil” – scrofula. Forms of magic were widely used and never really diminished in this period.

·  Astrology and horoscope readings were seen as compatible with Christianity, because God ruled the heavens, so stars and planets were his agents. Astrologers were consulted about important decisions because they were believed to be able to give some guidance about the future. Leading practitioners, like John Dee, advised the monarch. Astrological almanacs giving information about the luck associated with particular activities and days were very popular.

·  Black witchcraft involved the surrender of one’s soul to the devil in return for certain powers and was most often associated with poorer women. Charges of maleficium (the causing of harm using invisible powers) were most common. Witches were popularly believed to have familiars (animals who did their bidding) that they suckled. White witches or cunning folk were usually men, who used magic or good spiritual powers to combat black witchcraft. Acts against witchcraft, making it a capital offence, were passed in 1563 and 1604.

·  Belief in superstition, magic and witchcraft is considered to have declined during the period through the trickle-down effect of education, literacy, science and social controls. There was a continual war on religious rituals and festivity until at the end of the period separation was drawn between church and communal festivities. Magistrates began to express disbelief in black witchcraft, so it was increasingly difficult to get convictions.