I am researching information on Scotland and England in the late 1500's very early 1600's. I really would like information in regards to dress styles, lifestyle, social convention, language, literature, in depth information into the education system ect. Would anyone happen to have any websites that could help me?
have you googled? after you do that and study the reference works on the period/places, i suggest you read novels and see movies that are set in those locales in that time frame, to get a vivid picture of the people and customs...
spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk is a brilliant site for research into all aspects of history. You may find some info on there.
There is a wonderful series of books titled the Greenwood Encyclopedia of Daily Life. In the series there are many books that focus on 15th & 16th century England. Many can be found at your local library and at Amazon.
I can recommend Ian Mortimer's The Time Traveller's Guide to Elizabethan England as an excellent source of the kind of material you're looking for, at least for England. Here's what the Amazon site says about it: We think of Queen Elizabeth I's reign (1558-1603) as a golden age. But what was it actually like to live in Elizabethan England? If you could travel to the past and walk the streets of London in the 1590s, where would you stay? What would you eat? What would you wear? Would you really have a sense of it being a glorious age? And if so, how would that glory sit alongside the vagrants, diseases, violence, sexism and famine of the time? In this book Ian Mortimer reveals a country in which life expectancy is in the early thirties, people still starve to death and Catholics are persecuted for their faith. Yet it produces some of the finest writing in the English language, some of the most magnificent architecture, and sees Elizabeth's subjects settle in America and circumnavigate the globe. Welcome to a country that is, in all its contradictions, the very crucible of the modern world.
It's a very well-covered period of English/Scottish history, particularly with the union of the two with the inauguration of James I. Since most of the period you suggested falls under Elizabethan rule, you might want to focus on that and then the way that that culture slipped into Puritanism and the impact that changing to Stuart rule had on that? I only really know a bit about common life in that period, and mostly just about the London area, but like I said it's hugely well covered and well researched. I'd say focus on finding books focusing on the late Elizabethan rule and/or early Stuart rule, as there's not much use trawling through a book about Elizabeth's entire reign if you're only focusing on the end, (I forget exactly when Mary I died, but it's around 1558/9, so Elizabeth was queen a long time before your period, meaning there were probably large cultural changes during that time and you'd be best not to base it off information about the era as a whole). Best of luck to you
It always amazes me how people would rather ask for broad descriptions here rather than researching themselves, for me it's probably the most enjoyable part of writing. Monsieurs Wiki and Google should be your best friends!
There was also a recent short three part TV series based on the same book. On BBC Two or Four, I believe, and currently being repeated at 5am in the morning on BBC2 as part of their learning zone. Not sure about international availability, probably unlikely - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b036rw5q/episodes/guide
I know it's a bit naff to recommend him, but the Scottish historical novelist Nigel Tranter was deeply steeped in all the traditions and lifestyle of historical figures and times in Scotland. I'm not sure exactly which of his books cover the periods you're looking for, but I'd also recommend him, to give you the differences between Scotland and England. His books reflect his own point of view regarding history (as would anyone's) and his characters tend to be a bit same-y, but his historical detail is pretty much flawless, so he's a good overall source, too. Interesting 'aside' regarding Tranter. He wrote before the days of computers, for the most part ...and he wrote (literally) while walking. He composed his books in a notebook that he carried with him, and he went for long walks along the beach near his home, stopping every so often to scribble down his novels. When he got back home he would dictate what he'd written to his secretary, who would then type them up!
You'd probably have to be a lil bit more specific. In addition to interwebz, you can hit the library, visit a museum... Sometimes I find internet research so boring, it's just refreshing to seek the information elsewhere. I personally perceive Wikipedia as a know-it-all mademoiselle.
guess no one's noticed that poster was asking for info back in 2012 and hasn't been heard from since, so it's not likely any of the advice offered lately will get to its intended helpee...
