England 1620 Living Conditions

The majority of people living in England in the 1620's were very poor. The monarch, Queen Elizabeth I and James I, wanted to maintain the Church of England as the only permissible religion. Anyone suspected of religious deviance was imprisoned, threatened, fined, sometimes tortured and even hanged. Therefore, the ones who came over sought to escape religious persecution and wanted to worship in the manner they believed to be the "proper Christian way." Children were put to work by the time they were age 6 or 7. They were expected to do as they're told. Complete and unquestioning obedience was the rule. Sunday was a day of rest and religion. Church services began at 8 in the morning and lasted until noon. Services resumed around 2 p.m. and continued until 5 p.m. or 6p.m.