The Life of French Peasants in the 17th Century (Part 1)

The structure of a 17th-century peasant house depended on financial circumstances, geographical conditions, soil type, climate, and local traditions. Houses were built from stone or adobe, with simple wooden frameworks and roofs made of thatch or straw. They typically had one square or rectangular room, with a stable at the end of the house. Inside, people walked barefoot, only putting on wooden clogs when going outside. The dirt floor, compacted with straw, often became soggy from rain or moisture seeping through the walls. The hearth was the heart of the house, providing warmth. Wind, rain, poultry, and crawling creatures freely entered and exited the home. Aside from the cold, the main threat was frequent fires. Huts burned down quickly, wells and springs were far away, and there was usually only one wooden bucket for carrying water. Stone houses and cave dwellings were not subject to this danger.

Most houses had enclosed yards, often with a small manure pile whose valuable runoff was sometimes allowed to flow, occasionally towards the well. These yards also housed a few poultry and buildings for tools, animals, and firewood. Not every household had a well; springs, bakehouses, and sometimes wells were shared or belonged to the landlord. Almost every home had a garden. After the man tilled the soil, the woman took over, planting cabbage, radishes, beans, and occasionally half-wild fruit trees.

The house was the center of life: it was where people ate, slept, made love in winter, were born, and died. Furniture typically included one or two beds, a table, one or two benches, a few low three-legged stools, and one or two chests—nothing more. Beds were made from wooden planks of varying fit, with mattresses made from coarse fabric or stuffed with straw. Sheets were not always used and were reserved for major holidays or as shrouds. Blankets, however, were always in use, sometimes several. Beds were often shared, along with warmth, fleas, and sweat. If there were two beds, one belonged to the children, though cradles were rare.

One chest held foodstuffs such as wheat, flour, salt, and bacon. The other stored hempen sheets, and occasionally tablecloths and napkins, as well as two or three black or gray skirts, an equal number of blouses, a few hemp shirts, but no underwear. Frequently worn clothes—coats, aprons, work garments—hung on nails, heavily worn, never washed, and passed down through generations.

Cooking was done in the kitchen's oven. There were a few utensils, such as pots, mugs—mostly made of clay and sometimes cast iron—wooden plates, cups, bowls, wooden spoons, and a few named knives. Dishwashing was done in a large patched-up barrel. Weapons were also present in the house, such as knives, straightened scythes, muskets, and rifles. Rural life of the era was far from idyllic.

Pierre Goubert "La vie quotidienne des paysaus francais an 17. siécle, 1982, ford. Pőcz Erzsébet