Youth
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Notes in order of appearance on this page
30. Sharpe, p. 216, 62
15. Estabrook, p. 110-113
8. Clark, p. 17
27. Middleton, Act 1, Scene 2
WORK: APPRENTICESHIP
Congratulations! You have taken the very responsible next step in your path towards adulthood. Starting at about the age of 14 or 15 and lasting from five to seven years, apprenticeships can supply you not only with life skills in a trade but also with the connections and networking to move up in social class (30) (15). In the time period of early modern England, there was very little interaction between apprentices in the city and those in the country, yet the labor in the two different areas did not vary as much as you might think (15). The biggest difference for you will arise not in where your apprenticeship is located, but instead where you call home.
Although there may not have been much difference between the types of apprenticeships in the country versus those in the city, there were still significant discrepancies to be seen between the two worlds, especially in the . For instance, youth from the country were often tricked into working in undesirable maritime services when they entered into apprenticeships in the city and were generally not treated as well as youths who originated in the city (15). If you were an apprentice in the city (and hailing from the city) and you became ill, you would probably be granted a holiday or some sort of recuperation period (15). If you came from the country, however, you might lose your apprenticeship and go home to recuperate (15).
Poorer youth from the country had less liberty in choosing an apprenticeship and were thus placed into unfavorable positions if they entered into the city for training (15). If you were a poor youth from the city, you were less likely to change your geographical location when entering an apprenticeship than a poor youth from the country would be because there was less room for upward social mobility in the country (15). Poor village children whose families were struggling to support them could be taken out of their households by the parish and "'apprenticed' within the parish to other households more capable of supporting them or of teaching them to be self-sufficient" so as not to create a dependence on the charity of the church community (15). If you were in this situation, chances are you would end up in a city such as Bristol, with one of the undesirable apprenticeships mentioned earlier (15).
As an apprentice, you are still in the process of establishing yourself in society. You do not yet play a key role and have not entered into the adult world because you are still accumulating wealth and have not yet had the experience of running a business. Even when you leave the apprenticeship at the age of around 24, you are not immediately recognized as an adult (8). In fact, one of the greatest defining factors in a youth's transition into adulthood was not the act of working, as it might be considered today, but rather his or her marriage (8). If you were still simply an apprentice, you did not play a great role in society. This idea is reflected in the literature of the time period, giving apprentices small, rather flat roles. Take for example, the following scene from Thomas Middleton's A Chaste Maid in Cheapside, in which Allwit and Sir Walter Whorehound agonize over what to do with the children, Wat and Nick (27).
Wat. [ To Allwit] God-den, father.
Allw. Ha, villain, peace!
Nick. God-den, father.
Allw. Peace, bastard!
[Aside] Should he hear 'em! [Aloud] These are two foolish children,
They do not know the gentlemen that sits there.
Sir Walt. O, Wat! How dost, Nick? Go to school, ply your books, boys, ha?
Allw. [Aside to boys] Where's your legs, whoresons? [Aside] They
should kneel indeed,
If they could say their prayers.
Sir Walt. [Aside] Let me see, stay;
How shall I dispose of these two brats now
When I am married? For they must not mingle
Amongst my children that I get in wedlock;
'Twill make foul work, that, and raise many storms.
I'll bind Wat prentice to a goldsmith,-
My father Yellowhammer, as fit as can be!
Nick with some vinter; good, goldsmith and vinter;
There will be win in bowls, i' faith (27).
This scene effectively illustrates the attitude toward apprenticeships as a way to get rid of children who were becoming a hassle around the house. It also serves to demonstrate the placement of youth with friends or relatives as an easy way to enter into an apprenticeship, as Sir Walter Whorehound is going to send Wat to be an apprentice with his father, Yellowhammer, in the city. Nick, on the other hand, will be sent off into the country to learn the art of wine-making. There is hardly any mention of Wat or Nick interacting with the other members of the household and it is unclear if their isolation is due to their status as bastard children or if it is because children in general were not paid much attention. Whichever reason, their insignificant role in the space of the household calls attention to the fact that, far from being the center of attention, as is common in households today, the children are pushed aside and ignored until they are of some practical use to the family (as in when they begin work).
The completion of a city apprenticeship, like Wat’s, brings with it instruction in a formal occupation and the status of a burgess (15). If you, like Wat, were a boy apprenticing in the city, you might go to live with a goldsmith or woodworker in an urban area such as Bristol (15). If you were a girl, however, it was very unlikely that you would be apprenticed to a skilled trade in the city (15). Instead, you might enter into a 'housewifery' apprenticeship under the instruction of a widower or bachelor (15). Ideally, this training would prepare you for marriage and you should pay attention to what you are learning if you want to move up socially, since marriage was the main way that women could move up in society (30).
Whatever and wherever your apprenticeship may be, it is strongly advised that you take it seriously. This is your one big chance to do something with your life and it is time to buckle down and get to work.