Belief
Religion played a central role in the lives of early modern people. Yet the nature and experience of belief differed widely. Individuals found their own place within the spectrum of identities that emerged during this period of religious reform. Performance of Protestant piety was a sign of commitment to the official faith and contributed towards individual and household reputation—and thereby to middling status. Even what might seem small details—like where an individual or family sat in church—vividly expressed community hierarchies. Rivalries could erupt in heated disputes over such seating. Individuals could also gain themselves greater community status by acting in a formal capacity in the administration of the parish, such as a parish clerk or churchwarden.
The Protestant religion placed considerable emphasis on religious duties within the home. Such duties could include bible reading and family prayer. Masters of households were expected to teach their wives, children and servants the key tenets of Protestant faith. This involved forms of literacy beyond reading religious texts: images from the Bible, for instance, were commonplace on household walls and objects. This period also saw the rise of polemical print attacking the Roman Catholic church, which was produced and consumed by middling audiences.
At the same time, official Christianity intersected with a range of folkloric beliefs. In these traditions, magic and supernatural entities co-existed with trust in God’s overarching judgement. The practice of astrology was central to medical practice, for instance, as well as understanding a person’s character and prospects.
Belief - Showing 7 out of 66 exhibition objects
![This is one of the cases treated by Simon Forman (1552-1611), a middling man who became a physician and astrologer. Originally from Salisbury, he was educated at the local grammar school and then became an apprentice hosier and grocer, keeping up his studies after hours. Later, he attended the University of Oxford, whilst also working as a servant. He then taught at various schools, worked as a carpenter, studied astronomy and even spent time in prison (for possessing magic books). Forman is, however, remembered for his life as a physician because he kept notebooks known as 'casebooks.' They detailed his patients, their ailments and their treatments.<br />
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Here, a particular case recorded in the top left-hand corner, dated 9am Sunday 28 July 1599, is an ‘horary’ consultation (where a chart is drawn up for the exact time a question is posed). Here the patient asked: whether the fleet of Spain or Any enemy will come Against England this year or no[t] before all hallow tide next. This reflects a widespread concern with international politics and the particular threat from Roman Catholic forces a decade after the Spanish Armada had been deflected.](https://www.cloudtour.tv/middling-culture/images/items/thumbs/15.jpg)
