Gender and Class Roles
An audio version of this text can be found here.
There were many different characteristics which gave people of 1645 personal and social power and one of those was gender. Although men were accused and executed for witchcraft, targets were more often women, especially those who didn't have male family members.
The Discovery of Witches aims to explore what the division of gender meant to society of the time, and how it intersected with class. Male and female characters will have played different roles within society, with class being a significant factor in how different those roles are.
We encourage players to think about what experience they want during the larp, and to choose their character gender accordingly. To make it easier for players to feel comfortable with playing a different gender from their own, there will be no costume requirements. Participants will be given head coverings to denote the gender and status of their character. We will also provide name badges for the characters that include pronouns.
The experience of the larp will vary, depending on the character's social class and gender.
Upper class (male): The upper-class male characters may own land; or may be clergymen, who are outsiders to the village, but responsible for the spiritual welfare of the people of the parish. The understanding that these characters have of politics and religion is likely to be sophisticated, and they will wield a great deal of personal power. These characters will have some responsibility to create play for others. Possible areas of play for these characters include: external pressure to keep the village appearing respectable, political alliances, and responsibility for the other villagers.
Upper class (female): The female upper-class characters are likely to be educated, and to have an understanding of politics and religion. They will be responsible for servants within the household, and will be required to appear dutiful to their family. They have some power within the village, even if they don't wield it directly. They wouldn't consider marrying for love: marriages within upper-class families were generally focused on political alliances. In upper-class families there is the greatest division between male and female roles. Areas of play for these characters include: reconciling differing political and religious affiliations to those of their husband or father, deciding whether to protect or condemn household servants during the hunt for witches, and exploring the limits of the power they hold.
Middle class (male): These characters are the doctors, lawyers, merchants, and their sons. They won't own land, but will be reasonably wealthy and be generally respected within the village. They may marry for love or for convenience, and will be less directly politically involved: although they may have fought, or known people who have fought, in battles during the civil war. Outwardly their convictions will be Church of England and Parliamentarian, although they may privately have other convictions. Areas of play for these characters include: outward appearance vs personal beliefs, respectability of themselves and their families, looking for marriage, and how carrying out their duties may conflict with their private convictions.
Middle class (female): These characters are generally the wives and daughters and widows of doctors and lawyers who work for the squire, and of merchant families. They would often keep house, possibly with the help of a maid, and raise children. However, they might also be involved in their husbands' businesses – bookkeeping and auditing. Some widows were even known to take over businesses after the death of their husbands. They may have earned some respectability in their own right through the work of healing the villagers and acting as midwives. They may have had loved ones who fought and died in the battles of the civil war. They will have had a basic education and be knowledgeable about the Bible. In this class, women did consider marrying for love, but marriage was also a unique opportunity to gain money or status that your family might not have. This conflict will be one area of play for women in this class. Others will include concerns about children and family, financial concerns, and moral and religious concerns.
Lower class (male): These character will either work for the squire as lower servants, or may be subsistence farmers, or grow food for other people, or beg for food and lodging, or turn to poaching. Generally they were considered at the bottom of society and were in their rightful place. Their struggle was mainly one of survival, They were uneducated, and not necessarily involved in politics although they may have lost people in the battles of the civil war. Lower-class men generally married for love, and this might form part of their play. These characters are less vulnerable than women to being accused of witchcraft, although it was possible: one in ten witches who were hanged were men. Part of the play of these characters may involve the lengths that they are prepared to go to to protect themselves and their families.
Lower class (female): The roles of men and women were more similar in the lower classes than among their superiors. Women would work out of necessity, often being sent into service, probably as a maid for the squire's wife, at a young age in order to provide for the family and to be one less mouth to feed. Older women might take on work as a washerwoman or mender of clothes. They might also work for the squire, raising his children. Raising their own children also fell to women in this role. Women at the bottom of society would be unmarried, with no means of income, reliant on charity. Often people accused of witchcraft were women who were insufficiently grateful for the charity they received. However, all women in this group were the most vulnerable with regards to witchcraft accusations. Part of the play of these characters may involve the lengths that they are prepared to go to to protect themselves and their families. and the lengths they would go to to gain respectability.
"The rich man in his castle,
The poor man at his gate,
God made them high and lowly,
And ordered their estate."
Although Alexander's hymn wasn't written until 1848, it does reflect the views of the time of The Discovery of Witches. Social climbing was practically unheard of, and everyone was in the position that God had ordained for them.
The Discovery of Witches aims to explore what the division of gender meant to society of the time, and how it intersected with class. Male and female characters will have played different roles within society, with class being a significant factor in how different those roles are.
We encourage players to think about what experience they want during the larp, and to choose their character gender accordingly. To make it easier for players to feel comfortable with playing a different gender from their own, there will be no costume requirements. Participants will be given head coverings to denote the gender and status of their character. We will also provide name badges for the characters that include pronouns.
The experience of the larp will vary, depending on the character's social class and gender.
Upper class (male): The upper-class male characters may own land; or may be clergymen, who are outsiders to the village, but responsible for the spiritual welfare of the people of the parish. The understanding that these characters have of politics and religion is likely to be sophisticated, and they will wield a great deal of personal power. These characters will have some responsibility to create play for others. Possible areas of play for these characters include: external pressure to keep the village appearing respectable, political alliances, and responsibility for the other villagers.
Upper class (female): The female upper-class characters are likely to be educated, and to have an understanding of politics and religion. They will be responsible for servants within the household, and will be required to appear dutiful to their family. They have some power within the village, even if they don't wield it directly. They wouldn't consider marrying for love: marriages within upper-class families were generally focused on political alliances. In upper-class families there is the greatest division between male and female roles. Areas of play for these characters include: reconciling differing political and religious affiliations to those of their husband or father, deciding whether to protect or condemn household servants during the hunt for witches, and exploring the limits of the power they hold.
Middle class (male): These characters are the doctors, lawyers, merchants, and their sons. They won't own land, but will be reasonably wealthy and be generally respected within the village. They may marry for love or for convenience, and will be less directly politically involved: although they may have fought, or known people who have fought, in battles during the civil war. Outwardly their convictions will be Church of England and Parliamentarian, although they may privately have other convictions. Areas of play for these characters include: outward appearance vs personal beliefs, respectability of themselves and their families, looking for marriage, and how carrying out their duties may conflict with their private convictions.
Middle class (female): These characters are generally the wives and daughters and widows of doctors and lawyers who work for the squire, and of merchant families. They would often keep house, possibly with the help of a maid, and raise children. However, they might also be involved in their husbands' businesses – bookkeeping and auditing. Some widows were even known to take over businesses after the death of their husbands. They may have earned some respectability in their own right through the work of healing the villagers and acting as midwives. They may have had loved ones who fought and died in the battles of the civil war. They will have had a basic education and be knowledgeable about the Bible. In this class, women did consider marrying for love, but marriage was also a unique opportunity to gain money or status that your family might not have. This conflict will be one area of play for women in this class. Others will include concerns about children and family, financial concerns, and moral and religious concerns.
Lower class (male): These character will either work for the squire as lower servants, or may be subsistence farmers, or grow food for other people, or beg for food and lodging, or turn to poaching. Generally they were considered at the bottom of society and were in their rightful place. Their struggle was mainly one of survival, They were uneducated, and not necessarily involved in politics although they may have lost people in the battles of the civil war. Lower-class men generally married for love, and this might form part of their play. These characters are less vulnerable than women to being accused of witchcraft, although it was possible: one in ten witches who were hanged were men. Part of the play of these characters may involve the lengths that they are prepared to go to to protect themselves and their families.
Lower class (female): The roles of men and women were more similar in the lower classes than among their superiors. Women would work out of necessity, often being sent into service, probably as a maid for the squire's wife, at a young age in order to provide for the family and to be one less mouth to feed. Older women might take on work as a washerwoman or mender of clothes. They might also work for the squire, raising his children. Raising their own children also fell to women in this role. Women at the bottom of society would be unmarried, with no means of income, reliant on charity. Often people accused of witchcraft were women who were insufficiently grateful for the charity they received. However, all women in this group were the most vulnerable with regards to witchcraft accusations. Part of the play of these characters may involve the lengths that they are prepared to go to to protect themselves and their families. and the lengths they would go to to gain respectability.
"The rich man in his castle,
The poor man at his gate,
God made them high and lowly,
And ordered their estate."
Although Alexander's hymn wasn't written until 1848, it does reflect the views of the time of The Discovery of Witches. Social climbing was practically unheard of, and everyone was in the position that God had ordained for them.