In stuart times, How many people would there be to a table?

Question

If they ate at a table, would it be just two of them, the whole family or separate for adults and kids?

Answer 1

In poor families, everyone would eat together, at the table if they had one. Saying that, if they were really poor, the father, or main earner in the house, would be fed first, with the best of the food, the remainder of the food would go to the mother and any other elder relatives if there were any, then the children in descending order, often the children went hungry, but accepted that those bringing money into the household, often that included the children, needed to eat to keep their strength and keep earning.

In rich families, the elders of the households would eat together, sometimes just two, often entertaining guests. The children would eat together in the nursery, sometimes supervised by the nanny or governess or sometimes eating with them, but not with their parents. Even if the parents were dining just the two of them, they would be waited on by staff and the food would be prepared by chefs.

In middle class families, they were far more likely to eat together as a family, though sometimes the children might be fed first and the parents eat later.