0:00:04 > 0:00:07Imagine everything that's ever happened.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12The whole of history.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20Imagine you could go to any place at any time
0:00:20 > 0:00:24and see what the people then saw, understand what they thought
0:00:24 > 0:00:26and appreciate what they felt.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31What would that tell you about the human race?
0:00:31 > 0:00:34And how would that make you feel about the world you live in today?
0:00:38 > 0:00:41So much of what we know now goes directly back
0:00:41 > 0:00:44to England's Golden Age, the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49A time when England embraced the whole world.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53It's a period bursting with icons - Shakespeare,
0:00:53 > 0:00:56the Spanish Armada...
0:00:58 > 0:01:00..the Virgin Queen herself.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06Who wouldn't want to travel back in time and see it first hand?
0:01:06 > 0:01:10But if you did, what you would need most would be a visitor's handbook.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Who are these strange people?
0:01:14 > 0:01:17So like us, but also so different.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20What are their rules, their customs and attitudes?
0:01:20 > 0:01:24I have spent years piecing these together so you don't have to.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27Let me plunge you into a world of splendour
0:01:27 > 0:01:32and magnificent achievements but also of uncertainty and doubt,
0:01:32 > 0:01:36where simple survival was an art in itself.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39A world of plague, violence and superstition...
0:01:40 > 0:01:43..but also of beauty and wisdom.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48I'll show you this fascinating period as if it's all around you.
0:01:49 > 0:01:54The sickness and the suffering as well as the power and the glory.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56Because this is Elizabethan England.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17So far your travels through 16th century England
0:02:17 > 0:02:21have shown you what conditions are like at the very bottom of the social ladder.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26It's not a pretty picture.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31Populated by vagrants and criminals, the blind and the infirm,
0:02:31 > 0:02:36this is a world of distress, disease and deprivation.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38Life is undeniably tough.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42It's also often painful and alarmingly short.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54As a time traveller, you might be forgiven for deciding not to return
0:02:54 > 0:02:56to this particular destination.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58That would be a shame, however,
0:02:58 > 0:03:02because Elizabethan England has a great deal more to offer you.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09This time, far from suffering the hardships of poverty,
0:03:09 > 0:03:13you'll share in the luxury and privileges of society's elite.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24Take almost any painting from Elizabethan England and what do you see?
0:03:24 > 0:03:27Royal courtiers dressed in silk and velvet?
0:03:27 > 0:03:30Magnificent jewels and ostentatious ruffs?
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Extravagant feasts and joyous dancing?
0:03:34 > 0:03:38These artworks always depict the lives of the very rich. Why?
0:03:38 > 0:03:42Because only they can afford such luxuries as paintings.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47When you first glance at these faces,
0:03:47 > 0:03:50what you see are expressions of serene confidence,
0:03:50 > 0:03:55borne of a lifetime of privilege, wealth and power.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Look a little deeper into those placid eyes, however,
0:03:57 > 0:04:00and you may begin to see something else.
0:04:01 > 0:04:06Is that doubt? Uncertainty? Do you see...fear?
0:04:09 > 0:04:13These are dangerous days, uncertain times, and it's worth remembering
0:04:13 > 0:04:17that those who have the most also have the most to lose.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24But let's not dwell on such matters for the time being.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27Instead let's focus on the fine things in life that the wealthy enjoy.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29And where better to start
0:04:29 > 0:04:33than at one of the Queen's most magnificent palaces.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47Here, you'll find it's all about keeping up appearances
0:04:47 > 0:04:50and no-one knows this better than the Queen herself.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Previously a favourite of her father, Henry VIII,
0:05:06 > 0:05:08Hampton Court is just one of the 20 palaces
0:05:08 > 0:05:11inherited by the young Queen.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13Of these, she gives seven away,
0:05:13 > 0:05:17and now spends an average of £4,000 per year maintaining the remainder.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21To put things in perspective, at the time of your visit,
0:05:21 > 0:05:25a whole year's labour earns the average worker just five pounds.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31The prime reason for the Queen maintaining
0:05:31 > 0:05:35Hampton Court Palace is for it to be a museum to her father's greatness.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37It is still packed with his possessions,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40which visitors from the continent come to see.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42But bear in mind, if you want to be among their number,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45you'll have to get a letter of introduction.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Since you have no shortage of money,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53securing such an invitation will be relatively easy.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55But to be accepted into this world,
0:05:55 > 0:06:01you must clearly signal your place in the strict hierarchy of Elizabethan society.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07Servants, visitors, royal courtiers.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11Virtually every level of society is represented here.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14You won't have any difficulty telling them apart.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18Everyone's status is denoted by their clothes.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26Exactly what you wear will depend on when you are here.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29Get your dates wrong, even by as little as a year or two,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32and you risk ridicule or rejection.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38Courtiers travelling abroad carry the latest trends
0:06:38 > 0:06:40back from the continent,
0:06:40 > 0:06:43either in person or by sending fashion dolls
0:06:43 > 0:06:45dressed in miniature outfits.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49According to dramatist Thomas Dekker,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52this fuels an eclectic mix of styles.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55"The Englishman's dress is like a traitor's body that has been
0:06:55 > 0:06:58"hanged, drawn and quartered.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00"His codpiece is in Denmark,
0:07:00 > 0:07:04"the collar of his doublet in France, the narrow sleeve in Italy,
0:07:04 > 0:07:08"the short waist hangs over a butcher's stall in Utrecht."
0:07:10 > 0:07:13But if there's no such thing as a "typical" outfit,
0:07:13 > 0:07:16then just where do you start?
0:07:16 > 0:07:18The Queen, just by virtue of being a woman,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21encourages a more feminine look, even for men.
0:07:21 > 0:07:27Gone are the enormous shoulder pads and oversized cod-pieces of Henry VIII's court.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31As for ladies, you must never reveal your bare arms or legs in public.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34That sort of behaviour is quite strictly for the lower classes.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38But when it comes to cleavage, it's quite another matter.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Queen Elizabeth, at the age of 63,
0:07:41 > 0:07:44is happy to display her entire bosom, as the wide-eyed
0:07:44 > 0:07:48and open-mouthed French ambassador Andre Hurault notes in 1597.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Fashions become steadily more lavish as the Queen's reign progresses,
0:08:05 > 0:08:08much to the disapproval of the Puritans.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15One of the harshest critics of these excesses is the writer Philip Stubbes.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19His most famous work, The Anatomy of Abuses,
0:08:19 > 0:08:21is nothing short of 144 pages of ranting
0:08:21 > 0:08:24against the fripperies of his fellow Englishmen.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30"By wearing of apparel more gorgeous, sumptuous
0:08:30 > 0:08:32"and precious than our state,
0:08:32 > 0:08:34"calling or condition of life requireth,
0:08:34 > 0:08:38"we are puffed up into pride and induced to think of ourselves
0:08:38 > 0:08:43"more than we ought, being but vile earth and miserable sinners.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47"Neither the Libertines nor the Epicures,
0:08:47 > 0:08:50"nor yet the vilest Atheists that ever lived
0:08:50 > 0:08:52"exceeded this people in pride."
0:08:58 > 0:09:00For a wealthy traveller like you,
0:09:00 > 0:09:03"gorgeous apparel" is an absolute must,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06and one of the best examples of this is the ruff.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11At the beginning of the Elizabethan period,
0:09:11 > 0:09:14both men and women start showing the collars of their smocks
0:09:14 > 0:09:17and shirts over the tops of their tunics.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20As this becomes the fashion,
0:09:20 > 0:09:24it grows into a separate garment which is easier to wash.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27Starch allows it to grow even bigger,
0:09:27 > 0:09:31until by the 1580s it uses a full six yards of linen
0:09:31 > 0:09:34and requires a circular board to support it.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44If you really want to show off, vibrant colour is another
0:09:44 > 0:09:47very effective way of demonstrating your wealth.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49It is the law that only the aristocracy
0:09:49 > 0:09:54and landed gentry are able to wear certain fabrics such as cloth of gold or cloth of silver,
0:09:54 > 0:09:58red and blue velvet, embroidery and silk.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03To create a bright crimson colour,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06you need cochineal insects from Central America.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08Obtaining a single ounce of purple dye
0:10:08 > 0:10:12requires around 30,000 Mediterranean whelks,
0:10:12 > 0:10:15so dressing flamboyantly certainly doesn't come cheap.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21But a word of caution, in the early part of her reign,
0:10:21 > 0:10:25Elizabeth's dress sense is much more to the Puritans' liking.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29She often wears stark black and white,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32which represent constancy and purity.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35Together these symbolise eternal virginity,
0:10:35 > 0:10:37an image she is keen to project.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40So it might not be a good idea to turn up at court and risk
0:10:40 > 0:10:43upstaging the Queen by wearing a cloak of bright red cochineal.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Fortunately, since you will be in a royal palace,
0:10:49 > 0:10:51you will be able to check how you look in a mirror,
0:10:51 > 0:10:55which until recently has been a rarity almost anywhere else.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59Yet again, however, the Puritan Philip Stubbes strongly disapproves.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14Charming!
0:11:18 > 0:11:22Assuming you remain undeterred by such scathing verbal attacks,
0:11:22 > 0:11:25you will be keen to try out your carefully-chosen outfit to see
0:11:25 > 0:11:29if it makes the correct impression in the presence of royalty.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34But as Hampton Court is not one of the Queen's favourite residences,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37most of the time you will find that she's absent.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43Unless she is staying at one of her other palaces,
0:11:43 > 0:11:45there's a good chance you have arrived
0:11:45 > 0:11:48while the Queen is away on one of her famous Royal Progresses.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52On no fewer than two dozen occasions during her reign,
0:11:52 > 0:11:55the entire royal court packs up and takes to the road.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Tapestries and paintings are removed from the walls and put into storage,
0:12:02 > 0:12:05along with the silverware and other valuables,
0:12:05 > 0:12:08while a core staff keeps the palace clean,
0:12:08 > 0:12:10aired and ready for her return.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20These outings are a major undertaking,
0:12:20 > 0:12:24requiring between 300 and 400 carts and wagons
0:12:24 > 0:12:26and up to 2,400 horses.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30In the words of one court observer:
0:12:30 > 0:12:33"Nothing save war is more disruptive to the orderly
0:12:33 > 0:12:37"well-being of court life than a Royal Progress."
0:12:40 > 0:12:44But progresses form a vital part of Elizabeth's queenship.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47They allow people to see her in the flesh and even to meet her.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50She in turn can become acquainted with her subjects.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54Some of her courtiers are quietly amused by the Queen claiming to be
0:12:54 > 0:12:57personally familiar with thousands of members of the landed gentry.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59But she really does know quite a lot of them,
0:12:59 > 0:13:01largely because of these progresses.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04It's another example of Tudor visual propaganda,
0:13:04 > 0:13:07in which the Queen herself becomes a living portrait.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13She doesn't travel far, however,
0:13:13 > 0:13:17since she only visits parts of the country in which she is popular.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21She won't set foot in the pro-Catholic north, for example.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25But if you wish to catch up with the Royal Progress,
0:13:25 > 0:13:27you will have to think about transport.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31How do the rich and powerful get around?
0:13:37 > 0:13:40Elizabethans are a surprisingly mobile lot,
0:13:40 > 0:13:43and that also applies to the country's many poor people,
0:13:43 > 0:13:47although they rarely travel more than a few miles,
0:13:47 > 0:13:49and almost always on foot.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55As a member of the gentry, you wouldn't dream of travelling
0:13:55 > 0:13:58in such a dangerous, dirty and vulgar way.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00What you want is a set of wheels.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03Coaches have soared in popularity as a result
0:14:03 > 0:14:05of the Protestant Revolution.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08Gentlemen and their families coming back from the continent
0:14:08 > 0:14:11have brought with them the customs of places like Antwerp
0:14:11 > 0:14:14where there are 500 coaches on the streets of the city.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18The greater number of coaches in England means that the price drops,
0:14:18 > 0:14:21allowing even the lower reaches of the gentry to travel in this way.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28In the 1570s, for instance, you can pick up a second-hand coach
0:14:28 > 0:14:32for around eight pounds with a team of four horses
0:14:32 > 0:14:34thrown in for an extra ten pounds.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39For the budget traveller, you can even hire one
0:14:39 > 0:14:42for 16 shillings per day, plus food for the coachman.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46But don't forget to allow for horse-feed, which can easily
0:14:46 > 0:14:49cost more than meals for yourself and your servants.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53Compared to a simple cart or horse,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56four-wheeled coaches offer relative luxury and comfort.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00This makes them popular among ladies wishing to take advantage
0:15:00 > 0:15:03of the privacy in which to exchange gossip,
0:15:03 > 0:15:07or indeed "gentlemen" wishing to take advantage of ladies.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12If you wish to be seen as a real gentleman however,
0:15:12 > 0:15:15you should leave this rather effeminate form of transport
0:15:15 > 0:15:18to the fair sex, and ride alongside on your horse.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30Of course, the ability of coaches to offer greater comfort and speed
0:15:30 > 0:15:35is hugely dependent on one thing, the state of England's roads.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39These roads were intended for feet and hooves,
0:15:39 > 0:15:42not thousands of iron-rimmed wooden wheels.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45The clergyman William Harrison puts his finger on the problem
0:15:45 > 0:15:48in his celebrated Description of England.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01Surprisingly, another potential obstacle
0:16:01 > 0:16:04for your coach and horses is the bridge.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10Many are wooden and in a poor state of repair.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14One look at some of them and you might fear you are taking your life in your hands.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19But even a sturdy and well-maintained stone bridge
0:16:19 > 0:16:22can still mean the end of the road for your coach trip.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26Some bridges, particularly those in rural areas,
0:16:26 > 0:16:28are as narrow as four foot, which is fine
0:16:28 > 0:16:31if you're just riding a horse or driving a flock of sheep to market.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34But if you're travelling by coach it's quite another matter,
0:16:34 > 0:16:37especially if your coachman has tethered his horses in pairs
0:16:37 > 0:16:40as opposed to the old method of all in a line.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46As a coach traveller, however, you face another hazard
0:16:46 > 0:16:49far more sinister than any muddy road or wonky bridge.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53The highwayman.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00If the word "highwayman" conjures up images
0:17:00 > 0:17:04of 18th century scoundrels like Dick Turpin, think again.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09Between 1567 and 1602 in Essex alone,
0:17:09 > 0:17:13there are 60 court cases relating to the theft of over £1,000 worth
0:17:13 > 0:17:16of money and jewellery, all of it stolen on the highways.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19And just like their 18th century counterparts,
0:17:19 > 0:17:23these highway robbers are often much more than common thieves.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28Take, for example, the notorious Gamaliel Ratsey,
0:17:28 > 0:17:32son of a Lincolnshire gentleman and something of a Robin Hood figure.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36He sports a grotesque mask, is generous to the poor,
0:17:36 > 0:17:38and has a wicked sense of humour.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42Not content with removing your possessions,
0:17:42 > 0:17:44he may well steal your dignity as well.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47He has been known to lecture a troupe of actors on their art
0:17:47 > 0:17:49while taking their valuables.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52If you are a Cambridge scholar, he might force you to recite
0:17:52 > 0:17:54a piece of classical literature during your ordeal.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56On another occasion,
0:17:56 > 0:17:59having robbed two wealthy wool merchants near Stamford,
0:17:59 > 0:18:04he mockingly knights them "Sir Walter Woolsack" and "Sir Samuel Sheepskin".
0:18:04 > 0:18:10If you do have the misfortune to run into the likes of Ratsey or his cohorts, what can you expect?
0:18:12 > 0:18:14You'll probably hear them before you see them
0:18:14 > 0:18:17as they communicate using owl noises.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20When you do see a group of armed ruffians ahead of you,
0:18:20 > 0:18:23you'll turn to find another group cutting off your retreat.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25When they rob you, they won't just take your money.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28They'll take your clothes and horses, too.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30Some robbers will kill you on the spot,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33but Ratsey's gang will normally tie you up in the forest
0:18:33 > 0:18:36in such a way that you can work yourself loose after an hour or so.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38Then you can make your way to the nearest inn or town...
0:18:38 > 0:18:40in your underclothes.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Even if you are spared such an ordeal, you will no doubt
0:19:03 > 0:19:06be relieved to arrive at a place of relative safety, such as an inn.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15As a wealthy traveller, you might stay at an inn, but only as a matter of necessity.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19It's unlikely that the dubious pleasures on offer will attract you.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22What's more, even the most respectable establishments
0:19:22 > 0:19:25might harbour thieves and other unsavoury characters.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29They aren't places for refined gentlemen to stay, still less their ladies.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40You'll feel much more at home if you arrange a stay at the house of a gentleman.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43And in Elizabethan times,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46there's a rapidly increasing number to choose from.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51Hundreds of these handsome manor houses spring up
0:19:51 > 0:19:53during the Queen's reign, as more and more people
0:19:53 > 0:19:56succumb to a wave of construction fever.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02"Every man almost is a builder...
0:20:03 > 0:20:06"..and he that hath bought any small parcel of ground,
0:20:06 > 0:20:09"be it never so little,
0:20:09 > 0:20:12"will not be quiet till he has pulled down the old house
0:20:12 > 0:20:17"(if any were there standing) and set up a new after his own devising."
0:20:21 > 0:20:25Most people would agree that a manor house like this is truly grand.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29But while it's clearly an expensive place, it's important to realise
0:20:29 > 0:20:33it's not the nobility building houses like this, it's the gentry.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35So who are the gentry?
0:20:40 > 0:20:42In the strict hierarchy of Elizabethan society,
0:20:42 > 0:20:46the gentry are ranked below the level of aristocracy
0:20:46 > 0:20:50but above anyone who has to get their hands dirty to earn a living.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53They generate their income by letting out land.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59But just how much do you need to earn to make the grade?
0:21:14 > 0:21:16At the top end of the scale,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19a successful lawyer who has wisely invested in a country estate
0:21:19 > 0:21:24can expect to pocket in excess of £3,000 per year, as much as an earl.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Many so-called "gentlemen" worth considerably less than this
0:21:32 > 0:21:35compensate by pointing to their family coat of arms.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39This speaks of an ancestry steeped in the honour and chivalry
0:21:39 > 0:21:43of knighthood, and allows them to refer to themselves as "esquire".
0:21:43 > 0:21:45But if you want to join them, don't do what some would-be
0:21:45 > 0:21:48gentlemen do, and simply make one up.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50England doesn't have a police force yet,
0:21:50 > 0:21:53but there's a lot of policing going on.
0:21:53 > 0:21:55And in this case, officials called "heralds"
0:21:55 > 0:21:58scour the counties searching for bogus claims.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04You might ask, "Why do so many people want to mimic the gentry?"
0:22:04 > 0:22:09There are many reasons, most of them to do with status and local influence.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13But the important thing to recognise is that the gentry as a whole
0:22:13 > 0:22:15really do run the country.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17Think about it financially.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21In the year 1600, the income of all the earls,
0:22:21 > 0:22:24barons and other members of the nobility combined
0:22:24 > 0:22:27amounts to around £220,000.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31The income of the gentry is at least ten times that amount,
0:22:31 > 0:22:33possibly even 20.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37But there is more to their power than just money.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50The gentry don't just control the rural people around them,
0:22:50 > 0:22:52their tenants and servants and so forth.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55They practically own and run the whole country.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58From the ranks of the gentry the magistrates and sheriffs are drawn,
0:22:58 > 0:23:02and almost every official in central and local government.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05With no national army in place, it is the gentry who are appointed
0:23:05 > 0:23:08to be deputy lieutenants in every county,
0:23:08 > 0:23:10overseeing and controlling the militia.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13In Parliament, too, it is the gentry who are elected
0:23:13 > 0:23:15to fill the House of Commons.
0:23:15 > 0:23:16As Sir Walter Raleigh says,
0:23:16 > 0:23:20"The gentry are the garrisons of good order throughout the realm."
0:23:22 > 0:23:25So forget your 21st century ideas of democracy and equality.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29Elizabethans believe that only in the eyes of God
0:23:29 > 0:23:33on Judgement Day are all men and women equal.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37Before that, if you want to become an MP or a clergyman,
0:23:37 > 0:23:39you will need the support of a gentleman
0:23:39 > 0:23:41to open a few doors for you.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45A word of advice on greeting.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49When a man comes to a house, if the door is opened by a lady,
0:23:49 > 0:23:52then the correct etiquette is for him to take her by the arm
0:23:52 > 0:23:54and kiss her smack on the lips,
0:23:54 > 0:23:57even if she is the wife of the master of the house.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59This is just good, gentlemanly behaviour,
0:23:59 > 0:24:02but you might want to give it a miss when the plague is in town.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Naturally, the interiors of these manor houses have
0:24:18 > 0:24:22more in common with the palaces and stately homes to which they aspire
0:24:22 > 0:24:25than with the cramped and squalid homes of the poor.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33Look around and you'll see the signs of the owner's wealth and status.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37The carved wood, perhaps a portrait or two
0:24:37 > 0:24:39and maybe even a mirror.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41You'll also find carpets,
0:24:41 > 0:24:45but they are laid across the tops of tables and over chests.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48Only the exceptionally wealthy ever put them on the floor.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54It is quite common to find an arsenal of weapons here, too.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57Enough pikes, swords, shields and plate armour
0:24:57 > 0:24:59to equip the local amateur militia,
0:24:59 > 0:25:02should the call to arms suddenly ring out.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09Another clear sign that you are in the house of a gentleman
0:25:09 > 0:25:11is the presence of servants.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16From just one or two in a modest household
0:25:16 > 0:25:18to 20 or more in a wealthier one.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22Every manservant will cost you about two pounds per year,
0:25:22 > 0:25:25and every female domestic helper about half that,
0:25:25 > 0:25:27although in households like this,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30it's not unusual for an employer to "overlook" payment
0:25:30 > 0:25:33for several months and sometimes for several years.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39And notice I use the word "household", not family.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42The household is this larger group, which includes the servants,
0:25:42 > 0:25:45who are expected to be loyal.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48This means that servants have to prioritise employers' interests
0:25:48 > 0:25:50over those of their own kin.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00Don't be too shocked if you catch the master of the house
0:26:00 > 0:26:04beating his servants, he may do this with impunity.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06He may also beat his wife
0:26:06 > 0:26:09and is positively expected to beat his children.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12Not to do so is seen as quite irresponsible.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15As long as he stops short of actually killing anyone,
0:26:15 > 0:26:17he will escape retribution.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23Technically, it IS illegal for a man to kill his servants,
0:26:23 > 0:26:25but since all that's required as a defence
0:26:25 > 0:26:27is to say that he didn't mean to take a life,
0:26:27 > 0:26:31prosecutions for this are exceedingly rare.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34And violence is not the only manner in which your host
0:26:34 > 0:26:36may take advantage of his authority.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Likewise, it is perfectly normal for the master of the household
0:26:43 > 0:26:47to expect to receive sexual favours from his female servants.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50The girl in such a situation is in a terrible predicament.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Refuse and she faces dismissal,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56but give in and she risks disease and pregnancy.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00And when pregnancy is discovered, she'll probably be dismissed anyway.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05You get a good sense of how engrained such misogyny is
0:27:05 > 0:27:08from a 1599 case in Norwich.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11The mayor's court decrees that an 18-year-old maidservant,
0:27:11 > 0:27:15Katherine Vardine, should be dismissed from her master's service
0:27:15 > 0:27:17because HE has syphilis.
0:27:17 > 0:27:22It is simply assumed that he will take advantage of her and infect her.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43Whether or not such bawdy privileges are extended to you as a guest,
0:27:43 > 0:27:46you will doubtless still be keen to get a good night's sleep,
0:27:46 > 0:27:49which brings us to the bedchamber.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52The first thing you must do waking up in the house of a gentleman
0:27:52 > 0:27:55is to attend to your personal hygiene.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58Cleanliness is an important part of culture and sophistication,
0:27:58 > 0:28:03and the rich will expect you to do something about any bodily odours you might have.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06The obvious answer is to have a bath.
0:28:06 > 0:28:10However, the Elizabethans do not share our obsession with soap and water.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13In fact, they believe that unclean water can make you unwell,
0:28:13 > 0:28:18by entering the pores of your skin, and in that, they're not far wrong.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24Even something as simple as water is subject to hierarchy.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27Rainwater collected from the roof is pure,
0:28:27 > 0:28:29since it comes directly from God.
0:28:29 > 0:28:34But this is a luxury reserved for washing the parts of the body that show.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39Since anything else, such as river water, may indeed carry
0:28:39 > 0:28:43infection and disease, you should follow the example
0:28:43 > 0:28:47of your fellow Elizabethans and avoid immersing yourself in it.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52So just how do you keep yourself clean in the house of a gentleman?
0:28:55 > 0:29:00The key to 16th century personal hygiene is not water but linen.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03In his book of Naturall and Artificial Directions,
0:29:03 > 0:29:06the lawyer William Vaughan advises:
0:29:22 > 0:29:24Linen towels called "rubbers" are used to rub your skin
0:29:24 > 0:29:27and even your hair clean.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29Shirts, smocks and other undergarments,
0:29:29 > 0:29:32which soak up sweat and catch dirt, are changed daily.
0:29:32 > 0:29:37As you can see, you keep yourself clean by washing not your body but your clothes.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43The rich also make liberal use of perfumes and pomades
0:29:43 > 0:29:46to improve the smell of their clothes, bodies and hair.
0:29:49 > 0:29:52And while eradicating your bodily odours,
0:29:52 > 0:29:55you mustn't forget to take care of your breath.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59In the absence of dental floss, you might use a toothpick
0:29:59 > 0:30:01made of wood, bone or the quill of a feather.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04There are no toothbrushes, so instead you'll
0:30:04 > 0:30:06clean your teeth with a tooth cloth,
0:30:06 > 0:30:08which is a strip of linen.
0:30:08 > 0:30:14As for freshening your breath, you might chew cumin seeds or aniseed.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16Either of these is probably going to be more advisable than doing
0:30:16 > 0:30:19what some physicians recommend, which is
0:30:19 > 0:30:21washing your mouth out with white wine followed by
0:30:21 > 0:30:23spirit of vitriol.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26Spirit of vitriol, by the way, is sulphuric acid.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39A fragrant aroma is not just important for social reasons.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45Elizabethans firmly believe that foul-smelling air,
0:30:45 > 0:30:48like dirty water, carries illness into the body.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56The understanding is that your body contains four humours -
0:30:56 > 0:30:58blood, phlegm, black bile
0:30:58 > 0:31:00and yellow bile, or choler.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03Noxious smells and stagnant water
0:31:03 > 0:31:04create miasmas,
0:31:04 > 0:31:07which upset the balance of these humours in your body.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09So too much black bile makes you melancholy,
0:31:09 > 0:31:11too much yellow bile makes you choleric,
0:31:11 > 0:31:13and too much blood makes you sanguine.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15All this is the legacy
0:31:15 > 0:31:17of an ancient Roman physician called Galen
0:31:17 > 0:31:22and it is believed unquestioningly by physician and patient alike.
0:31:24 > 0:31:28By the same token, goodness and purity flow into your body
0:31:28 > 0:31:31the same way, so if you are given a bath during your stay, it is
0:31:31 > 0:31:36likely to be full of herbs and medicines to treat an illness.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40This helps to explain one of the most famous
0:31:40 > 0:31:42and misunderstood lines about Queen Elizabeth -
0:31:42 > 0:31:46that she takes a bath every month, whether she needs it or not.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48The need actually relates to illness -
0:31:48 > 0:31:51you take a bath for medical reasons.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54So the Venetian ambassador who writes this isn't
0:31:54 > 0:31:56saying that the Queen is unclean.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58He's saying that she bathes regularly -
0:31:58 > 0:31:59even when she's not ill.
0:32:06 > 0:32:09According to 16th century medical wisdom, however,
0:32:09 > 0:32:12many things can cause an imbalance of your humours.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19The movements of the stars, the will of God,
0:32:19 > 0:32:23and witchcraft are all just as likely a diagnosis.
0:32:25 > 0:32:27Your modern knowledge of basic healthcare
0:32:27 > 0:32:30means you may be able to avoid some illnesses,
0:32:30 > 0:32:34like dysentery, typhus and scurvy.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37But the very nature of diseases is different from what you know,
0:32:37 > 0:32:39and changing all the time.
0:32:40 > 0:32:42Take syphilis, for example.
0:32:42 > 0:32:47In 1500, this can kill you rapidly - perhaps in as little as two weeks.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49Two decades on and you can expect to live for 20 years with
0:32:49 > 0:32:54the disease, suffering all the time and going mad at the end, of course.
0:32:56 > 0:32:58And it's not just diseases that are different.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02The cures and the people who administer them will be
0:33:02 > 0:33:05equally unfamiliar to you.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07More often than not, if you do fall ill,
0:33:07 > 0:33:09it won't be a doctor that you see.
0:33:09 > 0:33:13Your first line of defence is likely to be local older women
0:33:13 > 0:33:16and gentlewomen, whose knowledge is increasing with
0:33:16 > 0:33:19the ability to read medical books.
0:33:22 > 0:33:26If you require an operation, don't be too alarmed if you discover
0:33:26 > 0:33:30that it is carried out by the same man who recently cut your hair.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38So-called "barber-surgeons" actually have quite a strong
0:33:38 > 0:33:39understanding of anatomy,
0:33:39 > 0:33:42since physical injuries from arrows,
0:33:42 > 0:33:43swords and even guns
0:33:43 > 0:33:46are relatively common.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49And, thanks to the barber-surgeons Act of 1540,
0:33:49 > 0:33:52those based in London can practice on the corpses of four
0:33:52 > 0:33:56executed criminals selected by them every year.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01The bad news is that concepts such as germs
0:34:01 > 0:34:06and sterilisation are still centuries away, so even after
0:34:06 > 0:34:10a successful operation, you are quite likely to die of infection.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22It's also worth mentioning that
0:34:22 > 0:34:24professional medical help doesn't come cheap.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27In the year 1600, you can expect
0:34:27 > 0:34:28to pay around 13 shillings
0:34:28 > 0:34:30for a course of treatment -
0:34:30 > 0:34:33that's more than a month's wages for the average worker.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38Even if you CAN afford 13 shillings,
0:34:38 > 0:34:40the advice you get might not be any better.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44Some physicians have been known to prescribe powdered Egyptian mummy
0:34:44 > 0:34:47or the skull of a man killed in war.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50Frankly, the best medical advice I can give you is...
0:34:50 > 0:34:52don't get sick!
0:34:57 > 0:35:01With so many manor houses being built by the gentry,
0:35:01 > 0:35:03you might be surprised to find that this construction boom
0:35:03 > 0:35:06does not extend upwards to the nobility.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09In fact, during Elizabeth's reign,
0:35:09 > 0:35:12not a single new stately home is built by the aristocracy.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15You are more likely to find them living in the medieval houses
0:35:15 > 0:35:18and castles built by their ancestors.
0:35:18 > 0:35:20Why?
0:35:20 > 0:35:23Obviously, a castle is a fairly effective status symbol,
0:35:23 > 0:35:25but that may not be the only reason.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29Old money is inherited,
0:35:29 > 0:35:33so it belongs to whole families, not individuals,
0:35:33 > 0:35:34and is often tied up in loans
0:35:34 > 0:35:37or other financial arrangements.
0:35:38 > 0:35:40As a result, many noblemen
0:35:40 > 0:35:41simply can't afford
0:35:41 > 0:35:43the luxury of tearing down their
0:35:43 > 0:35:45old houses and building new ones,
0:35:45 > 0:35:48especially when a house fit for a nobleman would at least have
0:35:48 > 0:35:50to equal something like this...
0:36:04 > 0:36:07The great houses built during Elizabeth I's reign
0:36:07 > 0:36:11are among the finest that England will ever see, and the aesthetic
0:36:11 > 0:36:15near-perfection of Hardwick Hall is arguably the greatest of them all.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20The first thing that will strike you on seeing this house is just
0:36:20 > 0:36:22how much glass there is on display.
0:36:22 > 0:36:26"Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall," as the saying goes.
0:36:26 > 0:36:28But that could be said of every stately home
0:36:28 > 0:36:30built in England at this time.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37Although having your own glazier keeps the cost of glass down
0:36:37 > 0:36:39to about ten pence per square foot,
0:36:39 > 0:36:43the price quickly mounts up.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46Of the £5,000 or so it costs to build a house like this,
0:36:46 > 0:36:50glass alone can account for more than £300,
0:36:50 > 0:36:53not including the stone frames, the shutters and the fittings.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58So, if the nobility can't afford such a hefty price tag,
0:36:58 > 0:37:01who is footing the bill for these magnificent
0:37:01 > 0:37:03and hugely expensive stately homes?
0:37:14 > 0:37:17The answer lies in where the money comes from -
0:37:17 > 0:37:20not from inheritance, but through the efforts
0:37:20 > 0:37:23and ingenuity of a new breed of rich men.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28They are merchants, civil servants and lawyers,
0:37:28 > 0:37:31who have made fortunes by investing prudently or maximising
0:37:31 > 0:37:34the advantages of their official positions.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37They include men like Sir William Cecil,
0:37:37 > 0:37:38who spends about £2,000 every year
0:37:38 > 0:37:41on his building projects, which include
0:37:41 > 0:37:45Burghley House in Lincolnshire and Theobalds in Hertfordshire.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47Another example is Sir Francis Willoughby,
0:37:47 > 0:37:49who funds the construction of Wollaton Hall by exploiting
0:37:49 > 0:37:53the coal mines on his manors, and almost bankrupts himself
0:37:53 > 0:37:55in his pursuit of architectural magnificence.
0:38:01 > 0:38:05Hardwick Hall itself is also the result of new money,
0:38:05 > 0:38:09built by Bess of Hardwick, a lady who was born a mere commoner.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16The architecture of these great houses signifies a profound
0:38:16 > 0:38:18change in social attitude,
0:38:18 > 0:38:21a new-found confidence that was lacking when the castles
0:38:21 > 0:38:23of the nobility were built.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29The castle of a medieval knight was designed primarily for defence,
0:38:29 > 0:38:32with thick stone walls and small windows
0:38:32 > 0:38:33which kept out attackers,
0:38:33 > 0:38:35but they also kept out light.
0:38:35 > 0:38:38The house of an Elizabethan courtier, in contrast,
0:38:38 > 0:38:41is all about seeing and being seen.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48This is even reflected in the very layout of the building.
0:38:48 > 0:38:52For the first time, you'll find grand houses are built
0:38:52 > 0:38:54without a central courtyard.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56They look outward, not inward.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03In the Long Gallery, which is SO long
0:39:03 > 0:39:06it is often used for casual strolls in poor weather,
0:39:06 > 0:39:10you'll find many portraits of the Queen and other great figures -
0:39:10 > 0:39:13a clear announcement that your host is well connected.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20Every detail of a great house is designed to demonstrate
0:39:20 > 0:39:23the wealth and sophistication of its owner.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25But this need to show off can have both positive
0:39:25 > 0:39:27and negative consequences.
0:39:27 > 0:39:31The positive ones are obvious - national as well as local prestige,
0:39:31 > 0:39:33perhaps leading to a position at court.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36The negative ones are the sheer expense -
0:39:36 > 0:39:39the cost of building the house in the first place,
0:39:39 > 0:39:41of equipping it and maintaining all the servants.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44Ultimately, success might lead to the privilege -
0:39:44 > 0:39:47the financially ruinous privilege -
0:39:47 > 0:39:49of entertaining the Queen herself.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58When the Queen pays a visit to the Cambridgeshire home
0:39:58 > 0:40:00of Lord North in 1577,
0:40:00 > 0:40:02she arrives accompanied
0:40:02 > 0:40:04by about 2,000 people.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07The total cost of the two day visit
0:40:07 > 0:40:10is £642, four shillings and tuppence.
0:40:10 > 0:40:16And this doesn't include a present for the Queen of a jewel worth £120.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19Lord North's expenses include decorating the rooms,
0:40:19 > 0:40:22putting up a temporary banqueting house,
0:40:22 > 0:40:24and building several temporary kitchens.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27There are candles and torches to buy,
0:40:27 > 0:40:28and extra pewterware
0:40:28 > 0:40:30must be hired from London.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33Just doing the dishes costs the equivalent of
0:40:33 > 0:40:36a worker's wages for three months.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40To give you an idea of the scale of preparation required,
0:40:40 > 0:40:42just take a look at the grocery list.
0:40:48 > 0:40:49..made into pasties.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57And so the list goes on.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00And when you consider that a single cow is the equivalent
0:41:00 > 0:41:03of an average worker's wages for six months,
0:41:03 > 0:41:05then you can see that a royal visit is a mixed blessing
0:41:05 > 0:41:08for the host who has to foot the bill.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14Vegetables and roots are relegated to a mere footnote,
0:41:14 > 0:41:18and while you may find apples, cherries and plums on the table,
0:41:18 > 0:41:21you might also find that that is exactly where they stay.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25In his hugely influential book,
0:41:25 > 0:41:29the Castel of Helth, Sir Thomas Elyot explains.
0:41:29 > 0:41:35"All fruits are noyful to man and do engender ill humours."
0:41:36 > 0:41:41Clearly, there may be little to tempt you if you're a vegetarian.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44Note that, whoever you are, and however much money you have,
0:41:44 > 0:41:47you won't always be able to eat meat just when you fancy it.
0:41:47 > 0:41:49Even in the house of a nobleman,
0:41:49 > 0:41:53if you tuck into a beef pie or a venison pasty on a fish day,
0:41:53 > 0:41:56you risk a hefty fine or a spell in the stocks.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59And to wash all this food down?
0:41:59 > 0:42:02As you've seen, water is far too risky.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06Besides, Elizabethans prefer something a little stronger.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19In just two days, Lord North's household
0:42:19 > 0:42:21and the Royal Court get through
0:42:21 > 0:42:232,500 gallons of beer,
0:42:23 > 0:42:26but not much of it is drunk by the aristocrats.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41Wine serves as a status symbol,
0:42:41 > 0:42:46especially as it has to be imported through London or Bristol,
0:42:46 > 0:42:50and then transported around the country at great cost.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53Even so, Lord North's vintners order
0:42:53 > 0:42:56runs to six gallons of hippocras, which is a spiced wine,
0:42:56 > 0:42:5820 gallons of sack,
0:42:58 > 0:43:0163 gallons of white wine
0:43:01 > 0:43:04and 378 gallons of claret.
0:43:04 > 0:43:05For two days.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16Naturally, status dictates where you will sit.
0:43:16 > 0:43:19Depending on your place in the hierarchy, you may not even dine in
0:43:19 > 0:43:21the same room as the Queen,
0:43:21 > 0:43:24but have to settle for a place in the hall.
0:43:24 > 0:43:28In any case, you will need to learn a little Elizabethan etiquette,
0:43:28 > 0:43:32and the Boke of Nurture or Schoole of Good Manners by Hugh Rhodes
0:43:32 > 0:43:35is a reliable guide to polite behaviour.
0:43:37 > 0:43:39Many rules of the table seem like common sense to us -
0:43:39 > 0:43:41wash your hands before you partake,
0:43:41 > 0:43:44don't eat before your social superiors
0:43:44 > 0:43:46and if you do need to spit or blow your nose,
0:43:46 > 0:43:48don't do it across the table -
0:43:48 > 0:43:50tread it out discretely on the floor.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53But other, more general matters of courtesy
0:43:53 > 0:43:55might catch you off your guard.
0:43:55 > 0:43:57For example, it is customary to take your hat off
0:43:57 > 0:44:00when somebody urinates in your company.
0:44:00 > 0:44:03Servants are even expected to doff their caps
0:44:03 > 0:44:06when their master's horse passes water in the street.
0:44:09 > 0:44:12As the feast draws to a close, the dances begin,
0:44:12 > 0:44:16and it's time to join the Queen.
0:44:16 > 0:44:18A gentleman who wishes to ask a lady to dance should
0:44:18 > 0:44:22take off his hat with his left hand, and offer his right to lead her out.
0:44:23 > 0:44:25Ladies may ask gentlemen to dance.
0:44:25 > 0:44:27And note that it is bad manners to refuse.
0:44:31 > 0:44:34Increasingly, the fashion is for faster,
0:44:34 > 0:44:38more modern dances such as a galliard.
0:44:38 > 0:44:40For this, the couple often separate,
0:44:40 > 0:44:43so they can each show off their dancing skills with hops,
0:44:43 > 0:44:47half-steps, fast steps, twists, side-steps and leaps.
0:44:48 > 0:44:52I suggest you take lessons - it's not something you can improvise!
0:44:53 > 0:44:57The Queen herself dances galliards to keep fit,
0:44:57 > 0:45:01but probably not a variation called "la volta",
0:45:01 > 0:45:05where the gentleman lifts the lady by placing his left hand on her far hip
0:45:05 > 0:45:09and his right hand at the bottom of her corset, between her legs.
0:45:11 > 0:45:15Naturally, such vulgar displays of intimacy do not go down well
0:45:15 > 0:45:17with Puritans like Philip Stubbes.
0:45:38 > 0:45:40If you are worried about embarrassing yourself in front
0:45:40 > 0:45:44of a great lord or lady, spare a thought for the Earl of Oxford.
0:45:44 > 0:45:48One day, when bowing down in front of the Queen, he breaks wind.
0:45:48 > 0:45:50Mortified, he leaves court immediately
0:45:50 > 0:45:52and doesn't return for seven years.
0:45:52 > 0:45:55When he finally does meet the Queen again, she greets him
0:45:55 > 0:45:58with the words, "My lord, I had quite forgotten the fart."
0:46:02 > 0:46:05The Queen may well have a sense of humour,
0:46:05 > 0:46:09but you cross her at your peril.
0:46:09 > 0:46:12With such luxury and privilege at your disposal,
0:46:12 > 0:46:17you may think you have it made, but beware.
0:46:17 > 0:46:19With a few careless words,
0:46:19 > 0:46:21all this could be lost, along with your life.
0:46:28 > 0:46:32While you are busy ingratiating yourself in the presence
0:46:32 > 0:46:34of royalty, your servants may be enjoying
0:46:34 > 0:46:38the company of strangers at a nearby inn or tavern.
0:46:38 > 0:46:42Which is fine, except there is more to worry about here than
0:46:42 > 0:46:44just daylight robbery or a dodgy pint of ale.
0:46:44 > 0:46:48While your servants may believe they are just having a casual chat
0:46:48 > 0:46:51with their newly made acquaintances, perhaps mentioning your name,
0:46:51 > 0:46:55their words may soon find their way back to the Queen's secretary,
0:46:55 > 0:46:57courtesy of his spy network.
0:47:14 > 0:47:16As a member of society's elite,
0:47:16 > 0:47:19careless words are your Achilles heel.
0:47:19 > 0:47:23There are infiltrators everywhere, even in your own household,
0:47:23 > 0:47:25eavesdropping on your every word
0:47:25 > 0:47:30and reporting back to the Queen's chief advisor, Sir William Cecil.
0:47:30 > 0:47:35When Sir Francis Walsingham becomes the Queen's spymaster in 1573,
0:47:35 > 0:47:38this network spreads throughout England, Europe
0:47:38 > 0:47:40and even as far afield as Turkey.
0:47:42 > 0:47:44What are they listening for?
0:47:44 > 0:47:49Any hint of treason, disloyalty or sedition.
0:47:49 > 0:47:51Now, most of us enjoy a good grumble,
0:47:51 > 0:47:52especially over a drink or two.
0:47:52 > 0:47:56But the spy's task is to report all statements of disloyalty
0:47:56 > 0:47:58and disaffection to the authorities.
0:47:58 > 0:48:00Thus the stakes are very high.
0:48:00 > 0:48:04In 1587 a smith in Hatfield Peverel is sentenced to death
0:48:04 > 0:48:08and hanged just for saying that King Edward VI is still alive.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11But why go to such lengths? Why the paranoia?
0:48:14 > 0:48:17It's because the Queen has no shortage of enemies.
0:48:21 > 0:48:26There are those who despise her on religious grounds,
0:48:26 > 0:48:30especially certain Northerners, who actively seek rebellion.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34Adversaries from overseas.
0:48:36 > 0:48:38MPs who feel threatened by her.
0:48:41 > 0:48:46But basically they all fall into two groups - Puritans and Catholics.
0:48:46 > 0:48:49Without a doubt, the most feared group is the Catholics.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52Whereas the Puritans represent a merely religious challenge,
0:48:52 > 0:48:55the Catholics carry the additional threats of invasion by Spain
0:48:55 > 0:48:58and the assassination of the Queen so she can be replaced
0:48:58 > 0:49:01on the throne by her Catholic cousin, Mary Queen of Scots.
0:49:05 > 0:49:08One of our modern assumptions is that at the very moment
0:49:08 > 0:49:11Elizabeth becomes Queen in 1558,
0:49:11 > 0:49:16England suddenly ceases to be a Catholic territory, and that's that.
0:49:16 > 0:49:18During the early part of her reign, such matters are far
0:49:18 > 0:49:23from certain, and yet you may find yourself forced to choose sides.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26But picking the winning team is easier said than done.
0:49:26 > 0:49:29In the 1580s there is an attempt on the Queen's life almost every year.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32If just one of these were to prove successful,
0:49:32 > 0:49:35Elizabethan England would come to a sudden close.
0:49:40 > 0:49:43One of these schemes in particular shows the lengths to which
0:49:43 > 0:49:44plotters will go,
0:49:44 > 0:49:49and the effectiveness of this Elizabethan secret service.
0:49:49 > 0:49:54In 1586, a group of conspirators led by a young Catholic gentleman
0:49:54 > 0:49:57called Anthony Babington hatch a plot to kill the Queen.
0:49:57 > 0:50:00Their plan is to assassinate her and with the help of a
0:50:00 > 0:50:05Spanish invasion, to put Mary Queen of Scots on the throne instead.
0:50:05 > 0:50:08Babington smuggles coded letters in and out of Mary's prison,
0:50:08 > 0:50:11using waterproof wallets inside ale barrels.
0:50:11 > 0:50:16Walsingham's spies intercept these letters and break the code,
0:50:16 > 0:50:18but they don't raise the alarm immediately.
0:50:18 > 0:50:20Instead they put the letters back in the barrels,
0:50:20 > 0:50:24so that Babington and his friends don't realise the game is up.
0:50:24 > 0:50:26It's a brilliant move.
0:50:26 > 0:50:29Not only do the conspirators incriminate themselves further,
0:50:29 > 0:50:32they also unwittingly deliver proof to Walsingham
0:50:32 > 0:50:35that Mary herself is complicit.
0:50:35 > 0:50:39Eventually, no fewer than 14 of the conspirators are caught.
0:50:39 > 0:50:42They are sentenced to death and so is the Scottish queen.
0:50:47 > 0:50:51Assassination plots and treason are mainly of concern to you,
0:50:51 > 0:50:52the cream of society.
0:50:52 > 0:50:55The poor are far too busy simply trying to survive.
0:50:59 > 0:51:03It follows, therefore, that such treachery should be dealt with
0:51:03 > 0:51:05by a suitably superior form of justice.
0:51:08 > 0:51:11Star Chamber is an elite court,
0:51:11 > 0:51:13made up of members of the Privy Council.
0:51:13 > 0:51:15So called because it meets in the Star Chamber
0:51:15 > 0:51:17in the Palace of Westminster.
0:51:17 > 0:51:20The mere mention of its name is enough to strike fear into the heart
0:51:20 > 0:51:24and you'd better pray you are never summoned to appear before it.
0:51:27 > 0:51:30Star Chamber does not have to abide by the legal system
0:51:30 > 0:51:31when judging you.
0:51:31 > 0:51:34It can proceed on rumour alone.
0:51:34 > 0:51:39And there is no jury - every single councillor present is a judge.
0:51:39 > 0:51:42Worse still, they can punish you by just about any means
0:51:42 > 0:51:47they see fit - imprisonment in the Tower, whipping or branding,
0:51:47 > 0:51:50cutting off your ears or hands or slitting your nose.
0:51:57 > 0:52:02For many people, the term "medieval" is practically a byword for torture.
0:52:02 > 0:52:06But in fact, English medieval kings almost never engaged in this
0:52:06 > 0:52:08form of brutality.
0:52:08 > 0:52:12It is the Elizabethans who pioneered state-authorised torture.
0:52:15 > 0:52:20So if it is decided that YOU need a spot of attitude adjustment,
0:52:20 > 0:52:22what exactly can you expect to endure?
0:52:24 > 0:52:28A first-hand account by English Catholic Edward Rishton
0:52:28 > 0:52:31lists no fewer than seven separate methods of torture,
0:52:31 > 0:52:35from incarceration in a tiny dungeon too small to stand up in,
0:52:35 > 0:52:38to a stretch on the dreaded rack.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43Father John Gerard, one of the very few Jesuits
0:52:43 > 0:52:47to survive being tortured, is taken to the Tower in 1597.
0:52:47 > 0:52:51He describes in horrifying detail what it is like to have
0:52:51 > 0:52:55iron rings fastened around his wrists, to be hoisted on chains
0:52:55 > 0:52:57and suspended by his arms for hours.
0:53:18 > 0:53:21He then falls unconscious due to the unbearable pain
0:53:21 > 0:53:24and is lowered to the ground until he comes to,
0:53:24 > 0:53:27just for the whole process to begin again.
0:53:39 > 0:53:43Even if, like Father Gerard, you DO survive your ordeal,
0:53:43 > 0:53:46chances are this is only the appetiser.
0:53:50 > 0:53:52If you find yourself being escorted across London
0:53:52 > 0:53:56at Her Majesty's pleasure, then the main course is still to come,
0:53:56 > 0:53:59served up with relish by the executioner.
0:54:05 > 0:54:08Public executions are a means of demonstrating government power
0:54:08 > 0:54:12and social control - as well as removing some enemies of the state.
0:54:12 > 0:54:15For the masses, they are also hugely popular
0:54:15 > 0:54:17as forms of entertainment.
0:54:17 > 0:54:20The most common method of dispatching the guilty is
0:54:20 > 0:54:23a simple hanging, the standard punishment
0:54:23 > 0:54:26for everything from theft to witchcraft.
0:54:30 > 0:54:33As a nobleman you might be able to avoid this by petitioning
0:54:33 > 0:54:37the Queen, to allow you to have your head cut off instead.
0:54:39 > 0:54:43But these methods of execution are positively humane
0:54:43 > 0:54:46compared to the one reserved for traitors.
0:54:47 > 0:54:50The unbelievably grisly sight of someone being
0:54:50 > 0:54:53hanged, drawn and quartered is arguably the most infamous
0:54:53 > 0:54:56and graphic demonstration of the appetite for cruelty.
0:54:56 > 0:54:59To the delight of a cheering crowd, the convicted traitor
0:54:59 > 0:55:03is drawn to the gallows on a hurdle, which is a kind of sledge.
0:55:03 > 0:55:05He is then hanged until his face turns purple.
0:55:05 > 0:55:08But before he dies, he is cut down
0:55:08 > 0:55:11and the next stage of the ordeal begins.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14Still alive, his intestines are cut out,
0:55:14 > 0:55:18but his major tubes are sewn up, so he can witness his own entrails
0:55:18 > 0:55:21being burned on a specially prepared fire in front of him.
0:55:21 > 0:55:26Finally, his head is cut off and sent to London Bridge,
0:55:26 > 0:55:28and the rest of his body is cut into quarters,
0:55:28 > 0:55:30each one with a limb still attached.
0:55:35 > 0:55:37This is the fate that awaits the 14 conspirators
0:55:37 > 0:55:40foiled by the Queen's network of spies.
0:55:42 > 0:55:46Babington and six others are dispatched in this horrific manner.
0:55:48 > 0:55:51But their screams of agony are so terrible
0:55:51 > 0:55:54that the crowd eventually starts to sympathise with them.
0:55:54 > 0:55:56When word of this is sent to the Queen,
0:55:56 > 0:55:59she demonstrates her mercy by allowing the remaining seven
0:55:59 > 0:56:03to be hanged fully to death before their intestines are removed.
0:56:07 > 0:56:11These executions serve as a stark reminder that at a moment's notice,
0:56:11 > 0:56:14even the most privileged may lose their riches,
0:56:14 > 0:56:16their power and their lives.
0:56:17 > 0:56:20The Queen's position is equally uncertain.
0:56:20 > 0:56:23If just one of the plots against her succeeds,
0:56:23 > 0:56:25it will be her head on the block.
0:56:30 > 0:56:33And remember that all the wealthy are vulnerable to such a fate,
0:56:33 > 0:56:36whoever you are and wherever you come from.
0:56:46 > 0:56:50For the rich and the powerful, nothing in life is certain.
0:56:50 > 0:56:53As we have seen, more and more men are making their own fortunes.
0:56:53 > 0:56:55Society is changing.
0:56:55 > 0:56:57New wealth is being created,
0:56:57 > 0:57:00and with it come new opportunities for success and status.
0:57:03 > 0:57:07As your stay among the wealthy draws to a close, you may come to realise
0:57:07 > 0:57:09that what you are witnessing around you
0:57:09 > 0:57:11are the first small steps towards
0:57:11 > 0:57:15the freedoms and opportunities that we all enjoy today.
0:57:17 > 0:57:20For the first time, it is possible for someone outside
0:57:20 > 0:57:23the ranks of the nobility to rise to the top of society
0:57:23 > 0:57:26through enterprise and endeavour
0:57:26 > 0:57:28rather than as a consequence of birth.
0:57:31 > 0:57:35These social changes go hand in hand with progress in science,
0:57:35 > 0:57:37exploration, literature and the arts,
0:57:37 > 0:57:41and these too find new consumers and new producers.
0:57:41 > 0:57:44The aspiring middle classes have arrived.
0:57:48 > 0:57:51Next time, you'll join craftsmen, architects and merchants
0:57:51 > 0:57:55striving to forge a better, more prosperous future.
0:57:56 > 0:58:00You'll also meet the scientists, writers and explorers
0:58:00 > 0:58:02whose ideas and achievements
0:58:02 > 0:58:04have made them household names to this day.
0:58:06 > 0:58:09What they all share is a desire to better their lives.
0:58:11 > 0:58:14And through their success they change the world.
0:58:16 > 0:58:19Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd