0:00:04 > 0:00:07500 years ago, Christmas was celebrated every bit
0:00:07 > 0:00:10as enthusiastically as it is today.
0:00:10 > 0:00:11Mmm!
0:00:11 > 0:00:13If anything, it was bigger.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16Noise. Woo!
0:00:18 > 0:00:23All work stopped on Christmas Eve, for 12 days of revelry and feasting...
0:00:23 > 0:00:26Twelfth night cake, everyone!
0:00:26 > 0:00:29..culminating on the twelfth night with the biggest
0:00:29 > 0:00:32party of the year, when madness reigned.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35Our Lord of Misrule.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42Historian Ruth Goodman and archaeologists Tom Pinfold
0:00:42 > 0:00:46and Peter Ginn have spent the last six months turning the clock
0:00:46 > 0:00:50back to Tudor England, working as farmers under the watchful
0:00:50 > 0:00:54eye of the country's biggest landowners, the monasteries.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59Now they're returning to celebrate Christmas - Tudor style.
0:01:01 > 0:01:07They must revive lost skills to prepare feasts.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09Learn the art of falconry to catch game for a grand
0:01:09 > 0:01:11banquet at the monastery...
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Oh, very good. Oh! Well done.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17..while welcoming new life to their farm.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19Merry Christmas, little pigs.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23This is the untold story of how the farms of Tudor England
0:01:23 > 0:01:27celebrated the 12 days of Christmas.
0:01:38 > 0:01:43Celebrating the Winter Solstice is a tradition that goes back millennia.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50From this point on, the sun is getting higher in the sky
0:01:50 > 0:01:52and the days are getting longer.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56The Romans celebrated it with Saturnalia,
0:01:56 > 0:02:00the Norsemen had Yule, and by the Tudor era it had
0:02:00 > 0:02:04evolved into a Christian feast marking the birth of Christ.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06Oh, it has got that Christmas feel, don't you think?
0:02:06 > 0:02:08It does,
0:02:08 > 0:02:11but let's face it, Christmas for the Tudors was 12 days of feasting
0:02:11 > 0:02:13and fun. I know, I know, I know.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18Looking forward to that, but all the prep work we've got to do beforehand...
0:02:18 > 0:02:20You can really feel that nip in the air.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Before the 12 days of Christmas came Advent,
0:02:23 > 0:02:2824 days of fasting while preparing food for the feasts to come.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31Advent's a long time, isn't it, Tom?
0:02:31 > 0:02:35It is, but this is our prep time for the 12 days of Christmas, isn't it?
0:02:35 > 0:02:36Well, are you looking forward to it?
0:02:36 > 0:02:40I am. You know, it's going to be a lot of celebration, more ale...
0:02:40 > 0:02:43Yeah. It'll be fun, but er, we've still got plenty to do beforehand.
0:02:43 > 0:02:48During Advent, no meat, eggs or cheese were to be eaten.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52This was not just a religious observance
0:02:52 > 0:02:56but also a chance to save food and money for the feasting ahead.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58Oh, don't say that, Ruth!
0:02:58 > 0:03:01Ruth will be slaving over a hot fire somewhere.
0:03:01 > 0:03:02Sheep, sheep, sheep, sheep.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05The teachings of the Church dictated that the farmer
0:03:05 > 0:03:08downed his tools for the 12 days of Christmas.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12So it was important the animals were well-stocked with fodder,
0:03:12 > 0:03:13Whoa, whoa!
0:03:15 > 0:03:19The thing is, farming...it is relentless, it is a way of life,
0:03:19 > 0:03:21it is continuous,
0:03:21 > 0:03:25and even though Christmas is coming up, the farm has to continue.
0:03:28 > 0:03:33Our pigs are due at any moment, and it's going to coincide with Christmas.
0:03:33 > 0:03:34So we've just got to keep our eye on them,
0:03:34 > 0:03:38keep feeding them and just make sure they're healthy.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41In the early 1500s, it became popular to rear pigs to
0:03:41 > 0:03:43sell on a commercial scale.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46You haven't started nesting yet.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49We'll keep our eyes on you, though. Keep your strength up.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53Pigs were the perfect animal for a Tudor farmer to breed.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55They not only ate pretty much anything,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58but provided many essential resources -
0:03:58 > 0:04:02bristles to make brushes, fat to lubricate machinery.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05And almost every part could be eaten.
0:04:05 > 0:04:06I'm going to give you my big sharp knife.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Neal Careswell is helping Tom butcher a pig.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12Right, what you need to do is follow a nice smooth line all
0:04:12 > 0:04:14the way behind the ear.
0:04:14 > 0:04:19Turkey didn't become popular until the late 18th century.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23The centrepiece of the Tudor Christmas dinner was the pig's head.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26Shall we flip it over and do the other side? OK.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30It was a tradition that dated back to the Anglo-Saxons.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32Back then, it would have been the head of a wild boar.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36But they were hunted to extinction in the 13th century.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39Now, the bit that not many people like doing is
0:04:39 > 0:04:43you've literally just got to twist the head off.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46Are you serious? Yeah, serious. Do you want me to do it, Tom?
0:04:46 > 0:04:49I think it's probably best. OK. I'll watch that.
0:04:50 > 0:04:51He says.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53LAUGHTER
0:04:53 > 0:04:54And there we go.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59Remarkable. Christmas dinner! Christmas dinner.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04Tom's taking the pig's head to Ruth,
0:05:04 > 0:05:06who will prepare it for the Christmas dinner.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09Thank you... Quite a big pig's head for you.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11Oh, lovely!
0:05:11 > 0:05:15First, the skull is removed to create a cavity
0:05:15 > 0:05:17that will be stuffed with meat.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22As what I need to do is to keep all the flesh and the skin in one piece,
0:05:22 > 0:05:28because I'm going to re-form it into a pig's head without the skull.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30Christmas was such an important celebration
0:05:30 > 0:05:34that people went to extraordinary lengths for it.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37And you can see that this is not the sort of thing
0:05:37 > 0:05:40you'd want for an everyday dinner, it just takes ages.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46It might seem strange to us,
0:05:46 > 0:05:49that it was a boar's head that was the Christmas dish,
0:05:49 > 0:05:53but I think you have to think of it in its sort of cultural context.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56To hunt a wild boar is a really scary thing to do.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59They are really feisty beasts.
0:05:59 > 0:06:04An adult wild male boar is a big creature
0:06:04 > 0:06:06and it can easily kill a person.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10And if you've only got spears to hunt it with,
0:06:10 > 0:06:15and that's what they used, then it takes a real degree of courage.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19And as such, it had a very special place, you know, the boar's head,
0:06:19 > 0:06:25the trophy from such a hunt must have made a big impact.
0:06:28 > 0:06:34Phew! That's the skull and there's my pig's head.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Next, the head must be pickled.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40So, I've got a blend of ale vinegars, Ale-Gar.
0:06:40 > 0:06:45And herbs, mostly bay leaf, and a little bit of mustard seed.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48And I just press it under the pickle and leave it.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Until Christmas gets a little bit closer
0:06:50 > 0:06:54and I'm ready for the next stage.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58The Tudors cooked everything on wood fires.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01So, in preparation for the 12 days of feasting,
0:07:01 > 0:07:05Peter's stocking up on firewood.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07Anyone who's done any cooking on Christmas Day
0:07:07 > 0:07:11knows that some of the most stressful period of your life
0:07:11 > 0:07:12is the three hours you spend in the kitchen
0:07:12 > 0:07:15with saucepans here, mixing bowls there.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Is the turkey defrosted?
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Will it fit in the oven?
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Ruth's got, like, 12 days of this.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24So, I've just got to make sure that this wood pile
0:07:24 > 0:07:28is stocked nicely and she's a happy lady.
0:07:28 > 0:07:35Otherwise I might find myself sleeping in the cow shed.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39The only way to adjust the heat on a Tudor stove
0:07:39 > 0:07:42was by burning different types of wood.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46So, the majority of your wood pile would be made up of beech and ash,
0:07:46 > 0:07:49because they are your, sort of, mid-range burners.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52However, if you want a slightly slower,
0:07:52 > 0:07:55longer heat, you need a denser wood, like oak.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59Whereas if you want a flash fry, go for hazel.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04And there he is.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08The pig's head has been pickled in vinegar, herbs and mustard.
0:08:08 > 0:08:13Now it's ready for the next stage, stuffing with chopped pork.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16So, I'm trying to make him look, in the finished thing,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19as lifelike as possible.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24Tough stuff, pig's skin.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28To contain the stuffing, Ruth's sewing up the head as she goes.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31So, I've made him into a sort of floppy bag,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34now I can carry on stuffing.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36A little bit more meat there.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38She's also adding in an ingredient
0:08:38 > 0:08:41that was a rare delicacy in Tudor England.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43Raisins.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46And I've made this raisin-y paste,
0:08:46 > 0:08:49and that's going to go right in the centre of the boar's head.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Imported from the Mediterranean,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55they would have been very expensive and used sparingly.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02Once stuffed and sewn up, the entire head is wrapped in cloth
0:09:02 > 0:09:05to hold it together, ready for cooking.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09And when he comes out cooked, and he's going to boil for, er,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12about two to three hours, he'll still be very soft,
0:09:12 > 0:09:15he'll be cooked through, but the whole thing will be very soft.
0:09:15 > 0:09:19So, I'll be able to take all the bandages off.
0:09:19 > 0:09:25And sort of re-form him into a slightly more pig-like appearance.
0:09:25 > 0:09:31Midwinter was a dark, depressing and tough time that needed cheer.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34So, Peter's headed out onto the monastic estate
0:09:34 > 0:09:38with woodsman, John Roberts, to collect holly and ivy,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41which have been used since pre-Christian times
0:09:41 > 0:09:43to brighten up the home.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45Oh!
0:09:45 > 0:09:49Insert myself into the prickly nightmare that is this holly.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53In Pagan customs, holly was associated with the Sun God,
0:09:53 > 0:09:57whose birth was celebrated on the 25th of December,
0:09:57 > 0:10:01a date later adopted by Christians as the birthday of Christ.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05The holly is such a symbolic tree,
0:10:05 > 0:10:08I mean, I know that it's got the religious connotations
0:10:08 > 0:10:11of erm, I suppose the sort of, the crown of thorns and the... Yes.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13the drop of blood of the berries. Yes.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16But it's also got much, much older Pagan connotations,
0:10:16 > 0:10:17it's a very male plant, isn't it?
0:10:17 > 0:10:21Yes, yes, they always said in the, the sort of later Middle Ages
0:10:21 > 0:10:24that if you want to look at the decorations in the house
0:10:24 > 0:10:27and there was more ivy than holly,
0:10:27 > 0:10:29and ivy was considered female, that it was a,
0:10:29 > 0:10:31a house where the woman wore the britches.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34We're going to have a lot of ivy, I think!
0:10:39 > 0:10:41We can take these, these lower bits, yeah?
0:10:41 > 0:10:44Yeah, yeah. They're definitely wood rather than timber.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47When you say, wood rather than timber,
0:10:47 > 0:10:51you mean there's a difference? There is, yes, size matters.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55Anything over 24 inches in circumference was timber
0:10:55 > 0:10:57and that definitely belonged to the land owner.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00If you wanted that, you had to buy it off him.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02And below that size, it's wood.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06Which, as a tenant of the landlord, you were allowed to gather.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08How far up do we want to go?
0:11:08 > 0:11:13Well, I should think, to decorate the hall of the farmhouse,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17you're going to need a good ox-cart load.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20(Oh, no!)
0:11:20 > 0:11:23Do you think we need to climb? We might need to, yes.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30Cor! There we go, oh!
0:11:30 > 0:11:34That's fine, right. Oh! Oh-oh!
0:11:38 > 0:11:40Is there much folklore surrounding holly?
0:11:40 > 0:11:43Oh, yes, a great deal, a lot of people believed that
0:11:43 > 0:11:45it shouldn't be brought into the home unless it was Christmas time,
0:11:45 > 0:11:48or, in fact, you shouldn't cut it unless it was Christmas time.
0:11:48 > 0:11:54And locally, on the estate here, up until the 1960s, '70s,
0:11:54 > 0:11:56the woodsmen wouldn't fell holly trees.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00They would pollard them, they'd trim them, but they wouldn't fell them.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04I just think it's a good excuse for them not to get prickled. Yes.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Oh, that's satisfying. Yep.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11And it's stayed together. Marvellous!
0:12:11 > 0:12:13Right, oh!
0:12:17 > 0:12:19While the pig's head cooks,
0:12:19 > 0:12:24Ruth makes a Tudor version of Christmas pudding.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28Ah! Right, I'm going to make some frumenty.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30Frumenty was a popular Tudor dish,
0:12:30 > 0:12:34made by boiling cracked wheat in milk.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38But at Christmas, there were special added ingredients.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41Now to put in the flavouring, and this really is
0:12:41 > 0:12:43the flavour of Christmas.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46Then, like now, the flavours of Christmas
0:12:46 > 0:12:49were dried fruit and spices.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Now that's quite exotic,
0:12:51 > 0:12:55all those raisins coming in from the Mediterranean.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58But the spices, they're truly exotic.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01So, I've ground up a little cinnamon bark.
0:13:01 > 0:13:07Scraped half of a nutmeg and crushed a dried ginger root.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10These have travelled such a distance to get here,
0:13:10 > 0:13:12halfway round the world.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Traded hand to hand by one merchant to the next,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17to the next and the next.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20But that's why people wanted them at Christmas,
0:13:20 > 0:13:24they're just that hint of the luxury of the aristocracy and the royalty.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28They're a taste reminder of the best,
0:13:28 > 0:13:34the most expensive experience, that you could have in Tudor Britain.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38Decorating the house at midwinter is a tradition
0:13:38 > 0:13:40that goes back millennia.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43So, Peter and Tom are making a 'Christmas Crown'
0:13:43 > 0:13:45to hang from the ceiling of their farmhouse.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47Oh, that's good, yeah, yeah, yeah. I like it.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49Oh!
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Although there are records of huge decorated crowns,
0:13:52 > 0:13:56there are no surviving instructions as to how they were made.
0:13:56 > 0:14:01Yeah, I was thinking arching, arching, arching, arching, weaving.
0:14:01 > 0:14:06So, the boys are experimenting. It's going to snap at any moment!
0:14:06 > 0:14:11Oh! I hate this crown. Already, I hate this crown.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14So, we've realised that to keep the tension in these vertical rods,
0:14:14 > 0:14:16we need to actually weight down the middle
0:14:16 > 0:14:18and that way it'll be easier to weave in and out.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20I refuse to be beaten.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23If you're going to be beaten, it'll not be by something like this.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26They're reinforcing the crown, by weaving hazel around the rim,
0:14:26 > 0:14:30using fence building skills that every Tudor farmer would have known.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34Yeah, this is just like wattle work or basketry,
0:14:34 > 0:14:36I suppose this is a giant basket.
0:14:36 > 0:14:41And as we build up, say six inches, we'll have a very solid structure.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49Although this seems over-engineered, if you think about
0:14:49 > 0:14:52a Tudor farmstead, you think about a Tudor cottage,
0:14:52 > 0:14:54it's a huge open space, because you've got a fire
0:14:54 > 0:14:56in the middle of the room.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58And in order to fill that with greenery,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01you need something on this scale, suspended
0:15:01 > 0:15:04and it'll be a fixture, a centrepiece.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06And there are records of people doing this.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Not just, "Oh, some people did this,"
0:15:09 > 0:15:11this was a very, very common thing.
0:15:16 > 0:15:17The crown's structure built,
0:15:17 > 0:15:23the boys are decorating it with foraged holly and ivy.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26This greenery is so symbolic, it's got Christian connotations,
0:15:26 > 0:15:30it's got Pagan connotations, it puts you in the mood, doesn't it, Tom?
0:15:30 > 0:15:34You got something that looks festive, colourful and enjoyable.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49This is our Christmas Crown.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52It's a celebration of colour and Christmas, mate.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54Shall we get it inside?
0:15:54 > 0:15:58I think so.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01The Tudor equivalent of the mince pie was the shred pie.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05As well as containing the familiar dried fruit, cinnamon, ginger
0:16:05 > 0:16:10and nutmeg, there was originally another essential ingredient.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14Meat.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17It's funny, isn't it, that over 500 years, yeah,
0:16:17 > 0:16:21Christmas food has changed, but there's these little sort of threads
0:16:21 > 0:16:26of continuity, particularly that spice and raisin mix.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32Over time, naturally, the spice and the fruit, in particular,
0:16:32 > 0:16:35content rises and rises and rises.
0:16:35 > 0:16:41By 1600, 100 years later, you would have doubled the amount of raisins
0:16:41 > 0:16:45and spices in there at the same sort of cost.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48By 1900, there was next to no meat left at all.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53The Tudor cook didn't have pie tins.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57The technology to make them cheaply didn't come along until the 1800s.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00So, the pastry had to be robust enough
0:17:00 > 0:17:03to support itself in the oven. Oh, God!
0:17:03 > 0:17:05Coming! Hands out the way.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10That goes on top, yeah.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14The pies are then baked in the bread oven.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18I've lit my faggot.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21What a way to light your oven, eh?
0:17:21 > 0:17:24No boring pressing the button.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28It takes this oven about 40 minutes, 45 minutes,
0:17:28 > 0:17:31to get the heat just right and I gauge the temperature
0:17:31 > 0:17:33by watching the flames.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36If you look at the moment, they're very orangey yellow,
0:17:36 > 0:17:39and very vertical, it's really cold in there,
0:17:39 > 0:17:41but as this faggot starts to burn down
0:17:41 > 0:17:46and I start to put the other faggots in, the heat will start to build.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51Push the last bits in.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54You might notice that there's no chimney there.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56The waste gases, the smoke and any other heat
0:17:56 > 0:17:59has to come out the same hole that the wood goes in,
0:17:59 > 0:18:02and that's deliberate. If you put a chimney in, you've totally ruined it,
0:18:02 > 0:18:04it won't work as an oven.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07What I need to do is trap all the heat from the fire.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11It is the SPACE that I'm heating, not the food,
0:18:11 > 0:18:13there's no food anywhere near it at the fire at the moment.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16As these stones get hot, they become the oven.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19When it's hot enough, take the fire out,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22put the food in where the fire used to be
0:18:22 > 0:18:26and the hot stones do the cooking for me.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30In Tudor England, December the 21st was St Thomas's Day,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33when those who couldn't afford to celebrate Christmas
0:18:33 > 0:18:35appealed to the better off for charity.
0:18:35 > 0:18:36KNOCK AT DOOR
0:18:36 > 0:18:38Oh, that must the Thomas's. Hang on!
0:18:38 > 0:18:40It was known as Thomasing.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43I've got a bowl prepared for them already.
0:18:43 > 0:18:48Hi! Hello. Happy Christmas. I got a bowl for you already.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50Thank you very much. There you go. Enjoy it.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52Bye. Bye.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55It was the tradition for poorer members of the community
0:18:55 > 0:18:58to go all round their neighbours, banging on the door,
0:18:58 > 0:19:00begging, I suppose, but in a nice way,
0:19:00 > 0:19:03for some ingredients towards their Christmas dinner.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07And the traditional gift was a big bowl of flour.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10The oven is now up to temperature,
0:19:10 > 0:19:14so the fire is raked out and the pies put in.
0:19:20 > 0:19:25Christmas Eve was the last working day before the holidays began.
0:19:25 > 0:19:30So, final preparations were made for the celebrations ahead.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34The boys are moving their crown into the farmhouse.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38But it appears they've made a rather unfortunate miscalculation.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40What do we do? Look, just tilt it.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44Yeah, OK. I'll go low. I'm humouring you.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47It's not even going to fit in sideways, Tom!
0:19:47 > 0:19:50In, get in.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54Right, cut the strings?
0:19:54 > 0:19:56No, you say no. Go for it, go for it.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59I promise you, I promise you. Ruth said no strings.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01There's obviously a reason why they didn't use string
0:20:01 > 0:20:03in the construction of these things.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11Yeah, we're losing some hazel down here. Oh, are we? Yeah.
0:20:15 > 0:20:16HEAVE!
0:20:16 > 0:20:20Finally, the Christmas Crown takes pride of place in the farmhouse.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24That's good, that's good, that's good there, isn't it?
0:20:24 > 0:20:27Look at that. It's up there.
0:20:27 > 0:20:32I can smell the cooking, can't you? It's good, it's good.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39In the kitchen, the finishing touches
0:20:39 > 0:20:41are being applied to the Christmas Day feast.
0:20:41 > 0:20:47Ruth's decorated the stuffed pig's head.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50There's also pork and ham from the pig.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52Frumenty.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55Shred pies.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57Pease pudding.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59Pickled salads.
0:20:59 > 0:21:04And a Tudor favourite, leach, made from milk set in gelatine.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09Peter's even made some festive candles.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13Apart from the fact I've waxed my fingers to the wick...
0:21:13 > 0:21:15That's a splendid candle.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25Christmas Day.
0:21:25 > 0:21:31In 1500, this was the first of the 12 days of Christmas.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35Celebrations started with Holy Mass in the village church.
0:21:35 > 0:21:41Hoc est corpus meum qui pro vobis tradetum.
0:21:41 > 0:21:47Then, after 24 days of fasting, it was time to begin feasting.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50This is fantastic, you've made such a great job of it.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Did you make it in here?
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Let's go back, that would have been a good idea to make it in here.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59It's almost as good as the food, this is amazing!
0:21:59 > 0:22:01I know, so stuff yourself stupid at Christmas.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03Might be plain, but there's plenty of it.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05Guests. Come on in, come on in!
0:22:05 > 0:22:07Hiya. Hey, hey! Take a pew.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10Do you want to take these seats cos they're nice and tall.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12And we need that, Neal.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14Thanks for coming. Well done!
0:22:14 > 0:22:18As was the custom, Peter, Tom and Ruth
0:22:18 > 0:22:21have invited those who have worked on the farm over the past year,
0:22:21 > 0:22:24to their banquet.
0:22:24 > 0:22:31Benedictus Benedicat per Jesum Christum Dominum Nostrum, amen.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33Amen. ALL: Amen.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41Meals this extravagant, with so much meat,
0:22:41 > 0:22:45would have been a once a year treat for most ordinary people.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48Hmmmm, good. Eat up.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51According to the Tudor theory of food digestion,
0:22:51 > 0:22:53the pork being the closest to the human body... Hmmm.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56..is the thing that gives the most nutrient.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00But unfortunately, it can sometimes overwhelm your system.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04So, if you eat too much pig and pork, and your system isn't up to it,
0:23:04 > 0:23:07it can all go horribly wrong and you can make yourself very ill. Yeah.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11So, you line the base of your stomach with things particularly
0:23:11 > 0:23:14like a pottage, and then you put the grosser meats on top. Hmm.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17And then you close it all off with cheese.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21You know, modern dinning techniques still follows that same
0:23:21 > 0:23:24Medieval digestion, that we still have soup... Yeah, yeah.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27..followed by red meat, followed by the sort of puddingy things. Yeah.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29And then finish with cheese.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38Professor Ronald Hutton, an expert in folklore,
0:23:38 > 0:23:42believes there was a good reason why Romans, Vikings and Christians
0:23:42 > 0:23:44all feasted in December.
0:23:44 > 0:23:49All over ancient Europe, midwinter is a time for celebration.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53It's the worst part of the year, the darkest certainly,
0:23:53 > 0:23:55often the coldest and the muddiest.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58So, you need to keep cheerful.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00And there are always three components.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03First is feasting, which is what we're doing.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06You just bring out your best in order to make a party
0:24:06 > 0:24:07at the worst of the year.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10Second is lighting up your place,
0:24:10 > 0:24:13we got the sunlight streaming pallidly through the windows now.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15In the evening, we'll have logs in the grate,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18we'd have candles blazing.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20And the third thing is greenery,
0:24:20 > 0:24:22which is what the holly and ivy is about.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25It's bringing in whatever is still green in the woods
0:24:25 > 0:24:28to remind us that out there life is still going on.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30It's really good therapy.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33Wassail! ALL: Wassail!
0:24:33 > 0:24:38LAUGHTER AND CHATTER
0:24:43 > 0:24:47Nowadays, Christmas Day is a culmination of the festive season.
0:24:47 > 0:24:53But for the Tudors, there was still 11 days to go.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01The second day of Christmas, now called Boxing Day,
0:25:01 > 0:25:04was the feast of St Stephen.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09For farmers, although no work was done in the fields,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12there was still the animals to check on.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15How many of you are there?
0:25:15 > 0:25:17In the pig pen, there are some new arrivals.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21We're doing minimal farming for the 12 days of Christmas.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23But we're still checking on our animals
0:25:23 > 0:25:27and sure enough, the rustling in the back of the sty
0:25:27 > 0:25:30has turned into the greatest Christmas present ever!
0:25:30 > 0:25:34We have piglets.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36I mean, they're almost purebred Tamworth,
0:25:36 > 0:25:38they have been crossed with another breed
0:25:38 > 0:25:41which hopefully will make them quite hardy and...
0:25:41 > 0:25:44I mean, not only are the piglets healthy and running around,
0:25:44 > 0:25:46but also the mothers, they've come out the sty as well,
0:25:46 > 0:25:48because if they take to their beds for too long
0:25:48 > 0:25:51it could be an indicator of a much more serious illness,
0:25:51 > 0:25:54maybe something like flu, which is a killer.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57But no, they're good, which means the piglets are good.
0:26:00 > 0:26:05Oh! Look what you've done with the place! You've made it all muddy!
0:26:11 > 0:26:15The third day of Christmas was the feast of St John the Apostle.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18The fourth day was the feast of the Holy Innocence.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22Although lay folk didn't work over Christmas,
0:26:22 > 0:26:25few could afford to feast every day.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28For the monasteries however, all the main feast days of Christmas
0:26:28 > 0:26:31were a time for communal celebration.
0:26:31 > 0:26:36Whereas the lay folks' Christmas banquet meant red meat,
0:26:36 > 0:26:39for the monks it was very different.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49Christmas is a time of feasting for everyone in society.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51You ate as much as you could afford to eat,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54and that applied right across the board.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56But in the monasteries, there were still just a,
0:26:56 > 0:27:03a little hint of a nod towards the austerity of an ascetic life.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07Too much red meat stimulated virility,
0:27:07 > 0:27:11and for monks, and indeed, nuns, that was something of a problem.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15So, the feasting that went on within the monasteries over Christmas
0:27:15 > 0:27:19tended to be much more towards the poultry.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22Swans were quite regularly part of people's poultry yards,
0:27:22 > 0:27:27they were kept alongside the geese and the ducks.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30If we are going to help the monks to have a really great Christmas,
0:27:30 > 0:27:36we're going to need to be supplying them with a huge volume of poultry.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Today, swans are a protected species in England,
0:27:39 > 0:27:41so cannot be killed for food.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43But Tudor monasteries would have raised them
0:27:43 > 0:27:49especially for the table. Along with geese, ducks and chicken.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52These were complemented by wild game,
0:27:52 > 0:27:56like pheasant, partridge and woodcock.
0:27:56 > 0:28:01But catching game in an age without shotguns was not easy.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04Falcons were deployed to intercept birds in the air
0:28:04 > 0:28:06and bring them to the ground.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09This is exactly the kind of bird that would have been used
0:28:09 > 0:28:11for specialist fouling, yes.
0:28:11 > 0:28:16Emma and Mike Rafael are teaching Ruth and Tom the art of falconry.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20There were two types of falconer,
0:28:20 > 0:28:23aristocratic amateurs, who practised it as a sport,
0:28:23 > 0:28:27and professionals who captured game for the dinner table.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29You are amazing.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32And how on earth do you get a bird to do this for you?
0:28:32 > 0:28:34You cannot train a bird of prey,
0:28:34 > 0:28:36it's not got the mental aptitude to be trained.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39So, when you go hunting, it's hunting actually for itself.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42You're more witnessing what's going on,
0:28:42 > 0:28:46and hopefully managing to do that in an enclosed area,
0:28:46 > 0:28:48whereby when the bird has caught something
0:28:48 > 0:28:50you can go in, swap it for what's it's caught,
0:28:50 > 0:28:53what it's caught goes in your bag for your table,
0:28:53 > 0:28:56and then you give it some different food on the glove
0:28:56 > 0:29:00to get the bird up to the glove. She'll actually never know who I am
0:29:00 > 0:29:02so she'll never actually come back to me...
0:29:02 > 0:29:04Never be any bond between bird and man... No bond at all.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07There might be between man and bird, but not from bird to man.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10It's one of these things with females, that you love them to bits.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14But you get nothing back whatsoever.
0:29:14 > 0:29:17Not sure what he's trying to say there!
0:29:17 > 0:29:19Although falcons cannot be trained,
0:29:19 > 0:29:25they're hunting instincts can be controlled using a hood.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27Ben Long makes leather hoods for falcons.
0:29:27 > 0:29:32Which can be quickly removed when the bird is required to hunt.
0:29:32 > 0:29:37It's not like sewing, it's more of an engineering project, really.
0:29:42 > 0:29:46Covering a falcon's eyes effectively switches it off.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49So, what did they do before they had the hoods for the falcons?
0:29:49 > 0:29:54Ah, well, that's a strange one, they sewed their eye lids up.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57Now, that sounds awful, but it was called sealing,
0:29:57 > 0:30:01and it was four little silk stitches on the bottom eyelid,
0:30:01 > 0:30:04pulled up, tied nice, nicely over the head.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06Er, but before, as soon as the training commenced
0:30:06 > 0:30:10that was taken away, but, in fact, although it sounds barbaric,
0:30:10 > 0:30:15it, of course, was the nearest thing that they'd got to being humane.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17Because these are birds that only react to things,
0:30:17 > 0:30:20so when the hood is on, there's nothing to react to
0:30:20 > 0:30:23and therefore you're sort of switched off.
0:30:23 > 0:30:27And so if we can put the hood on and switch the bird off,
0:30:27 > 0:30:29switch the bird on when we want the training,
0:30:29 > 0:30:33and everything about the thing becomes easier.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37With their eyes covered, falcons could be safely transported
0:30:37 > 0:30:40to the hunt on a frame known as a cadge.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43If you just lift up the two bars and stand up.
0:30:43 > 0:30:47The cadge was carried by a boy or young man known as a cadger.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49And how comfortable does that feel?
0:30:49 > 0:30:51I've been more comfortable.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54It's like being surrounded by four Samurai warriors.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57When I start moving, if they go crazy... Yeah, yeah, yeah...
0:30:57 > 0:31:00Obviously, I've got to work in my technique. I'm in attendance.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02I'm just going to level you up a bit.
0:31:02 > 0:31:04I feel like I'm in some kind of finishing school,
0:31:04 > 0:31:08I should have a book on my head. Try and keep it steady as possible.
0:31:08 > 0:31:12Although this was a menial job, it was an important one,
0:31:12 > 0:31:15as the cadger was responsible for valuable cargo.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18The punishment for damaging birds were quite severe, weren't they?
0:31:18 > 0:31:22Well, yes, stealing or damaging. Er, very!
0:31:22 > 0:31:24Chopping off hands and that kind of thing?
0:31:24 > 0:31:27Well, there's even, there's even talk of er, you know, er,
0:31:27 > 0:31:30things like carving meat off your chest
0:31:30 > 0:31:34and feeding it to the bird that got injured or stolen.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38Falcons must get accustomed to being handled by humans,
0:31:38 > 0:31:41and learn to respond to food.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45Then the hood comes off and then he should see the lure and let him go.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49Your job is to shout, 'ho' which will get his attention.
0:31:49 > 0:31:51Ho!
0:31:51 > 0:31:54Young birds are encouraged to fly from one falconer to another,
0:31:54 > 0:31:57lured by a piece of meat. Fantastic.
0:31:57 > 0:32:01Next, they must practice flying free.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03You only get one shot at this, right,
0:32:03 > 0:32:05so it's got to be spot on.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08A lure, meat on the end of a string,
0:32:08 > 0:32:12is thrown up to get the falcon used to catching game.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15When you think that they got the distance right,
0:32:15 > 0:32:17the speed of the bird right,
0:32:17 > 0:32:19and this is all going on inside your head.
0:32:19 > 0:32:21You shout, "Ho", and then you throw it up in the air
0:32:21 > 0:32:24and the bird takes it, like that. What could go wrong?
0:32:24 > 0:32:27As simple as that. As easy as that.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35Hey! Well done!
0:32:35 > 0:32:39Success! That's it. And the hood is off.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42Raise it up. And just let nature take its course.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48This is going to be a real high one.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51Shout, "Ho". Ho. And up now, now.
0:32:51 > 0:32:55Oh, well done! That was precision throwing.
0:32:55 > 0:32:59He takes no prisoners, this bird!
0:33:03 > 0:33:05The game birds caught by falcons
0:33:05 > 0:33:07were taken to the monastery's kitchen
0:33:07 > 0:33:10to be prepared for the table.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12Ruth and Tom are joining kitchen staff
0:33:12 > 0:33:18who, unlike farmers, worked throughout Christmas.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21When you're roasting as well, you want skin to stay whole,
0:33:21 > 0:33:23so when you're plucking you don't want to tear it if you can avoid it.
0:33:23 > 0:33:27Ah! Well. So, it's got to look as nice as it's going to taste?
0:33:27 > 0:33:29It's got to look as nice as it's going to taste.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32This is the expensive meat, the posh meat.
0:33:32 > 0:33:34Rather than chicken, you know you think,
0:33:34 > 0:33:37"It's all this work for these tiny little birds." Yeah.
0:33:37 > 0:33:40But that's the point. People want to show off the whole bird,
0:33:40 > 0:33:44and they want it to turn up on the table in a recognisable form,
0:33:44 > 0:33:47so with the beak and heads. Oh, everything on?
0:33:47 > 0:33:50As much on as possible. So that when it turns up to table...
0:33:50 > 0:33:53Yeah. You know they're going to go, "Oh, yes, well you know, sir,
0:33:53 > 0:33:56"my falcon brought down those wood pop cock!"
0:33:56 > 0:33:58You know that, that's the point. Yeah.
0:33:58 > 0:34:02And it symbolises something that the rest of us can only...
0:34:02 > 0:34:05pluck for somebody else.
0:34:11 > 0:34:15The fifth day of Christmas was also one of the most important,
0:34:15 > 0:34:19the feast of St Thomas Beckett.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21Beckett was the Archbishop of Canterbury
0:34:21 > 0:34:24murdered during Christmas 1170,
0:34:24 > 0:34:28after challenging the King's authority over the Church.
0:34:33 > 0:34:37It was observed with a banquet and a Mass.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44The choir is performing a Christmas antiphon,
0:34:44 > 0:34:47the precursor to a modern hymn.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52Professor James Clark explains its origins.
0:34:52 > 0:34:57This has evolved over centuries of Medieval Christian worship.
0:34:57 > 0:35:02And, in the reign of Henry VII, it's really reaching its high point.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10This was a new style of singing that was being adopted
0:35:10 > 0:35:12in the late 1400s.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15To create that variety of vocal sound,
0:35:15 > 0:35:19they've brought in professional adult singers and the boys.
0:35:19 > 0:35:23And so they can have the richness of the different voice parts
0:35:23 > 0:35:26coming together to create that wonderful, wonderful sound.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36It's a real assault on the senses. You know, you've got the music,
0:35:36 > 0:35:39you got the candles, a building like this. The smell.
0:35:39 > 0:35:43You'd be overawed, wouldn't you? You would.
0:35:43 > 0:35:48In fact we know at this time of year that they spend more on candles.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51In parishes, they would rival each other to have the most
0:35:51 > 0:35:53richly-illuminated church.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58And the monks would hope that everybody witnessing
0:35:58 > 0:36:01this sensory experience would be transported -
0:36:01 > 0:36:05transported towards a sense of the divine and of course
0:36:05 > 0:36:08that's what they're aiming for at this particular time of year.
0:36:22 > 0:36:27Tudor monasteries were hierarchical and strictly organised.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30Right, boys, it's the time of year when we have to choose a boy bishop.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33But at Christmas, for one day only, rules were relaxed
0:36:33 > 0:36:36and roles reversed.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39These are the Boy Bishop Revels
0:36:39 > 0:36:43and the boys who attend the grammar school that the monks have
0:36:43 > 0:36:47set up, they're being allowed to let their hair down,
0:36:47 > 0:36:52after all of their hard work, to subvert authority a little bit.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55So this year's boy bishop is Josh.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57And we'll get you dressed.
0:36:58 > 0:37:04So they elect one of their favourite fellow school boys,
0:37:04 > 0:37:07to become bishop for a few hours.
0:37:07 > 0:37:12Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15It's letting off steam a little bit. It's a little safety valve,
0:37:15 > 0:37:18in a society that's so very rigidly ordered.
0:37:18 > 0:37:19Yes, that's right.
0:37:19 > 0:37:23This is a society that not only has a strong sense of social
0:37:23 > 0:37:27hierarchy but also understands that everybody has their allotted role.
0:37:28 > 0:37:32And for these boys, they've lived under that authority
0:37:32 > 0:37:36throughout the year and now they can turn the tables.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43Role reversal at Christmas happened throughout Tudor society.
0:37:44 > 0:37:48In schools, pupils took over by locking out staff for a day.
0:37:49 > 0:37:53And even the aristocracy got in on the act,
0:37:53 > 0:37:56allowing a peasant to take charge of the celebrations.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03In the kitchens, final preparations are being made
0:38:03 > 0:38:04for the monks' banquet.
0:38:10 > 0:38:12Tom's been given a job at the very
0:38:12 > 0:38:15bottom of the kitchen hierarchy - the spit boy.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18A bit of garnish.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21I'm just staying out the way. Ruth's probably angry with me over here.
0:38:21 > 0:38:24I can't do anything wrong per se. I've got the fire going.
0:38:24 > 0:38:27A spit boy rose at dawn to light the fire,
0:38:27 > 0:38:30working all day in unbearable heat.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33I think we might need to do a bit of a rearrange.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35I've got 14 pigeons and I thought if we just
0:38:35 > 0:38:36sit them in a nice little row...
0:38:36 > 0:38:39This is so typical. I have everything under control -
0:38:39 > 0:38:42nice fire, good food. Then you come along with your 14 pigeons!
0:38:42 > 0:38:45Well, we've got to feed a lot of people!
0:38:45 > 0:38:48So we've got all the pigeons to get through.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51We've got partridge to get through, we've got geese to get through
0:38:51 > 0:38:53and then we got all those ducks as well.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55And there's a couple of pheasants. So you are...
0:38:55 > 0:38:58Those monks are going to eat well, aren't they?
0:38:58 > 0:38:59Yeah, it's Christmas, mate. Yeah.
0:39:02 > 0:39:04In a refectory, the feast is served.
0:39:06 > 0:39:10The centrepiece of the banquet was a magnificent swan pie.
0:39:12 > 0:39:14Once the meat was removed and put in the pie,
0:39:14 > 0:39:18the swan's feathers were stuffed and placed on top.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22Swan was one of the most expensive and luxurious dishes,
0:39:22 > 0:39:24so a show was made of its presentation.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33The food just looks magnificent, doesn't it?
0:39:33 > 0:39:34Those monks do very well.
0:39:34 > 0:39:36Yeah, well, it is Christmas.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54The seventh day of Christmas was New Year's Eve.
0:39:56 > 0:40:00Christmas gave people some rare time for recreation
0:40:00 > 0:40:04and the usual restrictions on the playing of games in public were lifted.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08But there was an expectation that some of that holiday spirit
0:40:08 > 0:40:12would be channelled into something useful, like archery.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16I suppose both Henry VII and Henry VIII put in base legislation
0:40:16 > 0:40:20to protect archery. I suppose it was being threatened by other sports.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23Yeah, I mean, people were starting to spend their Sunday afternoons
0:40:23 > 0:40:24playing things like football.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26And what happened to that?!
0:40:26 > 0:40:29Yeah, quite! So the government is all... The Kings will say,
0:40:29 > 0:40:33"We need you out there practising your archery, chaps." You know?
0:40:38 > 0:40:41Archer, Derek Hutchinson, is teaching the team the basics.
0:40:42 > 0:40:46So at this short range you've got to put the point below the target.
0:40:46 > 0:40:48One smooth motion, get there and just let go.
0:40:48 > 0:40:50Smooth and controlled, go.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53Look at that, woo!
0:40:55 > 0:40:58So this is something that every boy and every man
0:40:58 > 0:41:01up and down the country had to do every Sunday.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04That's it and you wouldn't want to be at that end of it.
0:41:04 > 0:41:08Men aged between 17 and 60 had to practise archery after church.
0:41:08 > 0:41:12The entire British armed forces depended upon men like you.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16And every boy in the land was expected to have a bow and arrows.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20We get you so used to the idea that fighting is done by professional soldiers.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23But it just wasn't. There were no such people at this date.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27It is ordinary farming people who, if the call goes up,
0:41:27 > 0:41:30you're supposed to turn out.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33Archery practice would take place in open spaces where targets
0:41:33 > 0:41:35known as butts were set up.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40Derek has organised a competition for the team.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43Closest arrow to the red flag wins.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46Go, go, go. More, more, more, more, more, more, another inch, go.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49There. Don't panic about it.
0:41:49 > 0:41:53Tudor long bows had a draw weight of up to 170 lbs.
0:41:53 > 0:41:57They're in line with the flag and they're beyond. To the right.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59That's three times that of a modern bow.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02So how far can one of these go then?
0:42:02 > 0:42:07If something like this can get that far then a really good archer...
0:42:07 > 0:42:12John's big one will go about 220 yards. 220 yards!
0:42:12 > 0:42:15And the record for a longbow is over 300, easily.
0:42:15 > 0:42:19That's a long way. That's with a proper heavy arrow.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28It's time to see how the team have fared.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31Oh, look at this one! No! What? No!
0:42:33 > 0:42:35That is...
0:42:35 > 0:42:38two and a bit metres.
0:42:38 > 0:42:39You know the worst thing?
0:42:39 > 0:42:43Everyone will think that we just put that arrow there for the sake of TV.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46Genuinely close as well. You were genuinely close.
0:42:46 > 0:42:48It's just, you two have won.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58The eighth day of Christmas was New Year's Day,
0:42:58 > 0:43:00another opportunity for revelry.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06Unlike today, where seeing in the New Year marks
0:43:06 > 0:43:10the end of the holidays, the Tudors had another four days to go.
0:43:16 > 0:43:19But the biggest party was saved until the very end,
0:43:19 > 0:43:22on the Twelfth Night, the 5th January.
0:43:22 > 0:43:26I've been feeding such large numbers for so many days now.
0:43:28 > 0:43:34This is going to be the final blast of our 12 days of feasting.
0:43:35 > 0:43:37On the Twelfth Night there was music,
0:43:37 > 0:43:42abundant food and alcohol and an especially indulgent treat -
0:43:42 > 0:43:44Twelfth Night cake.
0:43:44 > 0:43:49I'm going to use eggs and butter in large quantities
0:43:49 > 0:43:51and work them in to enrich it.
0:43:55 > 0:43:59Italian panettone is the nearest thing the modern world has.
0:43:59 > 0:44:01And I just keep going.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11Oh! Now I start with the flavours.
0:44:11 > 0:44:13So we're back on the Christmas flavours.
0:44:16 > 0:44:17A handful of raisins.
0:44:20 > 0:44:22We're getting a bit low on raisins.
0:44:22 > 0:44:25So I thought we'd have some nuts in this one as well.
0:44:25 > 0:44:27Plenty of hazelnuts.
0:44:28 > 0:44:32And last little bits of my spice that I've been saving.
0:44:32 > 0:44:36There's one more addition to the cake, a precursor to the sixpence
0:44:36 > 0:44:40that Victorians put in their Christmas puddings.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43One tiny little lonely dried pea.
0:44:43 > 0:44:45So the little pea goes in the middle there
0:44:45 > 0:44:49and whoever finds that pea will be our Lord of Misrule for the night.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54The Lord of Misrule would lead the celebrations.
0:44:54 > 0:44:58Like the boy bishop, he represented role reversal
0:44:58 > 0:45:00and subverting normal social order.
0:45:00 > 0:45:03For a few hours a peasant would have permission
0:45:03 > 0:45:05to order his master about.
0:45:07 > 0:45:09The Lord of Misrule would dress as a king
0:45:09 > 0:45:12and Peter's putting together a costume for the occasion.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16First he's making a crown out of felt,
0:45:16 > 0:45:18a fabric produced by matting wool fibres together.
0:45:19 > 0:45:23Felt is such an amazing material. It's perhaps one of the oldest
0:45:23 > 0:45:27fabrics known to man and that is essentially
0:45:27 > 0:45:30my inspiration for making a crown for the Lord of Misrule.
0:45:32 > 0:45:35Layers of sheep's fleece are laid down with their fibres
0:45:35 > 0:45:37at opposing angles.
0:45:37 > 0:45:39Got some red dye in there.
0:45:40 > 0:45:44A bit of green, a bit of red, are very Christmassy colours,
0:45:44 > 0:45:45the holly, the ivy.
0:45:50 > 0:45:54And wisp this over the top. Like a woollen mist,
0:45:54 > 0:45:57through which our Christmas colours will glow.
0:45:58 > 0:46:02Boiling water and soap are poured onto the wool,
0:46:02 > 0:46:03then Peter agitates it.
0:46:05 > 0:46:07Oh! Hot potato.
0:46:08 > 0:46:10Oh! Jeez, that's hot. Ah!
0:46:12 > 0:46:14There's got to be an easier way to do this.
0:46:16 > 0:46:18Necessity is the mother of invention, as they say.
0:46:20 > 0:46:24This agitation interconnects the fibres into a solid mass.
0:46:24 > 0:46:27The scales are opening up. They're locking together.
0:46:27 > 0:46:31They're closing again so it's virtually impossible to unfelt felt.
0:46:37 > 0:46:41Right, so I think this is ready for the next stage of agitation.
0:46:46 > 0:46:48Just want to just keep working those fibres.
0:46:50 > 0:46:51This is going to be very,
0:46:51 > 0:46:54very similar to I suppose a party hat you might get in a cracker.
0:46:56 > 0:46:59Perfect accoutrement to the Lord of Misrule.
0:47:06 > 0:47:08And there we have it.
0:47:08 > 0:47:10When I sew this up,
0:47:10 > 0:47:14hopefully we have a crown fit for a Lord of Misrule.
0:47:14 > 0:47:16Right, chaos!
0:47:17 > 0:47:19No-one else here. Hm, right.
0:47:29 > 0:47:31Tom's visiting Sean Jones,
0:47:31 > 0:47:34to get some instruments to play at the revels.
0:47:34 > 0:47:36In an age without recorded music,
0:47:36 > 0:47:40singing, dancing and playing instruments were essential
0:47:40 > 0:47:42ingredients of a Tudor Christmas party.
0:47:44 > 0:47:47Reed pipes are what everybody played, through history,
0:47:47 > 0:47:49made out of the stems of plants. This is teasel.
0:47:49 > 0:47:51So all you really need is a knife. Absolutely.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54And you have to make your own musical instrument.
0:47:54 > 0:47:56To move from this to a fancier instrument,
0:47:56 > 0:47:59we're going to make it out of wood. It's going to last...
0:47:59 > 0:48:01Based on the same principle as the teasel pipe,
0:48:01 > 0:48:03Sean's making Tudor bagpipes.
0:48:03 > 0:48:07First, wooden poles are hollowed out to make the pipes.
0:48:09 > 0:48:12Though Scottish bagpipes are the most well-known today,
0:48:12 > 0:48:15they were once just as popular in England
0:48:15 > 0:48:20and have been played throughout Europe since the 15th century.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22Start to pare down the outside.
0:48:22 > 0:48:24That is amazingly quick.
0:48:24 > 0:48:27I imagine it's one of those jobs you could actually end up taking
0:48:27 > 0:48:29too much and you're just trying to perfect.
0:48:29 > 0:48:31It's... There's no way back.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34You have to think about the shape of the thing that you're making
0:48:34 > 0:48:36and not get distracted really from that.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41So what are you doing now?
0:48:41 > 0:48:43This is the final polish.
0:48:43 > 0:48:46What's this material you're using? Is that sandpaper?
0:48:46 > 0:48:49It's... Well, it doesn't exist yet. Oh! It's a piece of dogfish skin.
0:48:49 > 0:48:51Dogfish? Yeah. The scales are very sharp.
0:48:51 > 0:48:54They only run one way, so you have to hold it the right way round.
0:48:54 > 0:48:56But it cuts nicely.
0:48:56 > 0:49:00The drone pipes are made in two sections that must be joined together.
0:49:00 > 0:49:03Yeah. Well, these form parts of the drone which goes over
0:49:03 > 0:49:06the shoulder and they need to be adjustable
0:49:06 > 0:49:10because the length of the drone fixes the pitch it plays at.
0:49:10 > 0:49:12I want to tune it to the chanter.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15So I need to make an airtight join between these two and let them
0:49:15 > 0:49:18still slide. And the way I'm going to do that... Thank you.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21..is with the thread, with lapping. You just wrap it round.
0:49:21 > 0:49:24Yes, lap it on and make a nice tight,
0:49:24 > 0:49:28airtight joint between the two which is adjustable.
0:49:29 > 0:49:31We've done all the woodwork for our bagpipes now,
0:49:31 > 0:49:34and we're going to do the bag. How you doing that?
0:49:34 > 0:49:36I've got an awl to make the hole with
0:49:36 > 0:49:40and then I'm sewing with hogs bristles on the end of the thread.
0:49:40 > 0:49:42So... It's very flexible... ..flexible but quite strong.
0:49:42 > 0:49:45Yeah, it means you can actually sew round corners.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48The difficult part is actually attaching them to the thread.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51But once they're on, they make a flexible needle that'll go
0:49:51 > 0:49:53through a hole as small as a thread.
0:49:53 > 0:49:56It's thought that the bags evolved from leather water carriers
0:49:56 > 0:49:57used by shepherds.
0:49:57 > 0:50:01Connecting them to teasel pipes produced the first bagpipes.
0:50:01 > 0:50:03So what does the reed do?
0:50:03 > 0:50:05Well, the reed actually makes the noise.
0:50:05 > 0:50:08The chanter at the end of the day is a stick with holes in
0:50:08 > 0:50:11and a bore down the middle. The reed.
0:50:11 > 0:50:14There's two blades that beat together, erm,
0:50:14 > 0:50:18let the air through, opening and closing all the time.
0:50:18 > 0:50:21And when we put it in the bore, the pitch of the reed drops
0:50:21 > 0:50:24and it makes the instrument resonate.
0:50:27 > 0:50:29So it's a bit deeper this, isn't it?
0:50:29 > 0:50:34It is. It's lower pitch and obviously the pitch of the note depends on the length of the tube.
0:50:34 > 0:50:37So all the pieces are now made. We just got to put it together.
0:50:37 > 0:50:39Yeah.
0:50:57 > 0:50:59Brilliant.
0:51:03 > 0:51:06As the Twelfth Night approached, as well as preparing for a final
0:51:06 > 0:51:10feast, farmers also got ready for the return to work.
0:51:16 > 0:51:19To ensure a bountiful harvest, farmers asked the monastery
0:51:19 > 0:51:23to bless a relic of a saint, and parade it across their land.
0:51:28 > 0:51:32Professor James Clark has come to explain the ritual.
0:51:32 > 0:51:37So what would we as tenants be hoping this would achieve for us?
0:51:37 > 0:51:41You would hope that because of the presence of the relic,
0:51:41 > 0:51:45there would be a charge of the spiritual power.
0:51:47 > 0:51:51That would ensure a good farming year,
0:51:51 > 0:51:56the right climate for crops to grow and for the livestock to thrive.
0:51:57 > 0:52:01You bring the relic and crops grow. It's almost like a magic amulet.
0:52:01 > 0:52:05Yes, that's right, that there is a sense in which this again is
0:52:05 > 0:52:09a tangible link to something that is very intangible,
0:52:09 > 0:52:13something that is charged with a kind of supernatural air,
0:52:13 > 0:52:17and there would be hope amongst the onlookers that something
0:52:17 > 0:52:18supernatural would happen here.
0:52:24 > 0:52:27The Twelfth Night was the culmination of the Tudor Christmas.
0:52:32 > 0:52:35In the farmhouse the celebrations are under way.
0:52:38 > 0:52:40Twelfth Night cake, everyone.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43Who's lucky night is it going to be?
0:52:46 > 0:52:48With abundant food and drink consumed,
0:52:48 > 0:52:52it's time to select the Lord of Misrule for the evening.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55Who's got the pea? Who's got the pea? Who...
0:53:00 > 0:53:02I have made a crown.
0:53:09 > 0:53:12And we have our Lord of Misrule.
0:53:12 > 0:53:13Yeah!
0:53:15 > 0:53:20For most of the year you must toil. Tonight you may make festivity.
0:53:20 > 0:53:23Yeah!
0:53:25 > 0:53:27I proclaim misrule.
0:53:36 > 0:53:38It's an idea that has come from ancient Rome
0:53:38 > 0:53:42where at Saturnalia, the feast of midwinter, a slave used to be
0:53:42 > 0:53:46put in charge of noble households in order to turn the world
0:53:46 > 0:53:52topsy-turvy and devise party games and entertainments for midwinter.
0:53:52 > 0:53:56The Lord of Misrule has called for a game to be played.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04The egg game was a Tudor favourite.
0:54:04 > 0:54:08An egg was tossed back and forth as the players moved further apart.
0:54:08 > 0:54:09The first to drop it lost.
0:54:15 > 0:54:19Oh, Peter lost! Peter lost! I win, I win, I win!
0:54:23 > 0:54:25Another popular game was snapdragon.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27It's fallen over.
0:54:27 > 0:54:30Raisins soaked in brandy were set alight.
0:54:30 > 0:54:32Just one Peter, just one. Ow!
0:54:32 > 0:54:36The person who dared to retrieve the most raisins was the winner.
0:54:50 > 0:54:53Next, the revellers would head out carol singing,
0:54:53 > 0:54:56known as wassailing, accompanied by the bagpipes.
0:55:02 > 0:55:05They're singing a Tudor carol, The Boars Head,
0:55:05 > 0:55:08describing the traditional sacrifice of a boar at Christmas.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13Carols are something that first comes to the fore in the 14th
0:55:13 > 0:55:16and 15th century and their heyday is just about now.
0:55:18 > 0:55:22They'd started way back in the 12th, 13th century as a sort of sun dance.
0:55:22 > 0:55:26You sang to provide your own music as you danced in a circle.
0:55:26 > 0:55:27That's what a carol was.
0:55:27 > 0:55:31But by 1500, the dance and the song had become separate
0:55:31 > 0:55:35and there was this whole new crop of Christmas-orientated carols.
0:55:42 > 0:55:44ALL: Wassail!
0:55:45 > 0:55:48We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Ding Dong Merrily on High,
0:55:48 > 0:55:52In Dulce Jubilo and the Coventry Carol all have their roots
0:55:52 > 0:55:53in this period.
0:55:57 > 0:56:01Wassailers moved from house to house receiving food
0:56:01 > 0:56:03and drink in exchange for good will.
0:56:06 > 0:56:09I'll tell you what, those bagpipes sound fantastic.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11Yeah, I know. They are absolutely perfect
0:56:11 > 0:56:14although I can't hear them over your triangle!
0:56:14 > 0:56:16I know, I'm not sure that's music.
0:56:23 > 0:56:25Shh, shh, shh.
0:56:47 > 0:56:49While the carol singers process round the village,
0:56:49 > 0:56:53Tom and Peter have some important business to attend to.
0:56:54 > 0:56:57Even though it's Christmas, you've got to think about the smallest
0:56:57 > 0:56:59members of the farm.
0:56:59 > 0:57:02No exactly, we've got to go and check on our piglets,
0:57:02 > 0:57:04they're going to be our sustenance, they're going to be our money.
0:57:04 > 0:57:06Dude, it's Christmas!
0:57:06 > 0:57:08Give them a break from the butcher's knife.
0:57:17 > 0:57:20Look at that. All snuggled together with their mums.
0:57:21 > 0:57:24We're happy. They're happy. I feel quite content.
0:57:26 > 0:57:30Merry Christmas, little pigs. We'll see you in the morning.
0:57:47 > 0:57:50May you live as long as you want to and want to as long as you live.
0:57:50 > 0:57:52ALL: Hooray!
0:57:58 > 0:58:02The Tudor farmer would make the most of this last night of revelry...
0:58:04 > 0:58:06..as the next day it was back to work.
0:58:08 > 0:58:11The first Monday after Christmas was Plough Monday
0:58:11 > 0:58:13and the farming year would begin all over again.