0:00:04 > 0:00:08500 years ago, England was emerging into a new era.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13After years of war, plague and famine,
0:00:13 > 0:00:16the kingdom was enjoying peace and prosperity
0:00:16 > 0:00:20under the reign of the first Tudor king - Henry VII.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27A new class of business-savvy farmer was thriving,
0:00:27 > 0:00:29boosting food production.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32And then over she goes.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36While wool from their sheep was generating half the nation's wealth.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42Many of the nation's farms were under the control of the biggest
0:00:42 > 0:00:44landowner in England after the king -
0:00:44 > 0:00:46the monasteries.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51Their influence could be felt in every aspect of daily life.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54They were not just places of religion,
0:00:54 > 0:00:59they were at the forefront of technology, education and farming.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04But with the daily lives of monks devoted to prayer
0:01:04 > 0:01:07they depended increasingly on tenant farmers,
0:01:07 > 0:01:09who worked and tended their lands.
0:01:10 > 0:01:11Steady girl.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Now historian Ruth Goodman
0:01:17 > 0:01:21and archaeologists Tom Pinfold and Peter Ginn
0:01:21 > 0:01:24are turning the clock back to Tudor England,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27here at Weald and Downland in West Sussex,
0:01:27 > 0:01:29to work as ordinary farmers
0:01:29 > 0:01:32under the watchful eye of a monastic landlord.
0:01:38 > 0:01:39That's the way, nice.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43To succeed they'll have to master long lost farming methods.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45Watch those flanks, they're going again.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49And get to grips with Tudor technology.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51SCREAMING
0:01:52 > 0:01:54Quite noisy.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56It's a really violent process.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59While immersing themselves in the beliefs...
0:01:59 > 0:02:00- ALL:- Amen.
0:02:00 > 0:02:01..customs...
0:02:03 > 0:02:05..and rituals that shaped the age.
0:02:06 > 0:02:11This is merry England for heaven's sake, so to speak, let's enjoy it.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13SCREAMING
0:02:13 > 0:02:17This is the untold story of the monastic farms of Tudor England.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32In 1500, England was at a crossroads.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37The subsistence farming of the medieval era
0:02:37 > 0:02:40was giving way to a modern spirit of commercialisation.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46A world dominated by the Church and the rhythm of farming
0:02:46 > 0:02:49was now opening up to a new force -
0:02:49 > 0:02:51money.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54As great landowners, the monasteries had capitalised
0:02:54 > 0:02:59on their land and their tenants for centuries...
0:02:59 > 0:03:01controlling everything, from crop production
0:03:01 > 0:03:05to new technologies and trading relationships with merchants.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12But now as more and more monastic farms were being rented out,
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Tudor tenant farmers realised that they too
0:03:15 > 0:03:16could make a profit from the land.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21Ruth is doing the monthly accounts.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23In 1500, those farmers who are in a position
0:03:23 > 0:03:27to rent large parcels of land from people like the monasteries,
0:03:27 > 0:03:32were becoming much more businessmen, and perhaps businesswomen.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36They were thinking much more in terms of profit and loss
0:03:36 > 0:03:41and, erm, accumulated wealth than perhaps had been the case before.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44I mean, this is a moment which farming is beginning to change
0:03:44 > 0:03:46into something that's closer
0:03:46 > 0:03:50to the buying and selling and trading and merchant thinking
0:03:50 > 0:03:52that we're so accustomed to these days.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57But for even the most industrious farmers,
0:03:57 > 0:03:59the farming calendar was still shaped
0:03:59 > 0:04:01by the cycle of religious festivals.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05It's May and the feast of Whitsun,
0:04:05 > 0:04:06also known as Pentecost,
0:04:06 > 0:04:08is on the horizon -
0:04:08 > 0:04:11traditionally celebrated with a special market day.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13Falling seven weeks after Easter,
0:04:13 > 0:04:17it commemorated the descent of the Holy Spirit to Jesus' disciples.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22Although the team's main income will come from their sheep,
0:04:22 > 0:04:26Tom and Peter have also been raising geese to sell.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30We've got two sitting over there, and six very angry ones there.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35So we're going to have a load of little goslings pretty soon.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38That's very exciting. Just hope these ones come out then.
0:04:38 > 0:04:39A bit of hissing starting up.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47They look pretty good condition, those ones, don't they?
0:04:47 > 0:04:49This is when it gets exciting though.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54They're certainly good mothers, aren't they?
0:04:54 > 0:04:56Cos they're hissing, they're protecting their nests.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59Yeah. I'm always a little wary of being in here.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02So if we don't feed them in here, they might not go out for food,
0:05:02 > 0:05:04so they'll start losing condition,
0:05:04 > 0:05:06they won't be able to rear their young properly,
0:05:06 > 0:05:07we'll have massive problems,
0:05:07 > 0:05:11but little bit of, er, pottage goes a long way.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Looks better than it did last night actually in my opinion.
0:05:14 > 0:05:15HE LAUGHS
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Most rural households, including monastic ones,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21kept geese for their eggs, meat and fat,
0:05:21 > 0:05:23which was used in medicine.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25GOOSE HISSES
0:05:25 > 0:05:28Back in the Tudor times, good source of revenue.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30Exactly, and we are here to make money.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32We, we've got Whitsun fair coming up,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35so it might be nice to take a couple of our geese to market.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38Especially since we've got little goslings coming on.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45In 1500, the farming landscape was very different.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Common lands had not yet been enclosed
0:05:49 > 0:05:52and farmers had the right to graze their animals
0:05:52 > 0:05:54on lush upland pastures -
0:05:54 > 0:05:56kept fresh and green by the wet climate.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02It meant sheep produced longer, fuller fleeces,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05putting English wool in great demand.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08Raw fleece and woollen cloth
0:06:08 > 0:06:11accounted for 75% of England's exports.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16For hundreds of years the monasteries had dominated the trade,
0:06:16 > 0:06:19keeping huge flocks of up to 20,000 sheep.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24May was the time of year for flocks to be driven from the uplands
0:06:24 > 0:06:26back to the farm,
0:06:26 > 0:06:30for the most profitable job in a sheep farmer's calendar - shearing.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36Claire King is an expert in the history of shepherding.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38She's making some Tudor style crooks to control
0:06:38 > 0:06:40the sheep on the journey -
0:06:40 > 0:06:42made from hollow cow horns.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47- So your mud, stones goes in there. - Yep.
0:06:47 > 0:06:48And basically you just swing it.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Yes, almost like a slingshot.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53Are these going to be any good for controlling our sheep?
0:06:53 > 0:06:56They will be in the confined spaces of the lanes.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59If you've got a gap you don't want them to go through,
0:06:59 > 0:07:00or they're hesitating,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03then you can throw some stones ahead of them
0:07:03 > 0:07:06and that will frighten them out of that gap.
0:07:06 > 0:07:07- Yeah.- That's the plan.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10- Obviously they've got a practical purpose.- Mm-hmm.
0:07:10 > 0:07:11They do look quite fun.
0:07:11 > 0:07:12They are fun.
0:07:15 > 0:07:16RUTH: Hopeless.
0:07:16 > 0:07:17I just missed them entirely.
0:07:18 > 0:07:23The crooks, known as hulets, were invaluable to the Tudor shepherd
0:07:23 > 0:07:27who looked after a whole community's sheep in the wide-open countryside.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30- Oh, that was a bit better. - Oh, yeah, that's better.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33Whee!
0:07:36 > 0:07:39But gathering the sheep out in the open was a difficult task.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43In addition to the crooks, the team have enlisted the help of Bess,
0:07:43 > 0:07:47and her owner Hugh Emerson, to drive the flock back to the farm.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52- Sheep naturally flock together. - Right.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55So that's an essential characteristic of sheep.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57There are only really three commands -
0:07:57 > 0:08:01go left, go right and stop.
0:08:01 > 0:08:02That's the key one.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04That's the key one. Nice and simple then.
0:08:04 > 0:08:05If you don't stop your dog,
0:08:05 > 0:08:08then she'll just drive them off and they'll disappear.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12If you've got those three commands, your dog will work sheep.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14Walk on. Go on, Bess. Go on, Bess.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Getting them moving.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19Bess is a bearded collie, a traditional sheepdog.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21Bess, this way. Bess, here to me.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26The breed traces its roots back to 16th-century Scotland.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30You see how she drops her head down to the ground, can't you?
0:08:30 > 0:08:32- She's tracking them.- Yeah. - She actually tracks them, Bessy.
0:08:32 > 0:08:34They don't seem too spooked at the moment.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Bess, Bess, this way. Bess, here to me.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41Go on, Bess. Go on, Bess. Walk on.
0:08:41 > 0:08:42Worth her weight in gold, eh?
0:08:44 > 0:08:48Once out of the field, the team need to get the sheep down the lane
0:08:48 > 0:08:50and back to the farm.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52Oi! They're off.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54Crook time, isn't it?
0:08:54 > 0:08:55Oh.
0:08:56 > 0:08:57And that did nothing.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59SHE LAUGHS
0:08:59 > 0:09:03Come on, sheep. Heh! Heh, heh.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05Good sheep, they know where they want to go.
0:09:05 > 0:09:06They'll get there.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08Tudor shepherds lived on a knife edge.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11Disease commonly claimed up to a third of their flocks.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15So safeguarding healthy sheep was vital.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21Watch those flanks, they're going again. Stay on the lane.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24These crooks are actually pretty good, erm...
0:09:24 > 0:09:27I'm going for the scattergun approach with stones.
0:09:29 > 0:09:30Love it.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32SHE LAUGHS
0:09:32 > 0:09:36That... Oh, they've seen the grass now, no bother now.
0:09:36 > 0:09:37Yeah.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43Safely back, there's one more job to do in preparation for shearing.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50Because sheep were so valuable,
0:09:50 > 0:09:51the farming manuals of the day
0:09:51 > 0:09:53had plenty of advice on how to rear them.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58To secure a good price it was recommended that sheep must be
0:09:58 > 0:10:02well washed before their fleeces were removed.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04Yeah, who's going in first, you, me or the sheep?
0:10:05 > 0:10:09Normally sheep would have been washed by swimming in deep water,
0:10:09 > 0:10:11but the pond on the farm is shallow
0:10:11 > 0:10:14so the team have decided to wash them by hand.
0:10:15 > 0:10:16Sheep seems happy.
0:10:16 > 0:10:17Is she coming up clean?
0:10:18 > 0:10:19No.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22Not really compared to before, to be honest.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24We want to get all the dirt out the fleece,
0:10:24 > 0:10:26not just so you've got a nice clean fleece at the end,
0:10:26 > 0:10:30but also if the shears come across anything it will blunten them.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32But things aren't going quite to plan.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41SHEEP BAAS
0:10:41 > 0:10:43Yeah, runaway sheep.
0:10:47 > 0:10:48It's going back.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56Peter's just driving her round to the other side of the pond.
0:11:01 > 0:11:02SHE LAUGHS
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Right, another victim. Come on.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09- Come on.- Come on, girl.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13You'll enjoy it once you're in there, everyone else has.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18Oh, here we are. Hello.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22I mean what was the, the deal with the wool if it,
0:11:22 > 0:11:24I mean, if it's really mucky?
0:11:24 > 0:11:27Well, if it's all glued together by dung then you can't use it,
0:11:27 > 0:11:29it becomes unsaleable and unusable.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33Argh, that was a good dunk.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36So doing this increases a farmer's profit margins essentially?
0:11:36 > 0:11:38It does indeed.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43She's done, let her out.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45I thought they were supposed to be white sheep, these ones.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47LAUGHTER
0:11:47 > 0:11:49I know they look dirty on the outside,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52but if we've managed to get the dung off from underneath
0:11:52 > 0:11:55and out of the matting, a bit of surface silt might not be that bad.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00I don't know how efficient we're being, but we're definitely quicker.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06Apart from naughty sheep, we did quite, did quite well.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08It sort of worked, didn't it?
0:12:08 > 0:12:10I'll be honest, I thought it was great fun.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12SHE LAUGHS
0:12:12 > 0:12:15The sheep will need to dry out thoroughly in the sun
0:12:15 > 0:12:17over the coming week before they can be sheared.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34Oh, it's cold, cold, cold, cold, cold, cold.
0:12:36 > 0:12:37In Tudor England,
0:12:37 > 0:12:41religion formed part of the ebb and flow of everyday life.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44But people also turned to the Church in times of need,
0:12:44 > 0:12:46especially during illness.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49The Church taught that saints interceded
0:12:49 > 0:12:52on behalf of those who worshiped them,
0:12:52 > 0:12:54bringing good health and curing ailments.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58But people didn't rely solely on the saints.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05There was also a firm tradition of turning to nature to produce cures.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09Unfortunately I've got a summer cold
0:13:09 > 0:13:11and it's starting to get into my throat,
0:13:11 > 0:13:13so I'm going to try and find myself a remedy.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17And in a Tudor garden we've got a number of plants that I can use.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20We have ground ivy, they called alehoof,
0:13:20 > 0:13:22partly because it looks like a hoof
0:13:22 > 0:13:27and the leaves are also used to flavour ale, alehoof.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30Alehoof is rich in Vitamin C, perfect for treating a cold.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35Very interesting concept, the idea of edible weeds
0:13:35 > 0:13:38and essentially this is one of them.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42Peter adds honey to the alehoof.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Back in Tudor times it was always honey,
0:13:45 > 0:13:49because sugar was so exotic, it's so expensive, it's got so far to travel.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53So I'm just going to add a bit of hot water here.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58And you know what they say, what doesn't, doesn't kill ya...
0:14:04 > 0:14:06That's really nice, that's really good.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14Hopefully that'll work its magic, so for me it's back to work.
0:14:16 > 0:14:17Getting stiff.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23In addition to revenue from sheep's wool,
0:14:23 > 0:14:25money could also be made from their milk.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30Like many Tudor farmers, Ruth plans to supplement the farm's income
0:14:30 > 0:14:34by producing cheese to sell at the upcoming Whitsun market.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37Milking sheep for sheep's cheese
0:14:37 > 0:14:39was really common through the high Middle Ages,
0:14:39 > 0:14:42but was already beginning to go out of fashion,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45if that's the right word, in 1500.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49Basically a cow gives so much more milk than a sheep,
0:14:49 > 0:14:52more than ten times much, as much milk.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56So many people were beginning to leave off milking their sheep
0:14:56 > 0:14:59and turning for milk instead to a cow.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03But monastic herds were a bit different.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05Basically because they were so large.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08When you've got these huge flocks up on the hill
0:15:08 > 0:15:11and somebody's got to be there looking after them
0:15:11 > 0:15:12day and night anyway...
0:15:14 > 0:15:16..milking them, making use of that produce
0:15:16 > 0:15:18just makes a whole lot more sense.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21And the milk itself?
0:15:21 > 0:15:23Well, that was mostly used for cheese making,
0:15:23 > 0:15:24and that's what I plan to do.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29Keep your feet out of it, girl.
0:15:31 > 0:15:32SHE LAUGHS
0:15:38 > 0:15:41To guarantee a good return on their wool,
0:15:41 > 0:15:44the fleeces will need to be of impeccable quality.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48To help protect them during the shearing process
0:15:48 > 0:15:50Peter is making a special Tudor contraption -
0:15:50 > 0:15:52a shearing bench.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56Made distinctive by the unusual shape of its seat.
0:15:56 > 0:16:02They look a little something like this, it's kind of bottle shaped.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06So you've got these curves, and then there's slats in between.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10This whole bench it's going to keep the sheep off the ground,
0:16:10 > 0:16:12it's going to keep the wool clean.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14This bit's where the sheep's going to go
0:16:14 > 0:16:16and this bit is where you're going to sit.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18Now the bit I'm trying to do at the moment,
0:16:18 > 0:16:20and I think the really hard bit, are these outside edges.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25I'm going to try and steam bend two pieces of hazel.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28Now I've never steam bent a piece of wood in my life.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31Erm, so it'll be interesting to see how it goes.
0:16:31 > 0:16:32I know the theory.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39Peter's first task is to dig a pit in which to steam the wood.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43It looks disturbingly like a grave at the moment,
0:16:43 > 0:16:47but I think it's just the right size.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49It'll contain a fire to generate enough heat
0:16:49 > 0:16:51to turn the water into steam.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56These stones are going to act as a radiator,
0:16:56 > 0:16:58they're going to retain the heat of the fire.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02I'm then going to cover them with wet straw and wet grass
0:17:02 > 0:17:06into which I will put the pieces of wood that I want to bend.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10And the heat from those stones, that'll heat up the moisture
0:17:10 > 0:17:11in that grass
0:17:11 > 0:17:15and that'll turn into steam and force itself into the wood.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25To make my fire I've essentially built a chimney,
0:17:25 > 0:17:28and inside that I'm going to put a few oak shavings,
0:17:28 > 0:17:32and around it I'll put my...my, er, wood upright.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35And the thing about the wood being upright
0:17:35 > 0:17:38is it will transport this heat up and just get that fire going.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47Relatively more successful than I thought it would be.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57A dairy was a vital part of any substantial Tudor farmstead.
0:17:58 > 0:17:59Run by the woman of the house,
0:17:59 > 0:18:03the profits traditionally belonged to her rather than the household.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07Ruth is getting straight to work making her sheep's cheese.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14I've just heated the milk over the fire next door,
0:18:14 > 0:18:17bringing it up to blood temperature,
0:18:17 > 0:18:21and now I'm going to settle it in wooden bowls.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24And I'm doing that because I don't want it to cool down too quickly
0:18:24 > 0:18:28and I want the wood to insulate, to keep my milk as warm as possible.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31Ruth adds rennet to the sheep's milk.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36Rennet is an enzyme extracted from a lamb's stomach and it will
0:18:36 > 0:18:40coagulate the milk into solid curds and a liquid called whey.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Having stirred it I now want to leave it very still,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49and if I've got the right temperature and the right strength of rennet,
0:18:49 > 0:18:53over the next sort of half an hour or so it will set into curds and whey.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58Seemingly simple in construction,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01Tudor dairies were cleverly designed to regulate temperature -
0:19:01 > 0:19:04vital, especially in the summer months.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09The dairy's attached to the north-facing side of the farmhouse,
0:19:09 > 0:19:12so that the main building shields it from the heat of the sun.
0:19:15 > 0:19:16Then you'll notice the windows.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21You can see that they provide loads of light,
0:19:21 > 0:19:24but more importantly they provide ventilation.
0:19:24 > 0:19:25I've got a through draught.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29The next thing to look at is the floor.
0:19:29 > 0:19:34Tiles - these tiles are not glazed, they're porous,
0:19:34 > 0:19:37which means that they will hold water in
0:19:37 > 0:19:40and that is really important, that's where the clever bit comes in.
0:19:40 > 0:19:41Here we go.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45Whoosh.
0:19:45 > 0:19:50The water sinks into the pores of the tiles and sits there,
0:19:50 > 0:19:54and then gradually over the next few hours it quietly evaporates.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57And as it evaporates it cools the room,
0:19:57 > 0:19:59and with my strong cross draught
0:19:59 > 0:20:01between my north and my east windows,
0:20:01 > 0:20:04it's drawing that damp air out all the time,
0:20:04 > 0:20:06allowing more to rise and fill its space.
0:20:08 > 0:20:12This room will sit at between five and six degrees
0:20:12 > 0:20:14almost regardless of what the weather does outside.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20Oh, my! Heat coming off this is intense.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24We're pretty much ready to steam our wood.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28Ah, dear.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30Either that or we're going to set fire to our straw
0:20:30 > 0:20:32and then we'll have to start again.
0:20:32 > 0:20:37Peter is soaking his straw in hot water, to ensure it's saturated.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39On it goes.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42It's this water that will be turned into steam by the heat
0:20:42 > 0:20:44of the fire stored in the stones.
0:20:46 > 0:20:47There we go.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50Oh! Right.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55I think I've got to be pretty fast with this.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00Can already see the steam coming up,
0:21:00 > 0:21:02some sort of...
0:21:02 > 0:21:04vision of hell.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07There we go, wood in.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11Of course this isn't going to catch fire,
0:21:11 > 0:21:12cos fire needs three things -
0:21:12 > 0:21:14it needs heat which it's got,
0:21:14 > 0:21:18it needs fuel, which I'm giving it,
0:21:18 > 0:21:19but it needs oxygen,
0:21:19 > 0:21:21which I'm about to take away.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27This technique dates back to Anglo-Saxon times
0:21:27 > 0:21:29but would still have been used in the Tudor period
0:21:29 > 0:21:33for the production of ships, weapons and tools.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35The reason why I have to work so quickly is
0:21:35 > 0:21:37because already you can see the steam coming up
0:21:37 > 0:21:39and I've got to keep that steam in there,
0:21:39 > 0:21:42cos otherwise the straw will dry out
0:21:42 > 0:21:45and there won't be the moisture to steam my wood.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52Every inch of the wood's diameter needs an hour of steaming -
0:21:52 > 0:21:55for the next two hours all Peter can do is wait.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59OK, just...
0:21:59 > 0:22:01Ooh, that's a good set!
0:22:03 > 0:22:04After sitting for half a day,
0:22:04 > 0:22:06Ruth's milk has transformed.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10Really pleased. They've all set beautifully.
0:22:11 > 0:22:16So now I have to start separating out the whey from the curd.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18You can see little bits of it already here,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21this very pale greeny, yellow liquid.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23That's the whey.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26And the next stage now is to cut it and to try
0:22:26 > 0:22:27and drain some of that whey out.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30In later centuries you'd use, you know, fancy knives to make
0:22:30 > 0:22:33perfect cubes of curd.
0:22:33 > 0:22:34In 1500 you use these.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48Ruth transfers the curds and whey to strain through the cheese mould.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Right, now, if I just pop that up on the draining stool
0:22:53 > 0:22:58you should start to see the whey is dripping through.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Once all the whey has drained, Ruth can salt the cheese
0:23:04 > 0:23:05and start pressing it.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10Hopefully this has had enough steaming time.
0:23:10 > 0:23:11Ugh! Up it comes.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14Oh, look you can still see a bit of steam there.
0:23:14 > 0:23:15That's a good sign.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Right, let's just get it in here.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22Yeah, and there it goes.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25That is pretty hot actually.
0:23:29 > 0:23:34And there we go, we've got our two sides of our shearing bench.
0:23:34 > 0:23:35Brilliant.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41Tom is also preparing for the upcoming shearing.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46He's using a Tudor recipe to make a sheep first aid kit.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50What I'm doing is making a salve for our sheep
0:23:50 > 0:23:53just in case of nicks or cuts, which stops the parasites
0:23:53 > 0:23:55getting in there, prevents things like maggots,
0:23:55 > 0:23:58which will obviously harm the sheep
0:23:58 > 0:24:01and also affect the quality of the wool.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04Normally shearers would use tar to seal any wounds,
0:24:04 > 0:24:07but Tom is making a budget alternative.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11Quite simple, just... Ah, here we go.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15"To make broom salve."
0:24:15 > 0:24:16Four ingredients -
0:24:16 > 0:24:18broom, which is what I've just been cutting up.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22I need suet, I need brine and I need urine.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26Right, I'm just going to finish off this bit of broom here.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28Most parts of the broom plant have a medicinal use -
0:24:28 > 0:24:31for everything from curing a hangover
0:24:31 > 0:24:33to clearing the skin of parasites.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38But the salve's crucial ingredient is the urine.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44And the reason the urine works well, if you leave it for three weeks
0:24:44 > 0:24:46it reacts with the air, creating ammonia.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48Ammonia is what actually gives our salve
0:24:48 > 0:24:50its healing and cleansing properties.
0:24:51 > 0:24:52Mix it together.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57Clear that out.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00Interesting thing, the crafts when they were using things,
0:25:00 > 0:25:04they weren't 100% sure why they worked, I mean it was acts of faith.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13The mixture will solidify as it cools.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18A lot of me in this, and hopefully it works.
0:25:22 > 0:25:27So this one now has had a full press on both sides,
0:25:27 > 0:25:29it should be ready to come out of its cloth.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33Let's have a little look.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35In she comes.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39What I'm doing now is maturing it, and I...
0:25:39 > 0:25:42I need to sort of develop a rind on the cheese,
0:25:42 > 0:25:43so that's where the salt comes in.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50From today onwards I'll wipe it down each day with brine,
0:25:50 > 0:25:54and then tomorrow the next one will join it on the shelf.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57At the end of the week there should be five or six
0:25:57 > 0:25:58ready for Whitsun market.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14It's 19th May, St Dunstan's Day,
0:26:14 > 0:26:16and it's time for spring-cleaning.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Ruth has made herself a brush from butcher's broom -
0:26:21 > 0:26:24the same plant Tom used to make his salve.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29Works really well this broom, this seems to get everything
0:26:29 > 0:26:32out of all those little crooks and crannies.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35Oh, I might stick a bigger, longer handle in it.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39The geese are fattening up nicely for market.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41But there's some bad news about the eggs.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45I'm having a look around and there's just no evidence
0:26:45 > 0:26:48whatsoever of any eggs hatching.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50We've got a goose here that's sitting -
0:26:50 > 0:26:54but it's over a month now and no sign of any goslings.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57And that means we can't actually increase our gaggle.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01It's not the end of the world, however,
0:27:01 > 0:27:03we want to make money, I mean, this is why we have them,
0:27:03 > 0:27:06this is why we're feeding them, looking after them.
0:27:06 > 0:27:07Best we can hope for -
0:27:07 > 0:27:09sell them for meat and feathers and that's about it.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14But there's welcome news elsewhere on the farm.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16After a run of fine weather
0:27:16 > 0:27:18the sheep are dry and ready for shearing.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26In some areas of Tudor England the right time to shear sheep was
0:27:26 > 0:27:30determined by astrological signs and the phase of the moon.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41Good girls, come on, nice and steady.
0:27:42 > 0:27:43Timing was crucial.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49Shear too early and the sheep might die of cold,
0:27:49 > 0:27:52shear too late and maggots would grow
0:27:52 > 0:27:54in their overgrown hind parts.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01It's not going to be easy, is it?
0:28:01 > 0:28:04Oh, right, let's get this shearing bench together.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06- Your Tudor flat pack. - My Tudor flat pack.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10It's very impressive, actually.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17Right. Ah, look, made to measure, almost.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22Specialist shearers were often brought in to help get the job done.
0:28:24 > 0:28:25That's it.
0:28:28 > 0:28:29That's it.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32Brilliant, right you go and get the hurdle.
0:28:33 > 0:28:37Ed Noble and Doug Winkfield have come to give Peter and Tom a hand.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39- You've got the front end. - Got the front end.
0:28:39 > 0:28:44Ready one, two, three, up. And she's down.
0:28:44 > 0:28:45It's a lovely rich fleece
0:28:45 > 0:28:48and hopefully your shearing bench will be up to the mark.
0:28:48 > 0:28:49HE LAUGHS
0:28:49 > 0:28:53Monastic flocks were sheared using a production line system.
0:28:53 > 0:28:57First, the most experienced shearers removed the best wool.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00And that is really this, the flanks.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02You don't want to go too high to the head
0:29:02 > 0:29:03and you don't want this belly wool.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05The other team will get that off.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09The second, less skilled team then remove the rest of the fleece.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13Today Tom is trying his luck with the best wool.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16You're right-handed, aren't you? So you want your left hand
0:29:16 > 0:29:18and your left arm just to pull the skin tight,
0:29:18 > 0:29:21and try and make the blades, you want to kiss the skin.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25Remember this is your high-value wool,
0:29:25 > 0:29:27you want as much of it as possible.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30And remember you're trying to do it all in one smooth motion.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33- Some of it's come off really easily. - Yes.
0:29:33 > 0:29:35The blades go right through.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39And if you get it right, you will feel it almost fly through the wool.
0:29:39 > 0:29:41- That's it.- Is that far enough?
0:29:41 > 0:29:43You're probably going just a little high.
0:29:43 > 0:29:45Can you see you're a bit higher than me?
0:29:45 > 0:29:48Remember, this is high value wool. You want as much of it as possible.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51Just get down as close to the skin as you can.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53You're doing really well. LAUGHS
0:29:53 > 0:29:54No, you are, really.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59Oh, one slight cut here.
0:29:59 > 0:30:01I'm going to apply some salve to cover that up.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04Obviously we don't want maggots and stuff getting in, do we?
0:30:04 > 0:30:06No, that's it. Brilliant.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12Right, well, I think we're about done on this side. Shall we turn her?
0:30:12 > 0:30:13That sounds interesting.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15And if you bring her up here,
0:30:15 > 0:30:18I'll have a go at shearing a bit of her sat down.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20If you get that other leg, that's it,
0:30:20 > 0:30:23on to her back to start with, one, two, three.
0:30:23 > 0:30:24And then over she goes.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26- Still lively, isn't she? - Yes. Yes.
0:30:26 > 0:30:30Shearing benches were designed to protect the wool,
0:30:30 > 0:30:34but also to save the shepherd's back while shearing hundreds of sheep.
0:30:34 > 0:30:35Only going out of fashion
0:30:35 > 0:30:39with the advent of machine clippers in the 19th century.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42Actually, this is quite comfy.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44It's well made.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46- It's quite sturdy, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49It's coming off quite well.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53This method of shearing was the first stage of quality control -
0:30:53 > 0:30:56keeping the good wool separate from the scraps.
0:30:58 > 0:30:59There you go, girl.
0:30:59 > 0:31:01Let's grab another one.
0:31:01 > 0:31:03Why not?
0:31:15 > 0:31:19Sheep in Tudor England were not yet organised into breeds.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22So wool buyers used a system of classification
0:31:22 > 0:31:27based on the quality of the wool - its colour, length and coarseness.
0:31:27 > 0:31:31Claire is helping Ruth select the best wool to be sold.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34Not going to be doing a perfect job as a shearer,
0:31:34 > 0:31:37there'll be bits of field, there'll be bits of manure or dung.
0:31:37 > 0:31:39Yes, a bit like that.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42That would be hard to pull apart nicely. Get rid of it!
0:31:42 > 0:31:44Right, I'm getting rid of it.
0:31:44 > 0:31:48The quality of fleece in the wool trade varied enormously.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51Tudor tenant farmers had a reputation for producing
0:31:51 > 0:31:55inferior wool, and some merchants even refused to accept fleeces
0:31:55 > 0:31:59that weren't farmed directly by the monastery.
0:31:59 > 0:32:04Why then is it that the monasteries have this reputation for really good wool
0:32:04 > 0:32:07and tenant farmers have a reputation for much poorer wool?
0:32:07 > 0:32:08Money.
0:32:08 > 0:32:12Money! If you own the land, you'll put your sheep on the best bits.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16If you have lots and lots and lots of sheep you can choose
0:32:16 > 0:32:20from a huge number for good genetic stock, good breeding stock.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24If we're going to send this off to the monastery, we have to select
0:32:24 > 0:32:28only the VERY best of our wool in order to meet that quality bar.
0:32:30 > 0:32:34Now the wool just needs to be weighed for the farm's records.
0:32:36 > 0:32:37OK. So just move it along.
0:32:37 > 0:32:40No, that's still a lot heavier, that side.
0:32:40 > 0:32:43Is that level? Yeah, it looks about level.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47So that's just a smidgen over 20lbs.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50- So for ten fleeces...- Very good.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53That's not bad, is it? They're pretty good fleeces, then.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56Any wool not good enough for the monastery
0:32:56 > 0:32:58is now Ruth's to make cloth for the home.
0:33:05 > 0:33:09Peter and Tom are ready to take their wool to the monastery.
0:33:09 > 0:33:11As dominant players in the industry,
0:33:11 > 0:33:15the monasteries had strong relationships with the merchants
0:33:15 > 0:33:17and the boys will need to strike a good deal.
0:33:22 > 0:33:261500 was a good time to be a wool producer.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30Under Henry VII, the value of sterling had fallen,
0:33:30 > 0:33:33meaning British goods were now cheaper to buy in Europe
0:33:33 > 0:33:36and the cloth trade was expanding.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40Not only was English wool fine,
0:33:40 > 0:33:44it also grew longer than on European sheep,
0:33:44 > 0:33:47a result of better nutrition from English pastures.
0:33:48 > 0:33:52Professor James Clark and wool grader Richard Martin
0:33:52 > 0:33:53will judge its quality.
0:33:53 > 0:33:55If it was good enough
0:33:55 > 0:33:59it would have been sold along with the Abbey's wool to the merchant.
0:34:00 > 0:34:04What do we actually think about this wool?
0:34:04 > 0:34:08Well, you're a big chap, so I think it's absolutely fantastic!
0:34:08 > 0:34:10When you look at some wool like this,
0:34:10 > 0:34:12you could judge some of it by just looking at it.
0:34:12 > 0:34:16You're looking for wool which is fairly even-coloured,
0:34:16 > 0:34:17and then if you feel the wool,
0:34:17 > 0:34:20there's all sorts of things you can tell about the quality.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23If you sort of spin a bit of yarn in your hand
0:34:23 > 0:34:26and break it next to your ear and it goes "ping",
0:34:26 > 0:34:30then the fibres are strong and the yarn will be strong.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33But if it pulls apart, the chances are there's weakness in the fibre.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36What would happen to it now?
0:34:36 > 0:34:42The monastery of course is going to look after its own interest and they are concerned
0:34:42 > 0:34:44to manage their brand image.
0:34:44 > 0:34:47They want to collaborate with their tenants
0:34:47 > 0:34:50but only if they hold to that quality threshold.
0:34:50 > 0:34:56If so, then we will include it in the deal we do with the merchant.
0:34:56 > 0:35:00And if you produce something that is substandard we certainly will overlook you.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04- We could end up with absolutely nothing, all that work?- Yeah.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07With wool prices fluctuating constantly,
0:35:07 > 0:35:09farmers would often delay selling,
0:35:09 > 0:35:12gambling on when they would get the best price.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14Assuming I will pass the test,
0:35:14 > 0:35:17are we likely to see any money at the end of the day?
0:35:17 > 0:35:20- Er, well, don't hold your breath. - LAUGHTER
0:35:20 > 0:35:21It's going to take a while.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23We deal with the middleman,
0:35:23 > 0:35:26the middleman brokers a deal with the merchant,
0:35:26 > 0:35:30the merchant then sells the wool on the European market
0:35:30 > 0:35:33and really it's only when that sale is concluded
0:35:33 > 0:35:37that money begins to pass back down the chain to the producer.
0:35:37 > 0:35:41You're putting your faith in the whole deal coming off.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44I guess the question is, are you going to buy our wool?
0:35:44 > 0:35:45I am going to recommend
0:35:45 > 0:35:49that we put this into our brand wool, as James says.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53One thing I didn't think was that I was going to go home empty-handed.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57- Well, as we say in the monastery, you have to have faith. - LAUGHTER
0:35:57 > 0:35:58For the time being!
0:36:09 > 0:36:12Faith wasn't just part of business transactions.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15Religion was a thread that ran through everyday life.
0:36:15 > 0:36:19Contributions to the church on the main holy days of the year
0:36:19 > 0:36:22were obligatory, and took many forms.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25It's just coming up to the Feast of Pentecost, or Whitsun,
0:36:25 > 0:36:29one of the many religious festivals that punctuated the year.
0:36:29 > 0:36:34And part of the celebrations, a live dove is released in the church
0:36:34 > 0:36:36or in some parishes, a mechanical dove,
0:36:36 > 0:36:41and I get this year's star prize of making a mechanical dove!
0:36:41 > 0:36:44Ruth is using a mixture of soft cheese and lime
0:36:44 > 0:36:47to fix the feathers to her dove.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51The religious calendar of course was THE calendar.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53That was the way that people kept track of time -
0:36:53 > 0:36:55knowing when to plant a crop, when to re-pit.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59Also knowing things like when you've got a meeting coming up, you'd say,
0:36:59 > 0:37:03you know, I'll meet you the day after St Agnes' Day.
0:37:03 > 0:37:06All sorts of ordinary practical things were linked and tied
0:37:06 > 0:37:10and counted by the religious rhythm of life.
0:37:10 > 0:37:12GEESE HONK
0:37:13 > 0:37:15Come on!
0:37:17 > 0:37:20In preparation for the upcoming Whitsun market,
0:37:20 > 0:37:24the boys have been nurturing their flock of geese.
0:37:24 > 0:37:26I reckon he's the gander. Oh!
0:37:30 > 0:37:33- It's good exercise for us! - Give me a sheep any day!
0:37:33 > 0:37:37In the Tudor period, geese would have been driven many miles
0:37:37 > 0:37:40to be sold, and required protection for their feet.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43- GOOSE SQUAWKS - Good job. Good job.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46Now these feet, they're going to have to walk long distances.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49These feet are designed for swimming, aren't they?
0:37:49 > 0:37:52- Now, that beak's designed for pecking.- Yeah!
0:37:52 > 0:37:54I appreciate you holding that.
0:37:55 > 0:37:58Many Tudor farmers would have used tar and sand
0:37:58 > 0:38:01to form a hard coating on the feet
0:38:01 > 0:38:03but some used cloth or leather boots.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06Peter and Tom are testing out their own version.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08- There, what do you think?- Mmm.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11- Doesn't look convinced. - I'm not overly convinced.
0:38:11 > 0:38:15Let's pull that tight, and tie that on behind.
0:38:17 > 0:38:21I'll tell you what, her heart isn't hammering or anything like that.
0:38:21 > 0:38:22She's perfectly calm.
0:38:22 > 0:38:26That one seems pretty secure. Looking pretty good.
0:38:26 > 0:38:29- Give her a go?- Yeah, stand to one side in case she's...
0:38:29 > 0:38:32- Oh, boots off. - The other one's all right.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34- That one's on.- No, it's not.
0:38:36 > 0:38:37Back to the drawing board.
0:38:40 > 0:38:46In 1500, manufacturing was the growth sector of England's economy.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49And at its centre was cloth.
0:38:49 > 0:38:53Before the Tudor period, England's main wool export was raw fleece.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55But competition from Europe meant
0:38:55 > 0:38:58demand for English fleeces had fallen.
0:39:01 > 0:39:05However, the demand for woollen cloth made in England was growing.
0:39:05 > 0:39:09English producers made some of the finest woollen fabrics,
0:39:09 > 0:39:12which commanded high prices on the Continent.
0:39:12 > 0:39:19By the mid 1500s, cloth exports topped £1.5 million a year.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22The first process is to card it.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25I mean, really, it's a sort of cleaning process.
0:39:25 > 0:39:27Cleaning and organising the fibres.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32As a well-off farmer, Ruth would not have sold cloth,
0:39:32 > 0:39:35but she is processing her wool in the same way
0:39:35 > 0:39:39as commercial producers, to make cloth for the farmhouse.
0:39:39 > 0:39:44I think you can see that already it is starting to look more like soft, fluffy wool.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49Once the wool is prepared, it's time to spin.
0:39:51 > 0:39:56Now, some people call this a great wheel, cos it's big,
0:39:56 > 0:39:58and others call it a walking wheel
0:39:58 > 0:40:05because you spend such a lot of time walking backwards and forwards.
0:40:05 > 0:40:10Indeed, somebody once estimated that it could be
0:40:10 > 0:40:15about 30 miles a day, a really good spinner walked.
0:40:15 > 0:40:20I'm not quite up to those standards. So a really good spinster,
0:40:20 > 0:40:25and that, of course, is the female form of somebody who spins,
0:40:25 > 0:40:29and they were mostly unmarried girls, so you can see why it was
0:40:29 > 0:40:32that the word spinster came to mean an unmarried girl
0:40:32 > 0:40:34as well as somebody who spins.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37Give the wheel one flick and walk backwards
0:40:37 > 0:40:40controlling the fibres with one hand.
0:40:40 > 0:40:4315 maybe even 20 feet before,
0:40:43 > 0:40:47by moving her arm round and changing direction,
0:40:47 > 0:40:49giving another flick,
0:40:49 > 0:40:53the same motion wound the thread onto the spindle.
0:40:56 > 0:41:00When you look at the textiles that were actually produced
0:41:00 > 0:41:04during this period, on this technology, it just blows your mind.
0:41:04 > 0:41:08There are threads produced by hand like this
0:41:08 > 0:41:12that rival anything any modern machine can achieve.
0:41:12 > 0:41:14Wool was not the only source of revenue
0:41:14 > 0:41:16for wealthy Tudor farmers,
0:41:16 > 0:41:19who constantly explored other ways to make money.
0:41:22 > 0:41:26In 1496, Henry VII was preparing to go to battle with Scotland,
0:41:26 > 0:41:29and needed iron for the campaign.
0:41:29 > 0:41:34He invested in a revolutionary new method for producing iron,
0:41:34 > 0:41:37the blast furnace.
0:41:37 > 0:41:38The results were so impressive
0:41:38 > 0:41:42that Tudor farmers began building their own furnaces,
0:41:42 > 0:41:45a development encouraged by commercially-minded monasteries.
0:41:45 > 0:41:49This is new technology. This is the new way to make iron.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52A half-size replica blast furnace
0:41:52 > 0:41:55has been built at the Rural Life Centre in Surrey.
0:41:55 > 0:42:00Expert Jeremy Hodgkinson is showing Tom and Peter its possibilities.
0:42:00 > 0:42:05The charcoal is fed in from top of the furnace, as is the iron ore
0:42:05 > 0:42:10and it slowly descends down through the furnace over the course of time,
0:42:10 > 0:42:14and as it goes down it melts, held in the bottom of the furnace
0:42:14 > 0:42:19in a liquid form, and then you'll allow it to run out into a mould.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21Right.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25Right. Have a feel.
0:42:25 > 0:42:27Pretty solid!
0:42:27 > 0:42:31About every 12 hours, you produce a length of iron
0:42:31 > 0:42:34probably ten feet long.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37Weighing about half a ton.
0:42:37 > 0:42:39Wow. That's huge!
0:42:39 > 0:42:43- It is. Very heavy. - It is very heavy!
0:42:43 > 0:42:47The blast furnace produced the intense heat necessary
0:42:47 > 0:42:51to create liquid iron, which was easier to purify.
0:42:51 > 0:42:56To generate such heat required oxygen provided by the bellows.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59The key to the bellows of course is water power,
0:42:59 > 0:43:02because what is powering those bellows is a water wheel,
0:43:02 > 0:43:05so that they'll pump that blast of air into the furnace.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08- Hence it's a blast furnace. - It's the blast furnace, yes.
0:43:08 > 0:43:12Am I right in thinking that these things ran for months at a time?
0:43:12 > 0:43:16Yes. They'd go into blast, they'd blow them in as they would say,
0:43:16 > 0:43:20blow them in after the harvest, so once your labour force is available.
0:43:20 > 0:43:23- Yeah.- And then you'd work the iron through the winter
0:43:23 > 0:43:26because then you've got a more reliable water supply.
0:43:28 > 0:43:30Once the iron was produced,
0:43:30 > 0:43:32it was re-melted in a refinery
0:43:32 > 0:43:35and any impurities hammered out.
0:43:36 > 0:43:41What you get eventually is this, which is bar iron, suitable
0:43:41 > 0:43:46for blacksmiths to make into objects and ironmongers to sell.
0:43:46 > 0:43:49Here's a couple of pieces you can take back to the farm.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52I'll take this one, it's like me, it's broad and flat,
0:43:52 > 0:43:54- where as that one is...- Thick! - Square and thick!
0:43:54 > 0:43:55LAUGHTER
0:43:55 > 0:43:56Thank you very much!
0:43:56 > 0:43:59- OK, good to see you. - Pleasure.- Thank you.
0:43:59 > 0:44:01What are we going to make?
0:44:01 > 0:44:04This new, plentiful source of stronger,
0:44:04 > 0:44:08better quality iron opened up a world of possibilities.
0:44:08 > 0:44:09Without the blast furnace
0:44:09 > 0:44:13the Industrial Revolution would not have been possible.
0:44:16 > 0:44:19In the rapidly expanding cloth industry,
0:44:19 > 0:44:22loom technology had also been mastered by 1500.
0:44:22 > 0:44:25With a sharp eye for business the monasteries rented out
0:44:25 > 0:44:29commercial premises, reaping the financial rewards
0:44:29 > 0:44:33of other people's enterprise, including cloth production.
0:44:39 > 0:44:43Ruth has brought her wool to weaver Diane Wood.
0:44:43 > 0:44:47The first job is to set up the loom, a craft in its own right.
0:44:49 > 0:44:54I mean, we're putting all that yarn that we produced onto the loom,
0:44:54 > 0:44:57and we start with each thread at that end,
0:44:57 > 0:45:02and they all have to pass through these here, these shafts.
0:45:02 > 0:45:04The strings are called heddles.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07They have got two important knots here in the centre,
0:45:07 > 0:45:10and the knots create a lovely little eye,
0:45:10 > 0:45:12through which every thread goes
0:45:12 > 0:45:17and the threads go one thread through one heddle.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20So if we could take that thread there, that comes through to this.
0:45:20 > 0:45:22That comes through shaft number one.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25The threads are passed through either the first or second shaft,
0:45:25 > 0:45:27alternating across the loom.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31Pull it through the eye there. That's it.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34Not many to go, but still let's get them right.
0:45:34 > 0:45:36Once all the threads have been passed through the heddles,
0:45:36 > 0:45:40they must go through a comb structure called a reed.
0:45:41 > 0:45:45The reed is designed to keep the threads evenly spaced.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50We have something like 600 threads here.
0:45:50 > 0:45:52We need to keep them all under control
0:45:52 > 0:45:54and that's what this stage of processes are,
0:45:54 > 0:45:56putting order into the threads.
0:45:56 > 0:45:59Otherwise we'd just have a giant knot.
0:45:59 > 0:46:01You'd have a terrible mess on your hands.
0:46:03 > 0:46:06The threads are tied to a beam at the front of the loom,
0:46:06 > 0:46:08known as the cloth beam.
0:46:08 > 0:46:11I'll just check that the tension is even all the way across.
0:46:11 > 0:46:14I suppose this only comes with practice, getting the feel.
0:46:14 > 0:46:18It's the feel, it's in your fingertips, yes, yes.
0:46:18 > 0:46:22It is very technical, isn't it? Tiny subtle changes
0:46:22 > 0:46:25- make the difference between success and failure.- Indeed they do.
0:46:27 > 0:46:32Rods are inserted to spread the threads away from the cloth beam.
0:46:32 > 0:46:34These threads are known as the warp.
0:46:34 > 0:46:38The ones that Diane will weave, adjacent to them, are called the weft.
0:46:40 > 0:46:43So you press down on one of the pedals
0:46:43 > 0:46:46and one of the shafts comes up and the other one comes down.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49So now we've got half of our threads going up,
0:46:49 > 0:46:51half of our threads going down and a gap between the two.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54- The gap's called the shed. - The shed.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57And that's where we pass the shuttle.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00It's the first thread through and we pull the beater,
0:47:00 > 0:47:02and beat the first weft into place.
0:47:03 > 0:47:07And then you press the other pedal and the other shaft comes up.
0:47:07 > 0:47:10So now all the threads that were down are now up
0:47:10 > 0:47:13- and all the threads that were up are now down.- That's it.
0:47:14 > 0:47:16And there we have weaving.
0:47:16 > 0:47:18- That is it, isn't it?- It is.
0:47:19 > 0:47:23In some ways this is a really simple piece of technology.
0:47:23 > 0:47:27In other ways it's really quite subtle and complex,
0:47:27 > 0:47:31but whichever way you look at it, it hasn't actually changed that much.
0:47:31 > 0:47:35Yes, the only difference is it works a little bit faster.
0:47:35 > 0:47:37It's just to do with speed.
0:47:42 > 0:47:47With the cloth finished, Ruth needs to take it to the monastic mill
0:47:47 > 0:47:49for a finishing process known as fulling.
0:47:53 > 0:47:56The monasteries had invested heavily in water mill technology,
0:47:56 > 0:47:59and for cloth production, the fulling mill represents
0:47:59 > 0:48:04the first transition from a domestic craft to a factory industry.
0:48:04 > 0:48:08Miller Dowey Jones is in charge of operating the machinery.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11So this needs fulling. What exactly is it that fulling does?
0:48:11 > 0:48:14What would happen now, if we're to go outside and hold this to the light
0:48:14 > 0:48:16you'd see the light coming through the cloth.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19After fulling, what happens, the cloth will tighten down
0:48:19 > 0:48:22and there'll be no light coming through and it fats it up, gives a nice, soft effect to it.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25Right. So it changes something that looks almost like sacking
0:48:25 > 0:48:27into something that looks like this.
0:48:27 > 0:48:30Yes. Probably over time, yeah, will change into that.
0:48:30 > 0:48:32And we do it by bashing it with hammers?
0:48:32 > 0:48:34These two hammers here will do the work for us.
0:48:34 > 0:48:37Just make sure we don't get our hands caught!
0:48:37 > 0:48:38It's like this effect, up and down.
0:48:38 > 0:48:41It'll be quite noisy, so it's quiet at the moment.
0:48:41 > 0:48:44When the water is running through and the hammer's going,
0:48:44 > 0:48:46it'll be quite noisy.
0:48:46 > 0:48:49A water wheel is used to power the stocks.
0:48:49 > 0:48:52Ruth has soaked her cloth in stale urine.
0:48:52 > 0:48:57Full of ammonium salts, the urine will clean and whiten the cloth.
0:48:57 > 0:48:58OK. Ready?
0:49:00 > 0:49:01Out.
0:49:01 > 0:49:02Woo!
0:49:07 > 0:49:09WATER GUSHES
0:49:09 > 0:49:11MACHINE CLATTERS
0:49:11 > 0:49:13- Quite noisy!- Wow!
0:49:20 > 0:49:22- It's a really violent process, isn't it?- It is.
0:49:22 > 0:49:25I mean, as somebody who put so much work into spinning
0:49:25 > 0:49:29and weaving that cloth, this is a bit terrifying, frankly!
0:49:29 > 0:49:33It is a bit, but the end results will be nice. It's worth the effort.
0:49:38 > 0:49:41But using the fulling mill didn't come free.
0:49:41 > 0:49:45The monastery would have charged its tenants.
0:49:45 > 0:49:49As a tenant of the monasteries, we were required to use their mill.
0:49:49 > 0:49:51They had something of a monopoly.
0:49:51 > 0:49:52If we want our cloths fulled,
0:49:52 > 0:49:55we have to bring it to the monastic mill.
0:49:55 > 0:49:58Mills, therefore, were a really important source of income
0:49:58 > 0:50:00for the monasteries.
0:50:00 > 0:50:03It's another way, I suppose, of taxing your tenants.
0:50:04 > 0:50:09For centuries, fulling was the only mechanised part of cloth production.
0:50:09 > 0:50:14Wool would go on being carded and spun by hand until the 18th century.
0:50:20 > 0:50:21SHE LAUGHS
0:50:21 > 0:50:25Look how it's changed!
0:50:25 > 0:50:26Look!
0:50:27 > 0:50:32It's all gone fluffy! It's all knitted up together.
0:50:32 > 0:50:36Needs a bit longer yet, but we're definitely getting somewhere.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39The fulling will take six hours to complete.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45For the final stage of Ruth's cloth production,
0:50:45 > 0:50:49Peter is putting the iron from the blast furnace to good use,
0:50:49 > 0:50:51by making tenterhooks.
0:50:56 > 0:50:57The hooks are attached to a frame
0:50:57 > 0:51:00for the fulled cloth to be stretched across.
0:51:00 > 0:51:02You stretch it out on the tenterhooks,
0:51:02 > 0:51:05get it under tension, which is obviously where, you know,
0:51:05 > 0:51:07why we say somebody's on tenterhooks
0:51:07 > 0:51:09if they're feeling really highly strung.
0:51:09 > 0:51:11Because that's exactly what I'm going to do to the cloth.
0:51:14 > 0:51:17Stretching the cloth after fulling
0:51:17 > 0:51:21is one of the most important parts of the manufacturing process.
0:51:21 > 0:51:27If you don't stretch it, you end up with a sort of rumpled effect
0:51:27 > 0:51:31on the cloth. It never lies flat, it always sort of lies puckered.
0:51:33 > 0:51:36You also find that you can't abide by the law.
0:51:36 > 0:51:40Legally, if you're going to sell the cloth you've got to be able
0:51:40 > 0:51:45to produce a perfect product, a consistent product.
0:51:45 > 0:51:49So if your cloth shrank too much, it would be unsaleable
0:51:49 > 0:51:53unless you could stretch it back out
0:51:53 > 0:51:57to the prescribed legal length and legal width.
0:52:01 > 0:52:06The cloth is stretched under the weight of rocks.
0:52:06 > 0:52:11Nice and taut, and when it's dry it'll have set square.
0:52:23 > 0:52:26It's Whitsun morning. The feast commemorating
0:52:26 > 0:52:31the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Disciples.
0:52:31 > 0:52:35The team are attending church to see Ruth's mechanical dove,
0:52:35 > 0:52:39a biblical symbol of the Holy Spirit, take flight.
0:52:42 > 0:52:43Yep, I've seen it all.
0:52:45 > 0:52:48The cloth is finished.
0:52:48 > 0:52:50A chest of cloth like this
0:52:50 > 0:52:53represents a serious amount of wealth,
0:52:53 > 0:52:56as, to be honest, do the clothes I'm stood up in.
0:52:58 > 0:53:00Ruth has loaded up her cheese.
0:53:00 > 0:53:03The boys have finally got the shoes on their geese,
0:53:03 > 0:53:05and they're off to Whitsun market.
0:53:05 > 0:53:07- Come on.- Come on!
0:53:07 > 0:53:09Let's herd you to market.
0:53:12 > 0:53:14LIVELY MEDIEVAL MUSIC
0:53:18 > 0:53:20Attended by the whole community,
0:53:20 > 0:53:23the market was one of the few times in the year
0:53:23 > 0:53:25when strict trade regulations were lifted,
0:53:25 > 0:53:30and ordinary farmers, rather than merchants, could sell their wares.
0:53:30 > 0:53:31Be glad to get rid of these guys.
0:53:31 > 0:53:34I know. I'm sick of them.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37- They're so vicious, aren't they? - Just aggression, isn't it?
0:53:37 > 0:53:39Geese for sale, anyone want a goose?
0:53:39 > 0:53:42- Yes, I'm interested in the geese. - I was going to say, if you,
0:53:42 > 0:53:45if you don't want a whole goose, we've got parts of geese!
0:53:47 > 0:53:50Processed dairy products, cheese and butter,
0:53:50 > 0:53:54were often traded across considerable distances.
0:53:54 > 0:53:59Ruth's cheese might even have found its way to the markets of London.
0:54:03 > 0:54:04With the geese sold,
0:54:04 > 0:54:08the boys are off to see what their profits can buy them in the market.
0:54:08 > 0:54:11The Tudor era saw the world begin to open up.
0:54:11 > 0:54:14Advances in shipbuilding meant people were sailing further
0:54:14 > 0:54:16and trade routes to the Middle East
0:54:16 > 0:54:19brought new and exotic products to England.
0:54:19 > 0:54:23All this sort of stuff we take for granted.
0:54:23 > 0:54:25It would have been new and exciting in Tudor England.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27And a most wonderful luxury.
0:54:27 > 0:54:29Not many people have seen these, lemons,
0:54:29 > 0:54:31and don't know what to do with them.
0:54:33 > 0:54:36Well, I suppose England's wealth was built on the wool trade
0:54:36 > 0:54:38and this is competition coming in right here.
0:54:38 > 0:54:40Well, if it brings things like this in, a bit of flavour,
0:54:40 > 0:54:43- something we're not used to, I think it's very exciting.- Yeah.
0:54:47 > 0:54:48- Hi, Ruth.- Hi, Ruth.- Oh, hello.
0:54:48 > 0:54:50How's your cheese?
0:54:50 > 0:54:53- I've only got a little bit left. - That's fantastic!
0:54:53 > 0:54:57You sounds like you've got a bit of time for a bit of fun, a bit of Morris dancing.
0:54:57 > 0:54:59- A bit of ale.- Bit of ale, bit of music.- A bit more ale.
0:54:59 > 0:55:00Let's go. HE LAUGHS
0:55:04 > 0:55:07Folklore historian Professor Ronald Hutton
0:55:07 > 0:55:10has come to join the festivities.
0:55:10 > 0:55:15Whitsun, around 1500, is party time, for two reasons.
0:55:15 > 0:55:17The first is it's a gap in agriculture.
0:55:17 > 0:55:20You've done your ploughing and your sowing and your weeding, and there's
0:55:20 > 0:55:23a bit of a space in which you can relax and actually have some fun.
0:55:23 > 0:55:25Other reason is, it's warming up!
0:55:25 > 0:55:27- THEY LAUGH - Yes!
0:55:27 > 0:55:32Around about 1500, ordinary people have a serious shortage of
0:55:32 > 0:55:35indoor spaces, which are warm, where they can gather in large numbers.
0:55:35 > 0:55:37The church is usually off limits
0:55:37 > 0:55:40because it's a sacred building, so you can't party in it.
0:55:40 > 0:55:44But come Whitsun, usually England's warm enough to be able to get outside
0:55:44 > 0:55:48and in the open spaces, you can have as many people as you like.
0:55:50 > 0:55:54The Maypole was a central feature of Whitsun celebrations.
0:55:54 > 0:55:58Decorated with fresh foliage, it symbolised growth and new life,
0:55:58 > 0:56:02particularly significant in agricultural communities.
0:56:02 > 0:56:06But while young people still danced in this traditional way,
0:56:06 > 0:56:09there was also a new craze sweeping the country.
0:56:13 > 0:56:16The Morris Dance is really, really hot and new
0:56:16 > 0:56:19and exciting, round about 1500.
0:56:19 > 0:56:20It's a courtly dance
0:56:20 > 0:56:24and it's leaking out into the villages around the royal palaces.
0:56:24 > 0:56:26In the original courtly form,
0:56:26 > 0:56:31it was an elaborate game by which strapping young men competed
0:56:31 > 0:56:33to show how far they could leap in the air,
0:56:33 > 0:56:35to dance with and woo a lady.
0:56:35 > 0:56:36RUTH LAUGHS
0:56:36 > 0:56:39- Quite fashionable then. - Very, very much so. Cutting edge.
0:56:41 > 0:56:43By Tudor times, Whitsun had become one of
0:56:43 > 0:56:48the most popular feasts of the year, where people let their hair down,
0:56:48 > 0:56:51indulging in revelry and merry-making.
0:56:51 > 0:56:54The Church, initially, was rather worried about this development,
0:56:54 > 0:56:56because alcohol plus crowds
0:56:56 > 0:56:58equals misbehaviour.
0:56:58 > 0:57:01But then it learned how to cash in.
0:57:01 > 0:57:05So the Church ale was invented, the Whitsun ale, which was this
0:57:05 > 0:57:07wonderful arrangement by people in the village would provide
0:57:07 > 0:57:11the raw materials for the food and drink, and then the villagers,
0:57:11 > 0:57:14when all this was ready, would pay an entrance fee,
0:57:14 > 0:57:18and the Church would take the profits to supply its parish needs
0:57:18 > 0:57:20for the rest of the year, and everybody was happy
0:57:20 > 0:57:22and it worked like an absolute dream.
0:57:22 > 0:57:27This complete intertwining of social life and religious life
0:57:27 > 0:57:30and economic life, is so typical of this period, isn't it?
0:57:30 > 0:57:32Everything has a religious element to it,
0:57:32 > 0:57:35it's sort of almost like the air you breathe.
0:57:35 > 0:57:39Yeah, and pretty free of tension. On the whole it'd got it right.
0:57:39 > 0:57:41They'd created a perfect medieval society.
0:57:41 > 0:57:43In many ways, too perfect.
0:57:43 > 0:57:45People began to worry there might be
0:57:45 > 0:57:48something wrong in the middle of all this. RUTH LAUGHS
0:57:48 > 0:57:52- I mean, you sleep on that for a bit, you get a reformation.- Yes!
0:57:52 > 0:57:55So should enjoy the calm now before the storm begins?
0:57:55 > 0:57:58Well, this is Merrie England, for heaven's sake, so to speak.
0:57:58 > 0:57:59Let's enjoy it!
0:57:59 > 0:58:01THEY LAUGH
0:58:02 > 0:58:04Ha-ha! Yes!
0:58:12 > 0:58:14Next time on Tudor Monastery Farm,
0:58:14 > 0:58:17the team learn about the rhythm of life.
0:58:17 > 0:58:20Little ones are ready to go, get the boar in,
0:58:20 > 0:58:22get them pregnant, carry on.
0:58:22 > 0:58:24What sustained people.
0:58:24 > 0:58:28Looking forward to this, going to be a proper treat. That is fantastic, that.
0:58:28 > 0:58:30And how to celebrate summer.
0:58:30 > 0:58:32RUTH GIGGLES MANICALLY
0:58:51 > 0:58:53Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd