0:00:04 > 0:00:09500 years ago, England was emerging into a new era.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14After years of war, plague and famine, the Kingdom was enjoying
0:00:14 > 0:00:19peace and prosperity under 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.
0:00:29 > 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 > 0:00:41Many of the nation's farms were under the control
0:00:41 > 0:00:45of the biggest landowner in England after the King -
0:00:45 > 0:00:46the monasteries.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51Their influence could be felt in every aspect of daily life.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54They were not just places of religion.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58They were at the forefront of technology, education and farming.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05But with the daily lives of monks devoted to prayer, they depended
0:01:05 > 0:01:09increasingly on tenant farmers who worked and tended their lands.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11There thee go.
0:01:14 > 0:01:19Now, historian Ruth Goodman, and archaeologists Tom Pinfold
0:01:19 > 0:01:24and Peter Ginn, are turning the clock back to Tudor England -
0:01:24 > 0:01:28here at Weald and Downland in West Sussex -
0:01:28 > 0:01:30to work as ordinary farmers
0:01:30 > 0:01:33under the watchful eye of a monastic landlord.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Here. That'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.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48And get to grips with Tudor technology.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51THEY SHRIEK
0:01:51 > 0:01:53Quite noisy.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55Wow, it's a really violent process.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58While immersing themselves in the beliefs...
0:01:58 > 0:02:00ALL: Amen.
0:02:00 > 0:02:01..customs...
0:02:03 > 0:02:05..and rituals that shaped the age.
0:02:05 > 0:02:06THEY CHEER
0:02:06 > 0:02:10This is merry England, for heaven's sake, so to speak, let's enjoy it.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18This is the untold story of the monastic farms of Tudor England.
0:02:34 > 0:02:39In the early 1500s, no help for the poor was available from the state.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44Those in need relied solely on the charity and hospitality of others.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50Hospitality was a vital social virtue -
0:02:50 > 0:02:53the measure by which any good Christian would be judged.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59And at the heart of this culture of hospitality
0:02:59 > 0:03:01and giving were the monasteries.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Beyond their gates they ran almshouses.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08And within the monastery, they accommodated
0:03:08 > 0:03:12everyone from the destitute traveller to the wealthiest noble.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15For what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly thankful.
0:03:15 > 0:03:16- Amen.- ALL: Amen.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19James, can I interest you in some pottage?
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Well, I'm sure it's good for the soul.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25Monastic expert Professor James Clark
0:03:25 > 0:03:28is joining the team for a meal.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31Did the monasteries do much entertaining or hospitality?
0:03:31 > 0:03:35Absolutely. It's really essential to the monasteries' service to
0:03:35 > 0:03:40society, that charity, that is, in the strict sense, loving kindness to
0:03:40 > 0:03:44your fellow man, it's really at the heart of the monastic vocation.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48At the lower end it would be akin to a kind of backpackers' hostel.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50But at the other end of the scale,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53for the most distinguished guests, there would be really lavish
0:03:53 > 0:03:57accommodation and food would be laid on.
0:03:57 > 0:04:02For the monks, hosting an esteemed guest wasn't just hospitable,
0:04:02 > 0:04:04it was profitable.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07Entertaining nobility was an excellent way to encourage
0:04:07 > 0:04:10large donations to the monastery.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13The nobles believed that supporting the monastery would
0:04:13 > 0:04:17guarantee that they went straight to heaven when they died.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20The abbot is planning a feast for a wealthy patron,
0:04:20 > 0:04:24and James is enlisting the team's help to prepare for the visit.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28Well, I have some particular tasks in mind for you.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32There's going to be a lot of preparing of bed linen,
0:04:32 > 0:04:34- so that does mean laundry. - THEY LAUGH
0:04:34 > 0:04:36- Lucky, lucky me. - No escaping the laundry.
0:04:36 > 0:04:41And there could well be need for some assistance in the kitchen.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46Because lavish meals are expected and, nice as pottage is...
0:04:46 > 0:04:47THEY LAUGH
0:04:52 > 0:04:57As well as monks and workers, the monastery also accommodated
0:04:57 > 0:05:00other members of society on a permanent basis.
0:05:00 > 0:05:05Part of the monastery's remit was to provide care for some
0:05:05 > 0:05:10of the elderly, their retired staff or their most generous donors.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15James is enlisting the team to renovate a room in the outer
0:05:15 > 0:05:20precinct of the monastery, as part of something known as a corrody.
0:05:20 > 0:05:25A corrody is a grant, which is really like a kind of pension -
0:05:25 > 0:05:31it provides an individual with accommodation and food,
0:05:31 > 0:05:32over the course of a year.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35And the monastery might grant that
0:05:35 > 0:05:39to one of their long-servicing lay servants.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43And after 20 or 30 years' service, instead of a gold watch,
0:05:43 > 0:05:48they're granted this corrody, which is really going to give them
0:05:48 > 0:05:52- room and board to live out their days in their twilight years.- Mm.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55So it's going to need a bit of renovation, really.
0:05:55 > 0:05:56This floor's in quite a state now.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59Yes, this floor is looking past its best.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02It's worth remembering, of course, that they expect
0:06:02 > 0:06:05something of high quality, this is a valuable retirement home.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07I'll have a chat with the boys.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Especially about the floor, see what we can do.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17Before the boys set to work on renovations,
0:06:17 > 0:06:20they must attend to an urgent matter on the farm.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23The pea crop.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29Well, if we look closely, we've still got a crop.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31- That is fantastic.- Do you want it?
0:06:31 > 0:06:32Oh, yes, please.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35That is absolutely beautiful.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38Does it taste good?
0:06:38 > 0:06:39Tastes of summer.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46Peas were important in Tudor England, as both food
0:06:46 > 0:06:48and animal fodder.
0:06:48 > 0:06:52Unlike garden peas, field peas were left to dry on the plant
0:06:52 > 0:06:56until they were harvested. It made them easier to store
0:06:56 > 0:06:59but also vulnerable to birds.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01This is the thing, if we start drying this crop out here
0:07:01 > 0:07:03all the birds are going to be looking at it and going,
0:07:03 > 0:07:05they've laid on a pea buffet, let's get in there.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08Yeah, it's going to be a proper feast.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11Bird control was a serious business.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14In the later Tudor period, bounty payments
0:07:14 > 0:07:18of a penny for three birds' heads, were offered.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20And farmers often employed children
0:07:20 > 0:07:23to frighten away the pigeons and rooks.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25Tom and I are erecting a bird scarer.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29We're putting in hazel poles, I'm going to tie some
0:07:29 > 0:07:30string between them,
0:07:30 > 0:07:33and onto that string we're going to hang some shells.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35Tudor-style wind chimes.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37- Be gentle.- Like this.
0:07:37 > 0:07:38A lot of work, that was.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41So, we've taken advantage of the wind, making sure all
0:07:41 > 0:07:44the shells just bounce off each other, making some noise.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46That's the thing, being a Tudor farmer, or being any farmer,
0:07:46 > 0:07:48you can't afford to lose a crop.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51But especially in Tudor times, these peas were your sustenance.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54Right, I'm going to stick another stake in, Tom.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56Am I going to get in trouble if I walk across the pea crop?
0:07:56 > 0:07:59If you don't walk, the birds will eat.
0:08:00 > 0:08:01I'll be delicate.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Oops, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19Ruth has begun preparations for the abbot's feast.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Starting by making butter for table.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29Now, the reason I've transferred my milk into these dishes
0:08:29 > 0:08:32is to help the cream separate. Anybody who's a little bit older
0:08:32 > 0:08:34remembers the days before homogenised milk.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36And they remember that in milk bottles it always
0:08:36 > 0:08:39used to rise, and you'd get a bit of cream on the very top.
0:08:39 > 0:08:40That's what's happening here.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44Each day a new bowl of milk was settled.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47And Ruth has started to process yesterday's batch.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50Look, see how thick that cream is.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53Super thick, look at that.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02Not only was butter an important source of calories, it was
0:09:02 > 0:09:06also considered good for the health and a cure for chest complaints.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11Lid on to minimise splashing.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13THUNKING AND LIQUID SPLASHING
0:09:13 > 0:09:14Hear that?
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Knowing what stage you're at is all about listening to the
0:09:19 > 0:09:21sounds that it makes in the churn.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24And now it's all a matter of time.
0:09:25 > 0:09:31A volume of cream like this can turn into butter in as little
0:09:31 > 0:09:33as 15 to 20 minutes.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41Butter, along with other dairy produce, was known as a white meat,
0:09:41 > 0:09:46most commonly consumed by poorer members of society.
0:09:46 > 0:09:47After all, everyone had a cow.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51The point was you could graze a cow even if you had no land yourself,
0:09:51 > 0:09:54you could graze it on the common land, you had a right to
0:09:54 > 0:09:59put a cow on the common, which meant that you had access to some milk.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02You could make your own butter, you could make your own cream,
0:10:02 > 0:10:04you could make your own cheese.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08White meats, therefore, were a very democratic food, everybody had them.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10And the rich sneered.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16But dairy produce wasn't the preserve of the poor for long.
0:10:16 > 0:10:23By 1500, landowners were taking back farmland and also common land,
0:10:23 > 0:10:25to establish parks for hunting.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29It meant peasants could no longer graze their animals for free.
0:10:30 > 0:10:35Now, you've got to actually rent a field to keep your cow on.
0:10:35 > 0:10:40And that meant that increasingly, from 1500 onwards,
0:10:40 > 0:10:42cows and cows' milk
0:10:42 > 0:10:45became something associated with the wealthier sort of peasant.
0:10:49 > 0:10:54All feels a little bit stiffer. So, I'm really listening now.
0:10:54 > 0:10:55WOODEN THUNKING
0:10:59 > 0:11:02You can't really predict
0:11:02 > 0:11:06whether it's seconds away or another five minutes.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10Phew!
0:11:12 > 0:11:13We mi..
0:11:13 > 0:11:14LOUD THUNK
0:11:18 > 0:11:19Did you hear?
0:11:20 > 0:11:24Suddenly it sounds wetter.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30That noise has changed, hasn't it?
0:11:30 > 0:11:34Oh, yes, look at that. Now that looks good.
0:11:36 > 0:11:37There we are, look, butter.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47The final stage is to squeeze all the butter particles
0:11:47 > 0:11:50into a solid lump.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53Now, obviously, doing this with your hands, there's a problem -
0:11:53 > 0:11:56the warmth of your hands starts to melt the butter.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00So, instead one uses a pair of wooden hands.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09Once the butter milk is removed, Ruth adds salt,
0:12:09 > 0:12:10which is a preservative.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13And indeed, if I put enough salt in it
0:12:13 > 0:12:16I can even make a product that can survive for a full year
0:12:16 > 0:12:20in an edible, not necessarily a tasty, but in an edible fashion.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28What kind of trouble do you think Ruth has got us into now?
0:12:28 > 0:12:31Well, you never know with Ruth, do you?
0:12:33 > 0:12:35Oh, dear.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39Peter and Tom are keen to get on with their monastic
0:12:39 > 0:12:41restoration project.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44And the priority is laying a new floor.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50It'll be made from a mixture of lime putty and ash,
0:12:50 > 0:12:56known as lime ash, which was strong, flexible and a good heat insulator.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03The boys have come to collect some limestone from the forest to
0:13:03 > 0:13:06produce their own lime putty.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09This is the key ingredient to our floor, it's chalk.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12We're going to heat it up, that's going to dry off the carbon dioxide.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15We're going to put that in water, that'll turn it into a putty,
0:13:15 > 0:13:16then we're going to lay it on our floor.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19And as it dries out and reabsorbs carbon dioxide,
0:13:19 > 0:13:22it's going to turn back into chalk, back into a stone,
0:13:22 > 0:13:24and make our floor absolutely solid.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32To turn the limestone into the lime and ash mixture needed
0:13:32 > 0:13:34for the floor, it must be roasted at
0:13:34 > 0:13:38a temperature of over 900 degrees Celsius.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41Just need to make sure that every piece of that chalk hits that
0:13:41 > 0:13:44magic number of 900 degrees.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48Chalk, or limestone,
0:13:48 > 0:13:52was hugely popular as a building material in the Tudor era.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57While the Anglo-Saxons had built with wood, the Tudors needed lime
0:13:57 > 0:14:01to make mortar for their stone-built castles, city walls and churches.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06Lime ash was normally gathered from the bottom of kilns,
0:14:06 > 0:14:08where limestone was burnt.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11Lime kilns really take off in the Tudor period,
0:14:11 > 0:14:13and that's the reason why, in 1500,
0:14:13 > 0:14:16there's a massive surge in the fashion for lime ash floors.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21However, farmers like us, who might not be too close to a lime kiln,
0:14:21 > 0:14:25could make their own, such as this. It's a real crossover in technology.
0:14:41 > 0:14:46In Tudor England, the shadow of plague and disease was ever present.
0:14:46 > 0:14:51People worked hard to keep a clean living environment.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53There were even systems for waste removal.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59Centuries before germs were discovered,
0:14:59 > 0:15:02cleaning was a surprisingly rigorous affair.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Especially in the dairy.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08With the butter made, Ruth needs to wash her equipment.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13A Tudor housewife had three lines of defence in her
0:15:13 > 0:15:17battle for hygiene in the dairy, and not one of them included soap.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20First and foremost came salt.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29Used with a damp cloth, it helps to scrub,
0:15:29 > 0:15:32but it also, of course, kills bacteria.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41She then turned to the second line of defence - boiling water.
0:15:47 > 0:15:53All the dairy utensils were finished off by being scalded
0:15:53 > 0:15:56over all of their surfaces.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07And her last line of defence was sunlight, more specifically,
0:16:07 > 0:16:10the UV element of sunlight.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14She might not have known why it worked, but she knew that it did.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16In fact, the UV kills bacteria.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20So, on a nice day like today, you'd have seen a very common sight
0:16:20 > 0:16:22outside any woman's dairy -
0:16:22 > 0:16:25all her dairy utensils lined up in the sun
0:16:25 > 0:16:28getting a good sterilising dose of sunlight.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43The limestone has been roasting for three hours,
0:16:43 > 0:16:47driving off carbon dioxide and leaving a highly volatile product
0:16:47 > 0:16:49called quicklime.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56It's then put in water for a process known as slaking.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58So, if we just put that in.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06- There it goes, look at it. Look, look at that.- It's amazing.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08It appears to have worked.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10And if I bring that back up...
0:17:11 > 0:17:14There we go, look at that. Oh, that's the dangerous bit.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18But that is lime slaking, and it is turning into a putty.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22The fire drives off all the carbon dioxide and it makes
0:17:22 > 0:17:24the chalk very, very volatile.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28When it goes in the water, the water is absorbed
0:17:28 > 0:17:30and there's an exothermic reaction.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33This isn't the heat from the fire that's doing this, this is
0:17:33 > 0:17:36the chemical reaction that's heating up this water, and you can hear it.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38And it's slowly turning into a putty.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Look at that. That is lime putty on my shovel.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52The lime will continue to slake in the water overnight.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11In 1500, the shape of England's waterways
0:18:11 > 0:18:15and wetlands was unrecognisable from today.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21Before the extensive land drainage of the later 16th century,
0:18:21 > 0:18:24these regions provided a wealth of resources -
0:18:24 > 0:18:29from fish and wildfowl, to peat used for fuel.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34And something without which no Tudor home would have been complete -
0:18:34 > 0:18:36rushes.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39- Hi, Linda.- Oh, hi, Ruth.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Ruth has come to meet rush worker, Linda.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47The rushes they harvest will be made into floor mats
0:18:47 > 0:18:50for the room the team are renovating.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53Rushes are a rather ignored resource in modern Britain, aren't they?
0:18:53 > 0:18:57- Yep.- You look at the domestic interiors of the late 15th and early
0:18:57 > 0:19:0016th century, and you can spot rushes here, there and everywhere.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04In Tudor England they used them for their mattresses,
0:19:04 > 0:19:06- their chair seats, their cushions. - Their flooring.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08- The flooring.- Hats.
0:19:08 > 0:19:09- Yep.- Baskets.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16Rushes were commonly cut between May and September,
0:19:16 > 0:19:18as near to midsummer as possible.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21Because it's a harvest, we've got to do it in a certain four or
0:19:21 > 0:19:25- five weeks of the year, that's all we've got.- Oh, right.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27These will all die down,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30if you come to the river in October, you won't see a thing.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34- Right.- And you come to the river in April, you won't see a thing.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37So, they'll all die down, right back into their rhizome in the mud.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Before Ruth finishes harvesting the rushes,
0:19:42 > 0:19:45she'll need a decent floor to put them on.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51Peter and Tom are combining their lime ash putty with sand,
0:19:51 > 0:19:54clay and flint to give the mixture strength.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58This is really good, our lime putty, mixed with the ash.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02The boys are adding a special ingredient to bind their floor.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04Whoa.
0:20:04 > 0:20:05Curdled milk.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10Is that smell you, or the milk?
0:20:10 > 0:20:13Well, it's a little bit of both, Tom.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15And that should go as the floor ages,
0:20:15 > 0:20:18so we don't have to worry about it too much.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23Used in concretes like this since Roman times,
0:20:23 > 0:20:26sour milk contains a protein called casein,
0:20:26 > 0:20:30which bonds with the lime to make it durable and waterproof.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34We're like tiny little bakers making a giant cake, aren't we?
0:20:36 > 0:20:38Once all the ingredients are combined,
0:20:38 > 0:20:40they can start to lay the floor.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43If we just get it in there and stamp it down.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45Then flatten it off later with spades.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48Feeling good, feeling good. It's getting there.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53I'm glad they're not too heavy.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55Yeah, no, good harvest we've got here.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57An hour's cutting.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59Good boy, good boy.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02Before the rushes can be used, they must be dried out.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07If we use them straight, they're so brittle,
0:21:07 > 0:21:09look, they'll just snap straightaway, like that.
0:21:09 > 0:21:10Oh, yeah.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14So what you have to do is let the cell structure dry out.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18So, here's a couple that I cut about five weeks ago,
0:21:18 > 0:21:20and now they don't snap.
0:21:20 > 0:21:25And if I try and just tear that, I can't.
0:21:25 > 0:21:29To make the floor mats, the rushes must be plaited together.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31I'll hold it for you.
0:21:31 > 0:21:37- Twist, OK, over, under. - That's right.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39- I like the feel that's developing.- Yeah.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41- That's...- That's tough, isn't it?
0:21:41 > 0:21:45That's strong but it's still got a certain soft and bounciness to it.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47Now, if you imagine your mattress might need
0:21:47 > 0:21:49about 100 feet of this plait.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51SHE LAUGHS
0:21:51 > 0:21:52Shall we do a kid's one?
0:21:54 > 0:21:58Hygiene dictated that the floor mats be replaced every year.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01So there was scarcely a time when plaiting rushes
0:22:01 > 0:22:02wasn't on the to-do list.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14It's the final push to finish the renovations.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18The boys are polishing the floor with milk
0:22:18 > 0:22:21to give it a hard, waterproof coating.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25This is going to be a fantastic floor, I can feel it.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28And Ruth has almost completed the sleeping mats.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30I've made loads of the plaits,
0:22:30 > 0:22:32I shall probably have to make some more, but still.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34And then I'm sewing them together...
0:22:34 > 0:22:36Into a mat.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46This floor looks so much better.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48It's not bad, is it?
0:22:48 > 0:22:50- I think you've made a really good job.- Oh, thank you.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Right, where do you want your mats?
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Oh, yeah, stick them out the way for a minute,
0:22:55 > 0:22:57- cos I've got the hygiene to sort out first.- OK.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02I've got a whole load of herbs to scatter on the floor.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06And they serve two basic functions.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10The first thing is about smell - people in this period believed
0:23:10 > 0:23:14that disease was carried by evil miasmas, by bad smells in the air.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18And, if you breathed that evil miasma, you would get sick.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21So, wherever you lived, wherever you were spending time,
0:23:21 > 0:23:25you wanted it to smell as sweet and clean as possible.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29But then there's also a role for insecticides -
0:23:29 > 0:23:32things like my tansy, my wormwood, fleabane.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35They're for keeping insects out of the house,
0:23:35 > 0:23:39things like flies or ants or, or body lice, fleas.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42Anything like that can be driven out.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46And it will make the whole living experience,
0:23:46 > 0:23:49not only healthier, but much pleasanter.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52Do you want to stick those mats down then, I've got a little layer down.
0:23:52 > 0:23:53Yeah.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59In addition to the room, and a provision of food,
0:23:59 > 0:24:03the corrody might include firewood and some cooking equipment.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05Is that the last one?
0:24:05 > 0:24:06Yep.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10I think this floor makes a huge difference.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13You know, this is easy to keep clean, to look after,
0:24:13 > 0:24:16- to be comfy, isn't it?- Mm. - Home, sweet home.
0:24:16 > 0:24:17Yeah.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34The influence of the church on the people of Tudor England
0:24:34 > 0:24:37extended far beyond its role as landlord and welfare provider.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42They also controlled the spread of ideas.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50Major centres of learning with extensive libraries,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53the monasteries were the custodians of knowledge.
0:24:54 > 0:24:59Monasteries commissioned deluxe books, costly and prestigious
0:24:59 > 0:25:02objects, as gifts for their most distinguished patrons.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06And Tom will be making one to present at the abbot's feast.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14Historically, books had been written on vellum,
0:25:14 > 0:25:17a material made from calf skin.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21But by 1500 another medium had taken over - paper.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27Expert Jim Patterson is showing Tom how paper was produced.
0:25:27 > 0:25:32What we've got in here is a mixture of linen and water,
0:25:32 > 0:25:35they are the ingredients for Tudor papermaking.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39You would start off with waste rag, it would be a recycling process.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41And that's the pulp that would result.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43There's no wood involved at all.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46None whatsoever. Not till much, much later in history.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49- Now I'm going to form a sheet on a hand mould.- OK.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53There we are, by dipping it in, below the surface, go in like that.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57- OK, that way.- That's it, that's it. In you go, below the surface.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59Flood the mould and bring it up.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02Clear of the vat.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05Up. Now, shake it. Forward and back, side to side.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07- Forward and back.- Can you see? - Right.
0:26:07 > 0:26:08Side to side, forward and back,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11and you'll see the sheet actually forming.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14And it's leaving the fibre on the surface.
0:26:14 > 0:26:15A little bit uneven.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17THEY LAUGH
0:26:17 > 0:26:18Shall I go again?
0:26:18 > 0:26:21No, I think that'll pass for Tudor paper. I think it...
0:26:24 > 0:26:28And the next stage is couching - from the French "coucher" - to lay.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30- Just placing that on there? - That's right.- Right.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32Bring it upright.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35This was the job for the assistant, this was the non-technical work.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37- Non-technical.- Yeah, yeah, right, yeah.- Fair enough.- Yeah.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39I'm just going to roll that down.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41Roll it from one hand to the other, and it should come away.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45- Wow.- Now, you see, you see. - It's not as easy as it looks.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47- Not enough weight. OK, we'll make another one.- OK.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50But more weight next time. Dig in deep.
0:26:52 > 0:26:57The first paper mill in England was established around 1490.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01But at the time, paper was mainly imported from Europe,
0:27:01 > 0:27:02making it extremely costly.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07- Firmly and with confidence. - With confidence, eh.
0:27:07 > 0:27:12And manufacturers could be recognised by their watermarks.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15- Not too bad.- There's quite a deep indentation here.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17When the paper's pressed,
0:27:17 > 0:27:20that would pretty much all come down to the same thickness,
0:27:20 > 0:27:23and you really shouldn't be able to see it on the surface.
0:27:23 > 0:27:24But when you hold it up to the light,
0:27:24 > 0:27:27the displaced fibres will show as a watermark.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31OK, about there.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36The paper is pressed for an hour.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43We'll take the press off now and see what we've got.
0:27:43 > 0:27:44Quite exciting, really.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46After 50 years, the novelty wears off.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48THEY LAUGH
0:27:48 > 0:27:51That's the first of our bits of paper.
0:27:51 > 0:27:52That's brilliant.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54And you can see the watermark.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04Paper making, Tudor-style.
0:28:04 > 0:28:05THEY LAUGH
0:28:05 > 0:28:06Thank you very much.
0:28:11 > 0:28:16The daily running of the monasteries required many lay workers,
0:28:16 > 0:28:20leaving the monks free for worship, prayer or study.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23Usually, these workers were men,
0:28:23 > 0:28:26but certain jobs were open to older women.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29Considered by the monks to be beyond the temptations of the flesh,
0:28:29 > 0:28:34they helped with gardening, cooking and the washing of linens.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39Which is what Ruth has been commissioned to do.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45My main cleaning chemical, throughout all my housework,
0:28:45 > 0:28:46is wood ash.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49It's particularly good at dealing with grease,
0:28:49 > 0:28:51with dissolving it so that you can wash it away.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53But when you're doing the laundry, you don't
0:28:53 > 0:28:57necessarily want pure ash in your best napkins.
0:28:57 > 0:29:01So, what I'm going to do is filter the chemical within the ash,
0:29:01 > 0:29:04out, into a nice clean liquid.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07Inside a bucket, with a hole in the bottom,
0:29:07 > 0:29:11Ruth makes a filter of river gravel and straw.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13And then the ash just goes on top.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16And this is, you know, just out of the fireplace.
0:29:19 > 0:29:21And then I just need to pour some water through.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29And let that seep through.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34Leaching out every last bit of chemical
0:29:34 > 0:29:38into a really strong lye solution.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41The word lye, after all, is just a short form of alkali.
0:29:47 > 0:29:51With Tom and Ruth attending to monastic matters,
0:29:51 > 0:29:53Peter is keeping the farm running.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57The cows have eaten all the grass, and there is a shortage of food.
0:29:57 > 0:30:03To source a Tudor solution, Peter has come to meet Ted Green,
0:30:03 > 0:30:07who looks after the woodlands at Knepp Castle in West Sussex.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10- Hi, Ted.- How you doing? - Yeah, not bad. How are you?
0:30:10 > 0:30:13I'm really, really pleased because I've just found this tree
0:30:13 > 0:30:16which is going to really work for a ladder for us.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18- You're making a ladder out of this tree?- Yeah.
0:30:20 > 0:30:24- Oh, Christ.- Well, there you go. I'll bring the tools.
0:30:24 > 0:30:26You bring the tools, I'll bring the ladder.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28Straight in front of you.
0:30:28 > 0:30:32Ted is reviving an ancient farming practice,
0:30:32 > 0:30:35which has existed ever since animals were domesticated.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39Harvesting hay from trees.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42It's a perfect solution for the dry months.
0:30:42 > 0:30:46As trees keep their leaves hydrated,
0:30:46 > 0:30:49so the hay will provide a good source of moisture.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53It's something which actually predates grass,
0:30:53 > 0:30:58it's only in modern times that people start thinking about grass.
0:30:58 > 0:31:04Animals never, never ate only grass, we made them eat grass.
0:31:04 > 0:31:06Which trees are we looking at cutting?
0:31:06 > 0:31:09In this particular case we've got two trees which are ash,
0:31:09 > 0:31:11- which they absolutely love.- Yeah.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13It's one of the top trees for animals.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16- Right, I've been lugging this ladder round long enough.- OK.
0:31:16 > 0:31:17Where do you want it?
0:31:17 > 0:31:20- Well, we're going to try and rest it in that tree.- Right.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23And just see how we go.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26Here we go. No, no, no, no, no. Over your way a bit.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29Oh, that's it, you're in. Great, I don't mind that.
0:31:29 > 0:31:31Go on, try it.
0:31:31 > 0:31:33I'm not overly convinced about this.
0:31:33 > 0:31:35Erm...
0:31:35 > 0:31:36Yeah, yeah.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41- OK. Right...erm....- So you're up.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43- Yeah, for now.- OK.
0:31:43 > 0:31:45So, what am I going for here, Ted? What am I looking for?
0:31:45 > 0:31:47This year's growth,
0:31:47 > 0:31:50which should have leaves right down the stem to near the trunk.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52- That's brilliant.- That one?
0:31:52 > 0:31:54And that's a good, that's a good size as well,
0:31:54 > 0:31:56that's lovely for, for storing.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59These leaves, Ted, they're going to...
0:31:59 > 0:32:01Are they going to hold their nutrients?
0:32:01 > 0:32:04Yep, yep, because we're cutting them this time of the year.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07Obviously, when they fall off in the autumn,
0:32:07 > 0:32:10the tree has put all the minerals and nutrients back into itself,
0:32:10 > 0:32:14but by doing this, we're trapping them all in the leaves.
0:32:16 > 0:32:20Unlike coppicing, where material is cut from the base of the tree,
0:32:20 > 0:32:24harvesting tree hay like this is known as pollarding.
0:32:25 > 0:32:29The leaves are cut and re-grow above the height of the animal's head.
0:32:29 > 0:32:33Which meant farmers could control the crop.
0:32:33 > 0:32:37It was one of the earliest forms of woodland management.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39Well, Pete, that looks like you've got most of it off, to me.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42- Yeah, I think so.- Wonderful.
0:32:45 > 0:32:49As well as laundering the linen for the upcoming abbot's feast,
0:32:49 > 0:32:52Ruth is also tackling some more personal garments.
0:32:53 > 0:32:57While most lay people had little time for bodily hygiene,
0:32:57 > 0:33:01for monks, washing was a matter of religious discipline,
0:33:01 > 0:33:05demanded before meals and the duties of the day.
0:33:09 > 0:33:12Having clean clothes was essential.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16According to the rule of St Benedict,
0:33:16 > 0:33:19a monk was supposed to wear his woollen tunic next to his skin.
0:33:19 > 0:33:22Then he had his woollen scapular over it -
0:33:22 > 0:33:24a woollen gown and a woollen hood.
0:33:24 > 0:33:29But by 1500, lay people wouldn't have dreamed of wearing wool
0:33:29 > 0:33:30next to the skin.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33They all wore linen underwear,
0:33:33 > 0:33:35something that could be laundered regularly.
0:33:35 > 0:33:39And the monks wanted some of that comfort and cleanliness themselves.
0:33:39 > 0:33:44So, there are records of monks buying underwear.
0:33:44 > 0:33:46And there were also records of them having it laundered.
0:33:49 > 0:33:53I've put a load of sheets in. If I just keep piling up
0:33:53 > 0:33:56and up and up and up until the basket's full, it'll all compress
0:33:56 > 0:34:00down and I'll have real difficulty getting my lye to move between.
0:34:00 > 0:34:02So, once I've got a layer...
0:34:03 > 0:34:05I make a shelf.
0:34:08 > 0:34:12The shelf will support the next layer of linen,
0:34:12 > 0:34:15saving the bottom layer from being crushed.
0:34:21 > 0:34:26So, now it's the moment for my extra strong lye.
0:34:26 > 0:34:32I pour this lye on, it's going to slowly filtrate its way through
0:34:32 > 0:34:36all the greasy, dirty things, dissolving any grease that's there.
0:34:36 > 0:34:38So, on it goes.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50Tom is overseeing the production of a book,
0:34:50 > 0:34:53which the abbot will present to his patron at the feast.
0:34:55 > 0:34:59In Medieval England, hand-copied books were still a precious
0:34:59 > 0:35:04commodity, mainly the preserve of nobility and the monasteries.
0:35:05 > 0:35:09But by the reign of Henry VII, a new technology from the continent
0:35:09 > 0:35:13was changing this, the printing press with moveable type.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19Developed by a German craftsman, Johannes Gutenberg, the press
0:35:19 > 0:35:25allowed individual letters to be set into text and rearranged with ease.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27Printing expert Nick Smith
0:35:27 > 0:35:30is setting the type for the abbot's book.
0:35:32 > 0:35:34So, when you put these letters in you're not actually
0:35:34 > 0:35:36putting them in as you would read them?
0:35:36 > 0:35:39No, not on the end of the piece of type. It's going to be
0:35:39 > 0:35:43upside down and backwards as far as the compositor is concerned.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46So he has to be able to read a line like that
0:35:46 > 0:35:48just to check that there are no errors in it.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51And that, of course, means that when it's turned over, inked
0:35:51 > 0:35:54and pressed into paper, it will come out the right way round.
0:35:56 > 0:35:59Printers used to refer to these types as sorts.
0:35:59 > 0:36:04If you ran out of the stock of a particular character,
0:36:04 > 0:36:05you can say you're out of sorts.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11Once a page of type is set, it is
0:36:11 > 0:36:14carefully transferred to a metal frame called a chase,
0:36:14 > 0:36:17and held in place with wedges, known as furniture.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20If those letters move even a millimetre,
0:36:20 > 0:36:22- it becomes a smudge, it ruins it. - It does, yes.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25You can't afford to have the type moving at all.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28In fact, some of the inks we use are so sticky that
0:36:28 > 0:36:32if a type is at all loose the sticky ink will actually pull it
0:36:32 > 0:36:34- out of position and that... - In other words, put back.
0:36:34 > 0:36:36That could be a disaster.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38So these are the ink balls?
0:36:38 > 0:36:39These are the ink balls, yeah.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42Pick up ink from the ink block there.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51Now, a sheet of paper then goes on here.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54Now, I'm turning the frisket down.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57This is a light metal frame covered in paper,
0:36:57 > 0:37:00and this is basically a mask.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03Only the areas that want to print are going to touch the paper.
0:37:09 > 0:37:11Provide the pressure by pulling on this bar.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18We now have to move the press bed in again.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21- So it's a double printing process? - It's a double printing process.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23And the reason for that is simply that,
0:37:23 > 0:37:27with this simple screw mechanism, it's not possible to develop
0:37:27 > 0:37:29enough pressure to print a whole sheet in one go.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35And so there's our printed sheet.
0:37:35 > 0:37:36Look at that.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42So, how many of these sheets would you expect to print in an hour?
0:37:42 > 0:37:44They should print 250 in an hour,
0:37:44 > 0:37:47but I can't really imagine that they ever managed that
0:37:47 > 0:37:49for a long period.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51You could make it a little bit faster if you had a boy,
0:37:51 > 0:37:54who was known as a printer's devil, taking off the printed sheets,
0:37:54 > 0:37:56because that, that required no skill at all.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58Well, you've got an unskilled labourer here.
0:37:58 > 0:38:00- And we've got a book to print. - You've done very well.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03- So, crack on.- We'd better get on with the next sheet then. Yep.
0:38:08 > 0:38:13This new printing technology was developed by entrepreneurs,
0:38:13 > 0:38:14not the church.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18As the century progressed, they made more
0:38:18 > 0:38:22and more affordable books, which ordinary people might own.
0:38:24 > 0:38:27It was an invention that would change the world.
0:38:36 > 0:38:40Once the lye has removed all the grease from the laundry,
0:38:40 > 0:38:42it's time to wash it.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49You could find common washing places like this all over
0:38:49 > 0:38:51Britain for hundreds of years.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55Every community had to have somewhere to do their laundry.
0:38:58 > 0:39:02The key to Tudor laundry was brute force.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07It's hard work with this.
0:39:07 > 0:39:09But that's the point, that is what does the job for you.
0:39:09 > 0:39:13There's no chemicals involved, it is purely mechanical action.
0:39:13 > 0:39:17What you're doing is forcing molecules of water,
0:39:17 > 0:39:21under tension, through the fibres, and it just physically,
0:39:21 > 0:39:23mechanically dislodges the dirt.
0:39:25 > 0:39:27It's the bashing that does it.
0:39:40 > 0:39:44Once thoroughly wrung out, the laundry is laid on the grass to dry.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49The combination of water and sunlight
0:39:49 > 0:39:52produces a bleaching effect.
0:39:52 > 0:39:56The monastery's sheets are about six shades whiter than ours.
0:40:02 > 0:40:06The abbot's book is nearly finished, it just needs binding.
0:40:08 > 0:40:12Apprentice bookbinder Eve Goodman is showing Tom the process.
0:40:12 > 0:40:15One of the things with printed books is you've got to be really,
0:40:15 > 0:40:18really careful to make sure you don't get the pages out of order.
0:40:18 > 0:40:19You need to look at the originals
0:40:19 > 0:40:22and there are quite a few where a page is upside down.
0:40:22 > 0:40:25Where an apprentice has not been quite paying attention.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29Once all the papers are folded, they are sliced in half.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32It should be one continuous movement.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35Bring the knife towards you.
0:40:35 > 0:40:37And folded again to form sheets.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41Making sure that all the pages are the right way up.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43Cor, it's nice stiff paper this.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45Oh, it's high quality, I tell you.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50This date, the way bookbinding was working,
0:40:50 > 0:40:52was you had a bookbinding shop.
0:40:52 > 0:40:56And people would come in with their pages, having had them printed,
0:40:56 > 0:40:59and hand them over and say, "I want you to bind those."
0:40:59 > 0:41:03This is the point at which industrious bookbinding is
0:41:03 > 0:41:06happening, where suddenly people can afford to go
0:41:06 > 0:41:08and buy their pages and take them to a bookbinder.
0:41:08 > 0:41:12I suppose the ability to mass produce books of this type
0:41:12 > 0:41:14means that when the Reformation occurred,
0:41:14 > 0:41:17Henry VIII was able to print the Bible in English.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20And get it out there, making that break from Rome so much easier.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22Because, obviously, a lot of the Bibles were printed in Latin
0:41:22 > 0:41:25- and he needed to have that separation.- Exactly.
0:41:29 > 0:41:33A small press was used to hold the pages in place.
0:41:34 > 0:41:39While their spines were marked out and a series of slits cut.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42Right, this is the vital part,
0:41:42 > 0:41:45this is the part that holds all of the book together.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48This is sewing on the cord. So...
0:41:48 > 0:41:53A series of cords are lined up with the slits in the spine.
0:41:53 > 0:41:55And the whole book is sewn together.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01So, you are, literally, just stitching a book.
0:42:01 > 0:42:03Yeah, you're sewing it together.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05Have a look.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07It's actually very precise, isn't it?
0:42:07 > 0:42:10Yeah, it starts to feel like a book at this point, doesn't it?
0:42:10 > 0:42:12Yeah, a proper present.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15Next, the book needs to be cut to size.
0:42:15 > 0:42:19This is called a plough. You see there's a blade here.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24And you'll see, as soon as I've got through this lot,
0:42:24 > 0:42:26just how silky smooth the edge of the book is.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29If you run your finger down there, it squeaks.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33That's unbelievably smooth. That's amazing.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39The spine is rounded, using a hammer.
0:42:41 > 0:42:45- And you can see that there's a curve on it.- Oh, yeah.
0:42:45 > 0:42:47There's a bit of a curve, and all books have got that.
0:42:47 > 0:42:52And it's all about making sure that the spine is as stable as possible.
0:42:54 > 0:42:59This also forms a ledge for the book's cover to sit on.
0:42:59 > 0:43:03So, you can see the rounding over of the spine is
0:43:03 > 0:43:06- so that you get this seamless curve. - Yeah.
0:43:06 > 0:43:10Originally covered in plain vellum,
0:43:10 > 0:43:16by 1500, luxury books had fine leather covers.
0:43:16 > 0:43:19And the craftsmanship required to make a book emphasises, really,
0:43:19 > 0:43:22why they were such prestige gifts, doesn't it?
0:43:22 > 0:43:26And finally, the book is put in the press to set overnight.
0:43:26 > 0:43:29I think the abbot's going to be very proud to give that to his patron.
0:43:29 > 0:43:31- Thank you for letting me observe. - Yeah, that's all right.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39Hey, Turkish. Hey, Georgie. Hey, Mildred.
0:43:39 > 0:43:42Back on the farm, the pigs are flourishing.
0:43:44 > 0:43:47Peter's tree hay is going down well.
0:43:47 > 0:43:49She absolutely loves it.
0:43:49 > 0:43:51I'm a convert to tree hay.
0:43:51 > 0:43:53It's fantastic.
0:43:54 > 0:43:57It's your food, stop playing with your dinner.
0:43:57 > 0:44:02And with the crop finally dry, it's time to bring in the peas.
0:44:02 > 0:44:04Well, our pea scarer has definitely worked.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07- We still have a crop.- I think there's a lot of peas on there.
0:44:07 > 0:44:09- There's an awful lot of peas. - Yeah.
0:44:09 > 0:44:11If we were trying to pick these by hand, we'd be here for ever.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18The team are using scythes.
0:44:18 > 0:44:21First developed in Roman times,
0:44:21 > 0:44:24by the Medieval era they had spread throughout Europe.
0:44:25 > 0:44:26The smell's amazing, isn't it, Tom?
0:44:26 > 0:44:29It is. And they turn out quite easy, as well.
0:44:38 > 0:44:42We're loading peas into our wagon, and these dried peas we can
0:44:42 > 0:44:46thrash and get the peas out, but the stems we can feed to our cows.
0:44:52 > 0:44:56- You're making friends down there, Peter.- Making friends.
0:44:57 > 0:45:01For the Tudor farmer, a good crop would have been a godsend.
0:45:03 > 0:45:07Feeding them and their animals, and even making a little cash
0:45:07 > 0:45:08if there was extra to sell.
0:45:13 > 0:45:17The crop will be beaten with sticks to release the peas,
0:45:17 > 0:45:19a process known as thrashing.
0:45:19 > 0:45:21- Oh, isn't it fantastic?- It is.
0:45:21 > 0:45:25Standing in a barn so completely full of all of our crops.
0:45:25 > 0:45:27Yeah, I know.
0:45:29 > 0:45:31Look at that, there are hundreds of peas.
0:45:31 > 0:45:33Yeah, this is good.
0:45:33 > 0:45:35Well, I don't know if it's the weather or what,
0:45:35 > 0:45:38but this has been a really good crop.
0:45:38 > 0:45:41I think it's more down to our Tudor farming techniques, to be honest.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44Or maybe enough time spent on our knees in church.
0:45:44 > 0:45:45THEY LAUGH
0:45:57 > 0:46:00The abbot's feast is just days away.
0:46:00 > 0:46:04But the elaborate food he will be serving was a far
0:46:04 > 0:46:07cry from the simple meals of ordinary monks.
0:46:07 > 0:46:10Benedictus benedicat per jesum christum dominum nostrum.
0:46:13 > 0:46:15Every meal began with grace.
0:46:19 > 0:46:23Talking was forbidden so, instead, the monks communicated
0:46:23 > 0:46:26over the dinner table by using sign language.
0:46:31 > 0:46:35Each monk had a daily allowance of 2.5lbs of bread,
0:46:35 > 0:46:37and a gallon of ale.
0:46:38 > 0:46:42And 2lbs of fish, a fundamental part of the monastic diet.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50But fish wasn't only important for the monks,
0:46:50 > 0:46:52the church decreed that for three days a week,
0:46:52 > 0:46:58and on many holy days, lay people should not eat meat, only fish.
0:46:58 > 0:46:59Oh!
0:47:02 > 0:47:06While the general public had to make do with dried or salted fish,
0:47:06 > 0:47:11the monasteries had become expert fish farmers.
0:47:11 > 0:47:15They engineered elaborate systems of ponds to grow salmon,
0:47:15 > 0:47:19pike and carp, which will be served at the abbot's feast.
0:47:21 > 0:47:25Ruth has come to the monastic kitchen to prepare the food,
0:47:25 > 0:47:26starting with the carp.
0:47:28 > 0:47:31This would have been a luxury food. It's fresh water fish
0:47:31 > 0:47:34and for most people, you know, that was, in itself,
0:47:34 > 0:47:36a sign of wealth and of privilege.
0:47:36 > 0:47:41Only those who had the rights to the fishing could take the fish.
0:47:41 > 0:47:46So freshwater fish carried a certain social cache.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49You knew if you were served any of the freshwater fish
0:47:49 > 0:47:53that you were being given the produce of the owner of the land.
0:47:54 > 0:47:59Ruth stuffs the fish with anchovies, bread, herbs and spices,
0:47:59 > 0:48:02a valuable commodity in Tudor England.
0:48:02 > 0:48:05The monks, obviously, tried to keep a really close eye on what
0:48:05 > 0:48:08they were using and spending in their kitchens, just the same way as
0:48:08 > 0:48:12they were keeping a close eye on the way their lands were being farmed.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15Monks were supervising chefs, they were in charge of the stores,
0:48:15 > 0:48:20of keeping count of food going in and food coming out.
0:48:25 > 0:48:29Ruth makes a cage to support the fish during the roasting.
0:48:35 > 0:48:40The church was instrumental in the advancement of fine dining.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43The frequent travels of the clergy meant new ideas
0:48:43 > 0:48:46and cooking methods spread throughout Europe.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48Ruth is trying out an elaborate pastry dish.
0:48:50 > 0:48:52I'm building a pastry castle.
0:48:52 > 0:48:56According to a menu from 1500,
0:48:56 > 0:49:00the Bishop of London served just such a thing at a dinner.
0:49:00 > 0:49:04He had started with a moat of custard and then, within it,
0:49:04 > 0:49:06was a great pastry castle.
0:49:06 > 0:49:09And in each of the turrets of the pastry castle
0:49:09 > 0:49:10there'd be a different filling.
0:49:10 > 0:49:13And I rather thought, well, you know, if it's good enough
0:49:13 > 0:49:16for the Bishop of London, maybe it's good enough for our abbot.
0:49:21 > 0:49:25Peter has turned his attention to drinks for the feast.
0:49:26 > 0:49:30In the 1500s, wine was an expensive commodity.
0:49:30 > 0:49:33Here we go. Pop that back on there.
0:49:33 > 0:49:37One way to make it last longer was to distil it into a spirit.
0:49:38 > 0:49:41Distiller Jack Green has made a still -
0:49:41 > 0:49:44the apparatus needed to produce brandy.
0:49:45 > 0:49:47So, as I blow air into the coals here, they heat up,
0:49:47 > 0:49:49that heats the wine, but what happens then?
0:49:49 > 0:49:52- You, you need to slowly bring it up. - Yep.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55Until we come to the boiling point of the alcohol,
0:49:55 > 0:49:58which is lower than the boiling point of water.
0:49:58 > 0:50:03The alcohol evaporates, goes up into the condenser zone here,
0:50:03 > 0:50:07and runs down this channel here, and then down the spout.
0:50:07 > 0:50:09Essentially, the alcohol evaporates at a lower
0:50:09 > 0:50:12- temperature than the rest of the wine.- Yes.
0:50:13 > 0:50:17Little last bit of sophistication is, we put this wet blanket on it.
0:50:17 > 0:50:20Oh, like a little tea cosy, but the opposite.
0:50:20 > 0:50:21So, rather than keeping it hot, this...
0:50:21 > 0:50:24- And that cools it down, you see. - Right.
0:50:25 > 0:50:29- OK, so, we're getting a few drips coming out of here.- Yes.
0:50:29 > 0:50:33The first alcohol that comes over is methanol,
0:50:33 > 0:50:36and methanol is the bad stuff.
0:50:36 > 0:50:39- What happens if I drink that? - Well, you'll probably go blind.
0:50:39 > 0:50:43Methanol has a lower boiling point than ethanol, so the first
0:50:43 > 0:50:47drops that come over are the methanol, and we discard those.
0:50:47 > 0:50:51When do you know that you've changed from methanol to ethanol?
0:50:51 > 0:50:53- Just have to guess. - Just have to g...all right, OK.
0:50:59 > 0:51:02When the ethanol starts to come through, the spout is
0:51:02 > 0:51:06connected to a long tube which is cooled in a bucket of water.
0:51:06 > 0:51:09This will help the ethanol fully condense.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12- We're getting some already. - That's fantastic.- Yes.
0:51:12 > 0:51:14So that is now the ethanol coming through.
0:51:14 > 0:51:15A bit faster now.
0:51:15 > 0:51:17A bit faster?
0:51:17 > 0:51:19- It's a very delicate business. - Right.
0:51:19 > 0:51:23- The reason it's called spirit is that this is the body.- Yeah.
0:51:23 > 0:51:25- And the spirit rises.- Ah!
0:51:25 > 0:51:27So, this is the spirit. That why we call it spirit.
0:51:27 > 0:51:30- It's like the Holy Spirit, sort of thing.- Yes. So, carry on.
0:51:30 > 0:51:34So the vapour of alcohol is the spirit leaving the body of wine.
0:51:34 > 0:51:37- Yes, yes.- Either way, I'm looking forward to trying it.
0:51:37 > 0:51:39Oh, yes, you'll be the first.
0:51:39 > 0:51:43I'll put my thumb over the spout and...it smells good.
0:51:43 > 0:51:45How does it taste?
0:51:46 > 0:51:49Just a little sip. Don't drink it all!
0:51:51 > 0:51:55- That's really nice.- Is it? Oh, good. - That is really nice.- Good, good.
0:51:59 > 0:52:02The food is prepared, and the brandy distilled,
0:52:02 > 0:52:06but there's one more job to do before the feast.
0:52:06 > 0:52:09Peter and Tom have been called upon to serve at the banquet,
0:52:09 > 0:52:12and they need a lesson in Tudor etiquette.
0:52:12 > 0:52:15You have no idea what an honour this is, you know.
0:52:15 > 0:52:18This would have been for gentlemen's sons
0:52:18 > 0:52:23who had been carefully trained from childhood
0:52:23 > 0:52:26in how to be gracious, how to bow beautifully,
0:52:26 > 0:52:29how to serve at table with exactly the right etiquette.
0:52:29 > 0:52:31They'd have special carving lessons,
0:52:31 > 0:52:35so that they could do it precisely, and cleanly, and quickly.
0:52:35 > 0:52:38- We've gone up in the world. - Exactly, exactly.- Oh, dear.
0:52:38 > 0:52:40This is your serving towel, all right.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43You put the serving towel on for serving dinner,
0:52:43 > 0:52:46it's a symbol of what sort of role you play at dinner.
0:52:46 > 0:52:49Because he's going to have slightly different to you.
0:52:49 > 0:52:53- You get two towels, because you're carving.- OK.
0:52:53 > 0:52:54Again, badge of office.
0:52:54 > 0:52:56- The posher your servants were, the posher you were.- Mm.
0:52:56 > 0:52:59And the better turned out your servants were,
0:52:59 > 0:53:00the more it reflected on you.
0:53:00 > 0:53:02What are your bows like? Come on, let me see your bows.
0:53:02 > 0:53:05- Bow or genuflecting?- Yeah, it is more like a genuflect, yeah.
0:53:05 > 0:53:06You want to be doing a...
0:53:06 > 0:53:08Particularly when you're serving the food,
0:53:08 > 0:53:12you want to be able to come down with the trays held in front of you.
0:53:12 > 0:53:13Yeah, that's the sort of thing.
0:53:15 > 0:53:18- You're doing that in two moves, I think.- Go on, have another go.
0:53:18 > 0:53:21- I thought I was pretty good the first time, you see.- No.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24- On my...- Try not stepping quite so far, just keep it really small
0:53:24 > 0:53:26and then that knee can come right into your heel.
0:53:29 > 0:53:30It's better.
0:53:30 > 0:53:33Look, we're going to go in there, you're going to be elegant,
0:53:33 > 0:53:34you're going to be lovely.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37- We're going to do you proud. - You are. Go on.
0:53:37 > 0:53:38Go and be gorgeous. THEY LAUGH
0:53:43 > 0:53:45It's the day of the abbot's feast,
0:53:45 > 0:53:49and the monastery's most important patron will be dining.
0:53:49 > 0:53:51More than just an expression of hospitality,
0:53:51 > 0:53:56it was a vital chance to win favour and donations.
0:53:58 > 0:54:02As a sign of humility, following the example of Christ,
0:54:02 > 0:54:06the senior monk would wash the feet of the guests before dinner.
0:54:08 > 0:54:13Benedic, Domine, nos et haec tua dona quae de tua largitate sumus sumpturi.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
0:54:16 > 0:54:17ALL: Amen.
0:54:25 > 0:54:28The seating plan was meticulous.
0:54:28 > 0:54:31Only the most distinguished guests would sit on the high table
0:54:31 > 0:54:33with the abbot.
0:54:33 > 0:54:37The further away you sat, the lower your social status.
0:54:39 > 0:54:41Each of the elaborate dishes,
0:54:42 > 0:54:45Ruth's pastry castle, with a custard moat...
0:54:48 > 0:54:51Sugar platters decorated with gold...
0:54:53 > 0:54:56And the carp,
0:54:56 > 0:54:58along with many other dishes,
0:54:58 > 0:55:02would be ceremonially presented to the abbot for approval
0:55:02 > 0:55:03before being served.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13Carving carp for the monastic table, it's not a case of filleting
0:55:13 > 0:55:17the fish, instead I'm running my knife round the outside
0:55:17 > 0:55:21of the fish, cutting off the fins and the tail and the head.
0:55:21 > 0:55:25And then the body, I'm going to cut it into equal sized portions,
0:55:25 > 0:55:27complete with bones.
0:55:27 > 0:55:31Because when it's served, it will still look like a fish,
0:55:31 > 0:55:35but each piece can be picked up and eaten as bite-sized morsels.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49The chef's been preparing for several days now.
0:55:52 > 0:55:56The drinks, served in cups, were kept on a board,
0:55:56 > 0:55:58the origin of the word cupboard.
0:56:00 > 0:56:03They would be offered to the top table, with the server
0:56:03 > 0:56:06waiting for the guests to finish before removing the cup.
0:56:08 > 0:56:11And Tom's prestigious gift is presented.
0:56:11 > 0:56:14As a token of our gratitude I would like to present you with this book,
0:56:14 > 0:56:19- A Life Of St Edmund, in English. - Thank you so much.
0:56:26 > 0:56:30Any scraps of food were put in an alms bowl to be given to the poor.
0:56:32 > 0:56:36The monasteries were so dominant in the provision of welfare
0:56:36 > 0:56:39that it was only after the Dissolution that
0:56:39 > 0:56:41the government was forced to confront the issue.
0:56:46 > 0:56:48BAND PLAY
0:56:48 > 0:56:50With the dining over,
0:56:50 > 0:56:54the guests were entertained into the night by musicians.
0:56:54 > 0:56:58Revelry was not uncommon, even within the monastic walls.
0:56:58 > 0:57:02This has been a real insight into how those above us actually live.
0:57:02 > 0:57:04It's really different, isn't it?
0:57:04 > 0:57:06I mean, when you think our dining seems quite formal.
0:57:06 > 0:57:09We all put our best clobber on and we all sit there
0:57:09 > 0:57:12and behave ourselves. But this is a whole scale above.
0:57:12 > 0:57:15And also, the sheer amount of food being consumed,
0:57:15 > 0:57:17- it's nigh on crazy, isn't it? - It is crazy.
0:57:17 > 0:57:20- I mean, I know everything there gets eaten by somebody.- Yeah.
0:57:20 > 0:57:22- But that initial....- Mm-hmm.
0:57:22 > 0:57:25..huge, groaning board is quite a sight to see.
0:57:25 > 0:57:28I want to stress I did not drop the custard castle.
0:57:28 > 0:57:30THEY LAUGH
0:57:30 > 0:57:33Cos I thought I was going to a couple of times.
0:57:33 > 0:57:34Despite how much wine you drank.
0:57:34 > 0:57:36THEY LAUGH
0:57:36 > 0:57:39But this sort of event, it was what kept the monasteries funded.
0:57:39 > 0:57:43Yeah. Well, they're stuffed and so are their coffers.
0:57:43 > 0:57:44THEY LAUGH
0:57:52 > 0:57:57Next time on Tudor Monastery Farm, it's harvest time.
0:57:57 > 0:58:00This has taken us four-and-a-half hours,
0:58:00 > 0:58:02and look how much more there is.
0:58:02 > 0:58:04Produce a vital Tudor resource.
0:58:04 > 0:58:07If you think of salt as a basic ingredient,
0:58:07 > 0:58:11having to process it down just adds so much labour.
0:58:11 > 0:58:13THEY LAUGH
0:58:13 > 0:58:16And enjoy some Tudor entertainment.
0:58:16 > 0:58:18INDISTINCT SHOUTS
0:58:18 > 0:58:21I always knew that this scythe was meant for more than just
0:58:21 > 0:58:22harvesting peas.
0:58:22 > 0:58:24From here they shall not pass.
0:58:24 > 0:58:26HE LAUGHS
0:58:47 > 0:58:50Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd