“Close your eyes and imagine yourself in the sixteenth-century English countryside. Sounds of ploughs rattle in distant fields, and the delightful squeals of children at play fill the air. It is quiet, you think, quieter than you are used to, but loud and lively all the same. The air is pure, and it smells sweet with the natural floral fragrances of honeysuckle and apple blossom and lavender. There are no motors here, no planes in the sky, no pylons or wind turbines or television aerials. There is no suffocating smog, air or light pollution. There is little to obscure your view of wild, undulating fields, which, to your surprise, are sparsely inhabited by houses and instead occupied by droves of grazing cattle and sheep. In the distance you hear a horse neigh, and a washerwoman hum as she pegs out her laundry. The smell of woodfire fills the air, delicious aromas of crisping meats and yeasty dough, fresh, juicy fruits and the comforting, creamy smell of curds and whey. Soon will be the call for dinner, and hordes of tired labourers will return home to settle for the evening. Then will come nightfall, and the sounding of curfew bells. It is darker than you expected; much darker. There is no electricity here, and you are unaccustomed to the thin glow of candles as your only form of light. Soon these candles will stop burning, for the night has arrived, and the day has ended. Welcome to the sixteenth century. Welcome to the Tudor home.“
These are the opening lines of Bethan Watt’s latest book titled Inside the Tudor Home, and we are delighted to have Bethan visit with us today to give us a tour of what it was like to live in an average home for Shakespeare’s lifetime.
Download a transcript of this episode here.
About Bethan Watts
Bethan Catherine Watts is a social historian specialising in childhood and domestic history and author of Inside the Tudor Home: Daily Life in the Sixteenth Century She is an elected member of the Royal Historical Society, works for the Children’s History Society, and is currently writing her PhD thesis on the lives of children in Medieval England. She has written in both academic and popular spheres about historical homes and domestic life, the lives of children and youths, and attitudes to health, medicine and hygiene throughout British history. Bethan’s writing has appeared in magazines, websites, blogs and podcasts, including HistoryHit’s Not Just the Tudors and the BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? Bethan also hosts her own podcast and accompanying magazine A History of Childhood, and shares updates about her research on social media.
Connect with Bethan Watts
Find Bethan on Substack “A History of Childhood”
What We Talk About
- What it looks like to put a fence on your property in the Tudor area
- The typical occupants of a Tudor home, how many people lived under one roof
- Tudor beds and their significance
- Tudor bathrooms and how they worked
- What was included in the Tudor Kitchen and how it operated as the heart of the home
- …and more!
Recommended Resources:
Inside the Tudor Home: Daily Life in the Sixteenth Century by Bethan Watts
The Early English Books Online
Prospero’s Library | A collection of books, sources, and discoveries behind the episode.
Domestic Culture in Early Modern England by Antony Buxton | A more scholarly, detailed study of non-elite households in the Oxfordshire town of Thame. Particularly valuable for material culture, furnishings, room use, household relationships, and everyday activities.| Be aware, this book is very academic, including the price. Check your local library, but use this link for title information.
Medieval London Houses by John Schofield | Despite the title, this book continues history of London houses all the way to the Great Fire of London in 1666 very applicable history for exploring Shakespeare’s London.)
All the King’s Cooks: The Tudor Kitchens of King Henry VIII at Hampton Court Palace by Peter Brears | Excellent for the organization and physical operation of a large Tudor household, especially kitchens, servants, food preparation, equipment, meal service, and household provisioning.
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- Examples of Tudor kitchens
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