How Did Normal Medieval People Survive Winter? | Tudor Monastery Farm | Chronicle 

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i like how the historians are actually doing the tasks rather than showing actors do it and the historians just talk

My dad grew up in the USA. But he was on a farm without much machinery. He told me stories about very labor intensive wheat and corn harvests. They pickled eggs in barrels because hens didn’t lay during the winter. They smoked their hams and then put them into a clean flour bag and buried it in the wheat bin. They tried to use it sparingly so as to make it last. They had one pig that had to last them the whole winter. The fat from that pig was like gold. It was used in breads pastries, to fry potatoes. And every thing that needed fat. And frying out lard is not fun. A layer of grease covers every surface in the kitchen. I watched my mom and grandmother work hours over hot pans of boiling fat. They were afraid of a pan getting spilled and the possibility of severe burns. Children were kept out of the kitchen.

Ruth: “We had such a great harvest this year!🥳” Professor: “Let me tell you about one of the worst possible ways to die🙂”

I love how organically they're showing how important socialization was. Much easier to keep your spirits up when you've got someone else to talk to. Imagine hating the people you're working with constantly and living with basically? Imagine LOVING them. Lol it's a beautiful, ugly, tender, rough world we live in.

What I do miss is any mention on how important wool production and spinning was in every woman's life. On the way to the fields, in the kitchen, herding the sheep - the amount of work that needed to be put into a spindle in order to be able to weave enough cloth for even one garment was immense.

The diversity of skills that the historians and archaeologists on the program have developed is amazing.

Ruth has such a great life and enthusiasm about her whenever she is explaining something. It is a joy to watch.

Why is Ruth’s delivery always so perfect????? The ultimate Queen 👑

Mom says her mother used lard to preserve meat. You half cooked the meat, then laird it in a ceramic jar with lard between the pieces of meat. This kept oxygen from getting to the meat. Keep in a cool place. No salt necessary.

I'm 65 and I remember the school children in Aroostic County, Maine having several weeks off in early fall to pick potatoes. That was when harvesting was done by hand instead of machines like it is now.

This LARPing is so impressive. I'm blown away by the amount of hard work and attention to detail..the commitment to really "doing it Medival Tudor style"

Love the way these "living" documentaries really get into the nuts & bolts of what ordinary people's lives were like. TELLING us how to make tiles is very different from SEEING it done. Then, the more enterprising of us can try it for ourselves. Great living history.

"Oh crap. I am having a party and forgot to get drinks for everyone. " Ruth - "Thats okay. Go outside and get me a bucket of bullous fruit, some salt, a cup of water, two horses eyelashes, and 14 termites. I can make beer for everyone." LOL - That woman knows some stuff man.

Let's not forget about the outstanding work of the re-enactment and camera team. Bravo and great iob everyone!

I absolutely LOVE this series. Ruth and the boys are great guides, and I feel like I learnt so much the first time I watched this series. Watching a second time, my biggest criticism is how mildly the narration puts things like enclosure. When they describe the fields as being “open,” they’re not clearly expressing the idea that the fields were owned by lords or entities like the monasteries, but they were essentially public - families had their own sections of land that they could farm for subsistence, of which the monastery or landowner would take a payment in the form of a portion of that harvest. However, because the land was openly available for use by all members of the community, they could also forage and hunt on it, key to survival in this era. When enclosure began, that land that had previously been available for use by the entire community was divided up into smaller sections that were owned by wealthy individuals who no longer allowed others to use it as subsistence farmland or hunting/gathering grounds. Where before, the majority of your time might be spent farming and gathering your own food directly, enclosure meant the only way you could eat was by earning wages to buy food someone else had grown. The new landowners also prosecuted people who hunted or foraged on their land, making what was an essential element of survival illegal. It was a forced beginning of capitalism, and it was a huge cultural upheaval.

My mother, born in 1955, in her early teens plowed the fields walking behind oxen. Today I’m still using lard for cooking every day. Not all old practices may not be that old. Well done this docu!

Just amazing. Medieval people were ingenious working the land.Everything had to be done from the ground up. A lot of work.

This was a really good documentary. I especially appreciated the participants enthusiasm while performing their respective duties. This was a good one and it was very informative. Well done folks!

Being of English heritage and having a love of Britain, fed my interest in this series. I didn't know I would enjoy it so much. In the 1950's I worked the family farm in north-eastern New Mexico for our food; both livestock and plants. No buying food from the stores.

Stuff like this is what comes to mind whenever I see people on social media use the "medieval peasants only worked 20 hrs per week" talking point. Their lives were not better just because they had more down time. I don't think most people grasp how much harder life was before electricity, refrigeration, insulation, plumbing, agricultural machinery, modern medicine, etc.

This was how my family and other villagers harvested (usually wheat) when i was a small kid (harvaster came later at our remote part of the country). Neighbours helped each other. Every one had their own land. They used the sickles (they were faster than you of course:)

I just think its so amazing that theres people out there still committed to keeping the knowledge, physically, of our amcestors as our technology makes them obsolete....we never know when we sre going to need that knowledge again

We just went through an unprecedented storm here in Half Moon Bay, CA, USA I found these videos on the days we actually had Wi-Fi and power, which was dicey! These videos calmed me down big time. Not in the manner that the videos caused me to appreciate our modern era more. But to calibrate me. Thank you for these very important productions!!

I have been trying to preserve the old knowledge. Growing my own medicine and food crops has been an adventure. Not doing without modern things, just saving what has worked for centuries.

This show was great but didn't show how they survived over the winter; it only showed the preparation up to a certain point up towards winter. I would really like to see what their lives were like over the winter period.

I love this way of life. It is so beautiful, so laborious, and in touch with the land and the people. I wish we could reclaim some of these older traditions throughout the centuries. I certainly believe it would bring more respect to the world around us.

They really put Ruth Goodman to work, binding the barley sheaves, boiling down the brine for salt, roasting the goose, whipping up that hyssop/honey mixture, and pounding the bullace to make melomel.

I just love how Ruth tells stories

I wonder why they aren't using long handled scythes which are more efficient and easier on the back. I'm talking about the kind the Grim Reaper carries. My grandfather harvested wheat and crops with them at the turn of the century (1908) when he homesteaded. One man could do a surprising amount of work and the women could follow behind and bind the sheathes.

We all need to be happy that our ancestors survived all of that and were able to give birth to us so we can be here and watch these videos😂😂😂😂😂

This shits actually really interesting I was just thinking the other day, how people made it through winter before modern times.

Peter's thanks to the livestock was my favorite part of an amazing show. Best thing to pop up on my feed in ages - going to look for more Ruth and Peter series. Props to the BBC from grateful Yank.

"Like taking an angry dog for a walk!" Lol!

You spend the summer preparing for winter. Always been that way. Only these days we don't have to do this that much.

One of the huge upsides to loving history, is to really appreciate how good some of us have it in the modern age. I know there's people in 3rd world countries having to struggle just as hard as medieval peasants and i feel for them. But i just wanna say how thankfull i am to have a nice appartment a fridge full of food and extra time to spend on hobbies, life has never been more convenient.

I hope this group does another series. They’re so passionate

As someone who’s writing a mystery musical, it was very fascinating to learn what mystery plays were like in Tudor England! I love the teamwork and community effort that was put in back then! Bravo to them!

Don't forget that the beasts were housed on the first floor, families on the floor (loft) above. Heat rises. Q: how much lead ended up in that salt?

I came to the same conlusion for the Netherlands. By biking through the middle of Utrecht province, and watching the land and pittoresque villages, later looking all up on google to learn the early history (after year o) up to the year 1000. A huge amount of hard labour lays in these fields. Sacrifice, hunger, but also the evolving society and agriculture, though slowly, whilst the secular and religious landlords fought their wars over their heads. And...the climate changed then as well as now. Causing drought, floods, cold, heat, storms, failed crops, mice and rats, flees, etc.. People adapted to changing circumstances. Asked, demanded the rulers to take action, which they reluctendly did after a long time of 'debating'. As nowadays. Not much changed.

Wonderful series! Thoroughly enjoyed it!

Heaven help them in those times if there was a harvest failure, livestock devastation, salt shortages!

Just loved this series, hope there’s more to come!

About the tools needing sharpening vs plants... I have used tungsten carbide router bits on a Black Beech, a NZ native timber. It is quite high in silica, and carving out one rifle stock blunted the router bit. Another NZ native, Puriri, is known for eating chainsaw chains, for the same reason. Very abrasive.

I love this channel - thank you for the great documentaries/chronicles

This is a fabulous presentation. A lot was lost with the dissolution.

Marvelous video I've enjoyed a lot. Thank you from Ukraine!

I LOVE this so much. it gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling to watch.

I always thought Bloody Flux was a type of dysentery! I've heard it referred to with well poisoning cases as well in the 1600's. So cool to see how our ancestors live! Thanks for continuing to post amazing and educational content :)

These documentaries are so fantastic, I love the three leads

Truly amazing show. You really feel like you are there in those times. I'm very impressed with the production. Well done.

This video was awesome. Thank you! It was suggested randomly and not something I would typically find myself watching, but one of the best things I’ve watched on RU-vid lately 🤘 thnxthnx

Wonderfully well made documentary. Great "actors" and overall content. Thanks for making this knowledge available for the world to see.

This is mistitled. It's all about how they worked and lived in the autumn, and then ends before they get to winter.

Very nice, enjoyed the production and the insights. I live off grid in 🇺🇸 and folks have no idea what people did just to survive in the pre industrial days.👍❤

This woman really shows you how important the tasks they did in the old days. Hard all around. That is a keeper!

Ruth a such a G in the history world and LOVES demonstrating

Archaeologists have the most cool job in the the world. Especially when you can practice experimental archaeology like this. They have defied time and space and transported themselves back to living in a totally different age. Time Travelers.

As a child I used to take part in harvesting the barley. The method was the same, but we used the scythes. I am a bit surprised that nothing was said about the awns... :)

This was excellent! Thank you!!

these are genuinely great documentaries

Very well made programme and very interesting.

I'm quite curious about the lead salt pans. Does anybody have information on how toxic that could have been?

such a good documentary. great job guys. cheers from italy

Just randomly found this. Well done everyone. This was great!

As an Anglo Saxon, and farmer I feel very connected to my fellow Saxons watching this excellent video. A heartfelt thanks for posting this video.....

I never knew masonry was seasonal, that stone could be so different. I wonder what they did when they weren’t carving?

Thank you so much ❤

I'm a Brazilian guy. I loved it. It's a brilliant work and a smart idea. The history classes should be like it. Congratulations.

❤ I really enjoyed this history account and the historians did the actual recreations and characters of the time!❤

These guys are setting a whole new level for cosplay.

This is just absolutely fascinating. I am loving the bit about making salt!

I love your Chanel. Thank you for existing 🥰🥰🥰

I enjoyed seeing Ronald Hutton appearing and narrating during the feast. He is an English historian and the author of many books including The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft. It's a fascinating and incredibly researched book that I highly recommend for any history buff and esp. those who might be interested in modern religions or modern occultism and their historical influences. It has a focus on modern witchcraft specifically British Traditional Wicca as promulgated by Dr. Gerald Gardner.

this is the third time ive watched this series, and ive watched the series of the other eras as well at least once. i utterly engage with this old world. i am grateful for modern convenience of course, but from my experience you appreciate the little things more when you are deeply involved in the process and dependant on the results. why does it feel like 2020 was the start of the new medieval age.. oh right.. because it is. the land barons have risen again, the digital serfs are clueless and the new church overlord is the church of science. taking notes, thanks ruth and co, some of this might become useful this decade coming.

I enjoyed this so much. Thank you. Cheers from Atlanta 🍻

This so interesting, thank you.

Great documentary! Did anyone else wonder how these people survived eating "brine water" salt boiled to the heavens in a giant lead pan? How did they not keel over from lead poisoning? How fantastic is the housewife? She is some of the best casting I have ever seen in any doc production and I know she's more of an historian than a documentary performer. Lazy people need not apply. Good grief they toiled.

Preservation of meat is vital for anyone to do thru winter

This brought such a smile to my face 🪵🛖🏘

I have NEVER seen how salt is made before!!! That was quite a treat!

Michaelmas seems quite similar to Canadian Thanksgiving, our thanksgiving isn't related to the American thanksgiving (even though it has a lot of similarities), ours is a celebration of the harvest, held on the 2nd Monday of October every year, we do eat turkey instead of a goose, but I think we do need to slim down goose numbers so maybe we should change that tradition.

It’s always interesting to see these reenactments. I cannot image that ordinary people were ever overweight in the Middle Ages.

Loved watching this.

Ruth is phenomenal

Great video, just a shame about the number of advert interruptions.

nice documentary, but what about how to survive winter? I'm seeing what they're doing when it's not winter.I was expecting to see what they do during the winter. 1)I see mead like drink, 2) gunpowder 3) Tile making, 4) Masonry... This is Fall Havest... not winter.

History is so fascinating

This is freaking awesome as a series.

If the world goes to shit in the midst of another WW or in the event of an apocalypse I need to have Ruth on my team! She is one heck of a woman!

I would be really interested to learn about the Reformation, how it translated concretely in the lives of the peasants, with the Enclosures, Imperialism, the rise of Capitalism, the peasants revolts, etc.

Aku sangat suka konten sejarah ini... Hiburan yang edukatif.

Very well done. Thank you.

I would love to see a crossover of these guys with John Townsends

I love history documentaries and this one is brilliant. But also I will watch it to see how to survive a winter with energy bills soring....!

Lovely video, 'made me grateful, and also envious of the strong meaning in their work and precarious life.

Glorious.

As I said in other videos from this channel it was a very very very hard life except probably for the monarchy and nobility.

How would anyone figure out to mix protein in the brine for cleaner salt. Amazing.

That is a beautiful salt cone, I’m really very impressed with Ruth.