Melancholy, Mutton Candles and Banned Bells: How the Tudors Faced the Dark
Renaissance English History Podcast: A Show About the TudorsShow Notes
By All Saints' Day in Tudor London, the sun was down by quarter past four. In the final episode of our autumn series, we find out how the Tudors got ready for the long dark, in their bodies, in their homes, and in their hearts.
We start with the health books. Sir Thomas Elyot warned that autumn was "dangerous to all ages, all natures, and all countries," and Andrew Boorde had a whole diet for melancholy people (no red wine, sorry!). Then we light the mutton-fat candles with Thomas Tusser, find out why one doctor thought the smell of apples was dangerous, and hang out the lanterns with London's mayor. And then we come to Hallowtide, when church bells rang all night for the souls of the dead. Henry VIII nearly banned it, Elizabeth's bishops tried for years to stop it, and ordinary people in places like Sandbach and Weaverham kept climbing the tower to ring for the people they'd lost.
This is episode 4 of 4 in our series on how the Tudors got ready for autumn. Thank you so much for watching!
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IMAGE CREDITS Most images are public domain, via Wikimedia Commons and the Internet Archive. The following are used under Creative Commons licenses: Wellcome Collection (CC BY 4.0): Castel of Helth title page; physician with urine flask; Andrew Boorde portraits; Breviary of Helthe title page and woodcut St Mary's, Weaverham: Sue Adair (CC BY-SA 2.0) Church tower at night: Ben Harris (CC BY-SA 2.0) Bellringers' board, Fowey: Rob Farrow (CC BY-SA 2.0) Sunset over fields: Susanne Nilsson (CC BY-SA 2.0) Tallow Chandlers' crest: D M Wilmot (CC BY-SA 2.0) Tallow Chandlers' Hall: Dun.can (CC BY 2.0) Medieval candlestick: Museum of Antiquities, Newcastle (CC BY-SA 4.0) John Stow's monument: Michael Coppins (CC BY-SA 4.0) Office of the Dead: Chester Beatty Library, Dublin (CC BY-SA 4.0) Sanctus bell, Berkswell: Michael Garlick (CC BY-SA 2.0) Bassingbourn church: John Salmon (CC BY-SA 2.0) Sandbach Crosses: Mike Faherty (CC BY-SA 2.0) Bell tower, Pembridge: Sandy Gerrard (CC BY-SA 2.0) Licenses: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 | /by/4.0 | /by-sa/2.0 | /by-sa/4.0
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