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How CLEAN were the Tudors? Ruth Goodman on 16th-century hygiene

HistoryExtra

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Ruth Goodman explores how cleanliness, class, and clothing were tightly woven together in the 16th century. Subscribe here: https://bit.ly/subhistoryextrayoutube

Forget the myth that people in the 1500s were dirty, smelly, and never washed. This video uncovers the surprisingly sophisticated hygiene habits of Tudor England – from linen layers that absorbed sweat, to sweet-smelling herbs stuffed into clothing, to surprisingly regular bathing (for those who could afford it).

In this episode of her series on Tudor Life, Ruth Goodman explains what people wore next to their skin, how often they changed their clothes, and the ways they masked or managed body odour, revealing what 'clean' meant in a world without soap as we know it – and no daily showers.

Filmed on location at Plas Mawr – an Elizabethan townhouse in Conwy, North Wales, now in the care of Cadw – this series with Ruth looks beyond the royals who often dominate the headlines, and considers the everyday routines of those living in England and Wales in the Tudor era.

Don’t miss the rest of the episodes in Ruth’s new HistoryExtra Academy course on Tudor Life. The seven episodes, filmed on location at Plas Mawr in Conwy, cover everything you need to know about daily life in the Tudor era: from childhood and marriage to food and religion. Download the HistoryExtra app for the latest episodes, ad-free https://historyextra.onelink.me/MJpt/...

#HistoryExtra #history #tudor

01:04 How clean were the Tudors?
06:29 What did ordinary Tudors wear?
10:28 The materials that were used
12:45 The statute cap

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20 Comments

@z_ppy 9 months ago

Ruth Goodman is the reason I yell at my tv when watching historical dramas. "She would not be wearing that corset (or stays) next to her skin! You can't WASH that!!"

@AndrewLever-x6k 9 months ago

This is what youtube was really made for

@SlyRy 9 months ago

I could listen to Ruth talk all day

@roberthead9149 9 months ago

Ruth’s point about clothing cannot be overstated. We can scarcely imagine how valuable clothing was and how much effort when into the making of every garment.

@RobinFereday 9 months ago

Why isn’t Ruth a Dame such a wonderful person and historian 😊😊

@VickyLovesCats78 9 months ago

I don’t care what Ruth is talking about, I click and like it every time.
Darling Ruth has no idea how much she is liked/loved/adored ❤❤❤

@SusanStahl-mh6lo 9 months ago

When listening to Ruth, I always feel like she's sharing some deep, intimate secret about whatever she's speaking about. I love listening to her.

@lacienlw 9 months ago

Never skip a Ruth video!!

@peerke7392 9 months ago

"We're people. We come in a variety." - Ruth Goodman
That should be a t-shirt! Absolutely simple yet beautiful mantra for life in general. ❤

@WalksWithoutWords 9 months ago

Shhh, everyone! My show is on.

@suem6004 9 months ago

Lovely, I am a master handspinner. I grow my own flax. I weave and knit. And I can testify that it takes hours and hours to grow, harvest, shear, wash, dye, spin, weave and or knit clothing. It is pretty much fulltime so if that is secondary because your primary work is in the fields or smithy, it would be virtually impossible or take a year or more to find the time. A shift for example could require say 10,000 yards of spun linen thread. I think I estimated 20,000 yards of singles that get plied into 10,000 yards of working thread. That is handspun, not machine spun. I had to spin cotton for a big project. I only had 3 hours a day to spin. I achieved 250 yards of singles per day by pre weighing the unspun cotton. Cotton is very different to spin than is flax (linen is the word used after twist is added). Flax requires water or spit to produce very smooth thread. That is a lot of wear and tear on hands as the plant fiber rips thru your spinning hands. I salute the anonymous spinners who produced thousands of yards for thread so that weavers could weave.

@jcreel00 9 months ago

Ruth is such a fantastic presenter! Thank you for your informative and entertaining history lessons.

@amandapittar9398 9 months ago

I’m SUCH a Ruth Goodman fan. She could read a mediaeval shopping list and I would listen, enthralled. I started watching her years ago when they did the series on living in different Times. Fascinating. I’ve watched them over again, especially the mediaeval /Tudor farm ones. She is clear, concise and so good at conveying information. 😊🎉🎉🎉