What Ordinary Life Was Like in England's Dark Ages | History for Sleep
Old History Nights
83,051 views
Hey guys! We're now on Spotify š§
Join us here: https://open.spotify.com/show/1iLKLmP...
In the deep of an English winter more than 1,100 years ago, the night ran to 16 hours of darkness, and a whole family lived it out in a single room, by one covered fire, behind one wooden bar across the door. A free man's life was priced at exactly 1,000 silver pennies; a sheep cost 5, an ox 30, and 15 hens went for a single penny. The yearly render owed from a large estate ran to 300 loaves, 100 eels, and 10 vats of honey. And a restless king named Alfred, unable to measure the hours any other way, had 6 candles made that each burned for 4 hours, sheltered in a lantern of ox horn shaved as thin as glass. This is what an ordinary day in the Dark Ages was actually like, from the first fire struck before dawn to the last bar dropped at night.
Subscribe to the channel: @oldhistorynights
In this video, we move through one whole day and night of a West Saxon farmhouse in the England of Alfred the Great, including the waking of the never dying fire, the beasts and the well at first light, the grinding of the daily bread, the wool and the loom, the render owed up to the hall, the price of a life and the law of the wergild, the sworn oath and the peace of the home, the church path and the twelve days of Christmas, the making of a rushlight, the covered fire and the old word curfew, the two sleeps of the long night, and the whole household put to bed one by one behind the barred door.
š Subscribe so the next of these long quiet nights finds its way to you without your ever having to go looking.
š¬ Comment where you are listening from tonight, and what surprised you most about ordinary life in Alfred's England.
š¢ Share this with anyone who rests easier in the company of history, on Facebook, Reddit, or a quiet group chat, you are the reason these long nights get made.
DISCLAIMER:
This video is based on real historical events and figures, drawn from primary archives, biographies, court records, period press, and leading historical scholarship. While every video is heavily researched, occasional minor inaccuracies in dates, quotes, or specific details may occur ā historical sources sometimes disagree, and interpretation is sometimes required where the historical record is silent. Any errors are unintentional.
#OldHistoryNights #HistoryForSleep #AngloSaxon #DarkAges #AlfredTheGreat #Wessex #SaxonEngland #MedievalHistory #SleepHistory #BedtimeHistory #EnglishHistory #HistoryDocumentary #FallAsleepFast #CalmHistory #EarlyEngland #Ceorl #Wergild #Curfew #DailyLifeInHistory #RelaxingHistory #SleepAid #HistoryBedtimeStory
20 Comments
What Ordinary Life Was Like in England's Dark Ages | History for Sleep
Old History Nights
83,051 views
Hey guys! We're now on Spotify š§
Join us here: https://open.spotify.com/show/1iLKLmP...
In the deep of an English winter more than 1,100 years ago, the night ran to 16 hours of darkness, and a whole family lived it out in a single room, by one covered fire, behind one wooden bar across the door. A free man's life was priced at exactly 1,000 silver pennies; a sheep cost 5, an ox 30, and 15 hens went for a single penny. The yearly render owed from a large estate ran to 300 loaves, 100 eels, and 10 vats of honey. And a restless king named Alfred, unable to measure the hours any other way, had 6 candles made that each burned for 4 hours, sheltered in a lantern of ox horn shaved as thin as glass. This is what an ordinary day in the Dark Ages was actually like, from the first fire struck before dawn to the last bar dropped at night.
Subscribe to the channel: @oldhistorynights
In this video, we move through one whole day and night of a West Saxon farmhouse in the England of Alfred the Great, including the waking of the never dying fire, the beasts and the well at first light, the grinding of the daily bread, the wool and the loom, the render owed up to the hall, the price of a life and the law of the wergild, the sworn oath and the peace of the home, the church path and the twelve days of Christmas, the making of a rushlight, the covered fire and the old word curfew, the two sleeps of the long night, and the whole household put to bed one by one behind the barred door.
š Subscribe so the next of these long quiet nights finds its way to you without your ever having to go looking.
š¬ Comment where you are listening from tonight, and what surprised you most about ordinary life in Alfred's England.
š¢ Share this with anyone who rests easier in the company of history, on Facebook, Reddit, or a quiet group chat, you are the reason these long nights get made.
DISCLAIMER:
This video is based on real historical events and figures, drawn from primary archives, biographies, court records, period press, and leading historical scholarship. While every video is heavily researched, occasional minor inaccuracies in dates, quotes, or specific details may occur ā historical sources sometimes disagree, and interpretation is sometimes required where the historical record is silent. Any errors are unintentional.
#OldHistoryNights #HistoryForSleep #AngloSaxon #DarkAges #AlfredTheGreat #Wessex #SaxonEngland #MedievalHistory #SleepHistory #BedtimeHistory #EnglishHistory #HistoryDocumentary #FallAsleepFast #CalmHistory #EarlyEngland #Ceorl #Wergild #Curfew #DailyLifeInHistory #RelaxingHistory #SleepAid #HistoryBedtimeStory