The tough reality of Tudor childhood: Ruth Goodman on harsh lessons and discipline

Video Description

Historian Ruth Goodman dives into the demanding world of Tudor childhood – a world where respect was compulsory, work began early, and most young people were expected to leave home by fourteen. Subscribe here: https://bit.ly/subhistoryextrayoutube Forget any notion of carefree childhood. Most Tudor boys and girls were expected to contribute to the household from the moment they could hold a spinning whorl or chase a stray sheep. For many, childhood ended early. As many as three-quarters of Tudor teenagers left home at fourteen years old, moving into other households to work as servants. It was hard work, but it also meant wages, new skills, and a chance to see more of the world than the family farm. And yet, amid this hard work, Tudor children still played. They enjoyed games that remain familiar today: leapfrog, blind man’s buff, tops, balls, hobby horses, and small pull-along toys on wheels. Their world was strict, but it wasn’t joyless. Filmed on location at Plas Mawr – an Elizabethan townhouse in Conwy, North Wales, now in the care of Cadw – our 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/2u7xxzlc #HistoryExtra #history #tudor 00:57 What was expected of Tudor children? 05:07 When did Tudor children leave home? 08:46 How did people show respect? 14:03 How literate were Tudor children? ▷ Follow us on Twitter: https://x.com/HistoryExtra ▷ Follow us Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyextra ▷ Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@UCy4hMtkf5aFZrlTcHPWRc_g Subscribe to our Substack for Life Lessons from History with Dr David Musgrove: https://historyextra.substack.com/ 🏰 BBC History Magazine Step into the past for only £12! Get 6 months of the UK's best-selling history magazine—packed with gripping stories, cutting-edge research, and insights from the world’s top historians. https://www.buysubscriptions.com/print/bbc-history-magazine-subscription?promo=HIYT25&utm_medium=social&utm_source=youtube.com&utm_campaign=6-for-9.99-2025_hiyt25&utm_content=ribbon BBC History Extra Love History? Download the HistoryExtra app for ad-free episodes, exclusive long-read features like the History’s Greatest series, and interactive courses led by experts in the HistoryExtra Academy. Download now! https://historyextra.onelink.me/MJpt/2u7xxzlc