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I've been farming for over a decade, and can concur that agriculture is not for the faint of hearts, although these sancestors were dependant upon it as a means of survival. I cannot imagine growing anything without the use of plastic, as I integrate plastic for efficient irrigation methods, season extension, and solar mulch to prevent weeds. I am currently sitting inside of a greenhouse in the middle of a snow storm watching this video, just inchase the power goes out so I can kick on a generatoer and keep 100 chicks alive in the 19degree weather. This lifestyle required hundreds of generations worth of mistakes in order to survive in tandem with nature's lack of empathy, a legacy art form that so many of us have forgotten in an era of convenience.

I really hope this group gets another series. They’re so passionate and are wonderful teachers.

I am a 63 year old woman who has never farmed a day in her life. I have learned more history, gained so much respect for these hard-working souls and found a few things i would like to experiment with in my own kitchen, ...i am amazed at all i have learned so far in this episode than i ever learned in school. Thank you for such a wealth of information, these wonderful re-enactors, the sharing and authenticity and the Hard work I can now see calls for the deepest respect. Thank you again and again.

As an American kid growing up in the UK I had the distinct privilege of attending some of the most accurate historical reenactments and experiences via the national trust and other restorative groups. Simply amazing.

I've worked as a professional blacksmith, which some think is hard work, but I love doing it so it's almost meditative at times. As a type of artisan one would take broken metal things to, I've had farmers visit regularly. First, all blacksmiths are good arm wrestlers, but not as good as a farmer it seems. Secondly, every one walked in and knew where to stand to be safe and not to approach a 3000° forge! They were also proficient with the things I do, and would have been good smiths! It may seem boring bumpkin, but modern farmers are impressive people.

I was sad that my great grandmother never taught me how to work her old loom. My mother gently scolded me not to press her, as it was a laborious process that Grandma might not be up to. Now I understand better. I'm so glad she taught me to crochet. I carry her with me daily in that art. This video helps me respect her even more.

My family farmed in the Dorset area of England back during the late 1400s, then they came to North America in the early 1500s and continued to farm. My family farmed until the 1950s when my great-grandfather sold most of the land. I have one great-aunt who still runs her own small soybean farm, but other people do all the work since she's just too old now (she's leaving them the farm in her will). My grandfather was born in 1930 when that part of the family had (primarily) a dairy farm. It was hard work but he does miss it. He's 93 years old now, and his doctor is betting he will live to be over 100. Grandpa has said he hopes that Heaven is the old dairy farm because he misses it so much. I showed him all of their historical farming series and he just LOVED them all! I got so many stories out of him about the old days when he was growing up while we watched this whole series. ❤

Another great Documentary! Ruth, Peter and Tom along with the rest are doing us a great service! Should be seen in all schools. I like Ruth's laugher!

I was quite fortunate enough to be visiting the museum on the day they were filming some of the scenes, it was quite interesting.

Now, this is what "Learning By Doing"really means! Kudos to the entire crew who crafted this historical and instructional video! 👋👋👋👋👋

This group has made several outstanding series. Just monumental.

There's some things- like the steam bending you get moisture from the soil too but yeah, a lot of Vermont farms kept things this way to cut costs for as long as possible and those moving in to play farmer def took advantage of the extra man hours it takes/they were willing to give for a long time. Most haven't forgotten though. If I were younger I'd enjoy doing this again but the saying "What makes you stronger" was edited by the wealthy; it actually goes: "What doesn't kill you, maims you".

Have these 3 done anymore documentaries like this? I saw the one where they were building a castle in France, and now I've encountered this (both fascinating and enjoyable). Have they done anything else?

I just love these.. truly a Ruth kindred spirit 😁.. I’ve been actively learning so much about these skills and historical knowledge for over 30 years .. The UK really is an example of 13000 years of history and the unusual circumstances of their weather and geography and long long history has made stone and Bronze Age stuff available everywhere and after then, a bit of everything in between is somewhere over there.. I absolutely love it.. New England has some perks, but nothing remotely like what they have over there.. 😂 I’d probably spend every waking free moment trying to visit every single stone circle or hill fort or whatever next that I could get to.. 😝 lol

Excellent lesson, why traveling through time would not be a good idea. So much we take for granted. Especially the hygiene.

Such a fun way to learn about Tudor times. Love your work.

I have immense respect for those people! They used everything they had at their disposal! Nothing went to waste! Ingenious ppl

I love this series. I really hope to see more of these guys at some point.

my grandmother who lived in village in Poland in first half of 20 century used alkaline solution from ash for laundry and they used to collect rain water for doing any laundry work , and they dried linen on grass too , and they did not have electricity or gas , and they have winter of -10C , -15C , -20C and even colder , but they have glass window , not so long ago .

The thought process, ingenuity and trial & error they used back then to figure these methods out is what astounds me. Bravo!

This is such an important part of my research for my novel, I have watched it several times. I just want to thank you for such an invaluable resource for people working to understand a very forgotten period.

This series was so beautiful to view, it really enraptures my imagination. I would give nearly anything to be able to experience this type of life style.. Just for a day

These are my absolute favourite documentaries to watch. The trio are brilliant teachers, plus the comedy professor and pig hottie are nice additions

Dr. Hutton's book on witchcraft made its way into my dissertation. I love recognizing my fellow folklorists, academics, and historians! Well done, everyone.

This is the best way to learn history. Bring these to classrooms.

This shows hard to describe it's absolutely amazing Mother Nature provides everything for them

LOL ok the tread wheel looks a little fun 😂 this series is so charming. As a historian, it makes me wanna try living in the time period I study:)

A wealth of information that still applies today all in one video!

Tudor life without children, the elderly, or the sick. As well as without criminals, marriage, or true consequence of breaking the rules. What a time to live where you can live out and explore your most adored time period under the protection of a modern world. It feels like a very innocent way to go back in time. Considering all of those aspects are a part of the Tudor farmers history, wow they worked hard! This is fascinating, love the series

I thought I wasn't going to like this. Give it a chance. Absolutely fascinating!

It's true, I can't imagine doing all that work all day every day without music or podcasts or history programs playing from my phone lol

I'm sad this was so short! I could watch 10 or more hours of this!

Love your films and all that is involved❣ I now have my mother hooked on the series 😀👍🏼🌹🌾😇 blessings to you all 🌟🕊

33:05 This man’s talent is something to behold. The patience required to do this is next level. The Church of England destroyed a wonderful historical legacy because of one arrogant king’s decision to get a divorce.

I understand that the hard times for medieval farmers were traumatizing by modern standards, but the times of prosperity seem so simple and lovely. In my head, I would love to live by the land and make high quality goods from scratch, but I know that my soft, burger-acclimatized body probably couldn't handle it! But man, imagine living in a time where you could see all the stars at night!

Thank you guys so much. ❤ So much learning. My dads family is from England. I live in the us.

This is SUPER INTERESTING & so nicely done. Thank you!!!!!

The pig thing....They're very smart and I knew when they built that pen they'd dig underneath and luckily they don't have frigid winters cuz that'd still be drafty. U want a bigger log halfburied- so the Littles don't dig under it-then u can nitch the diagonal posts and lay whatever up on a regular small hut-like building. Build it against a bank or stone so it's only got one open end they're very warm n cozy if there's plenty of hay in the winter.

I recently watched a video about a 1620 farm brought back to life for a year by a team of five in the Welsh border area, entitled Tales from the Green Valley. I found it to be very informative and I then decided to watch this video of medieval farm life. Many differences but also similarities.(They had long horned oxen - not cows). What I also appreciated (as an elderly Roman Catholic, with a interest in history) was the influence of the church in every day life generally. I very much enjoyed learning this. Yes they were hard workers and it took a lot of energy to survive the rigours of those times.

Lots of people survived this life style for many years (unlike the title of his video states). Enjoyed the video. Hard life style.

38.43 omg that looks like a copy of my gradad's saw...get a lot of growing up memories from this, small subsistence farm. Nothing went to waste, everything manual, when I was a child they'd just got electricity...no shops etc around. No plastic, consumer shit, no sweets or fizzy pop but clean water from a spring that tasted marvellous and all the beautiful animals. I had so much fun, it was hard work to, especially harvesting....still great.

Most people wouldn't even survive as a modern peasant farmer. I'm kinda sad that these kind of programs didn't become a hype. There was a short stint of shows like Manor House and The Edwardian Country House (although thinking about it now, that could have been the same show aired in different regions under a different name), but there's like 10 of those kind of "historical reality" shows, that had real people assume the life of a person in history. It was very very VERY interesting to see how quickly people assumed their roles, especially to be honest the people who were given a "upper class"/"luckier storyline" role, and how blind, and cruel, they became towards the hard lives of everyone who had a "lower class"/"not as lucky backstory" role.

This was originally released as Tudor Monastery Farm and you can still find it on TRshow under that title. They actually made a separate video about the medieval farm. Your retitle confuses the two.

Love watching documentaries like this.

One of my ancestors was a baker for the king of England at about that time.

Very interesting documentary! Thank you for posting it.

Love these videos, love history

This is absolutely fantastic!!! Thank you!

Ruth has a delightful personality. Good show.

I beg to differ I actually believe that I could survive this easily. But I’ve always believed in farming the old school way anyways and I’ve spent years farming with antique hand tools and I’m 30

Most of us get our foods from corporate farmers whose only objective is yield. Gone are the days when good farming practices where the quality of the land was an essential part of quality of the food. Of course some can claim organic, but even some of them can barely, legally, make these claims. Since most of us are ill equipped to do this work we continue to fall into worse health. It is a reality of our times.

I live & work on a fairly modern farm... and everybody underestimates the work, even with modern tools. It is the work, 24/7, never a day off and never a vacation, because the animals need their daily food and stables need to be tend to, the crops need work, your farm is big and needs attention, you can't imagine how the hours of work fly by. It never, ever ends. That is absolutely exhausting, you can never close the door and let the work behind you. I can imagine how hard it was to tend a farm, when litteraly everything ment handwork and elbowgreese...

I love to hear Ruth speak so passionately, and Peter is rather dandy, ain’t he?😍 🤣 watching his flee from the cows 😂

Excellent job! Thank you! So gratifying.

As I watch Ruth make lard, I am also making it. I have bacon in water to extract the fat, and then I'll let the bacon crisp. The fat will be partly saved, and partly used for softening my vegetables for tomorrow's lunch. Once the water is evaporated the bacon will crisp as the water is drawn off. Then I add the onions, and the beans and soften them all, and then some water and seasoning. I know I would not have survived. I'd be burned for a witch, because i am one.

Good history lesson and also for the actors, by actually doing it themselves. Sticking their hands in manure etc. Lol

I can only imagine how bad the smell of melting sheep's fat is in a dark and enclosed space. I worked briefly in Keenes Restaurant in NY many years ago and their specialty of the historic house was leg of mutton. It wasn't ordered often but when it was the smell would make me nauseas.

My grandparents still farm like this. The only difference being they replaced plow cattle with tractors.

24:59 peas are a miracle crop because they don't strip the nutrients from the soil. Modern farmers use them as a rotational crop so we don't end up in a second dust bowl

I know I wouldn't, I'm barely making it as a modern day peasant 😅

I love this series!

I’ve seen this before, but it’s worth watching again

This was an amazing rabbit hole to have found myself in

I did not need a whole video to tell me that I would’ve died of premature birth and Cerebral Palsy 😏 (Incidentally, as recently as the 1900s-as I recall, the 1940s-I did have a cousin whom died of Spina Bifida 😔.). Too many of us take advancement in so many areas for granted.

No tv show better than real history

Loved this. Learned so much!😎✌

I think the biggest problem would be teleporting sickness, being in a new age with new rules without a warning. I mean If you reverse it, try to explain to a human why you would want a linkedin account...

I remember back in the day when people still paid for cable television. These same four used to appear in a number of History TV channel shows. From what I recall, the topics were all fairly similar. Many have been re-used back into these TRshow shows. But from what I gather, this crew and a few others I see in other channels and shows seem to be able to do a FAR better job now that they are free from a Cable Television agenda.

What about spinning and knitting during this time period? Love this, thanks.

If one of them was seriously injured which wouldn't be hard to happen idk what would happen. Unless you had children that you could put to work or you had really caring neighbors i guess you would be doomed! 😮😢

"Another generation sorted." 😂😂😂 I laughed so hard at the beatings

I love the one that's the 3 of these guys do if anybody knows of a way to see all that they do let me know I've seen a few of them but I found this and it's different so I'd like to know there's more out there

I like the audio in this, the narration and the music. Mellow and even bc I listen as I am lying in bed.

Loved it. Thank you.

I had an infected papercut last week and ended up on antibiotics. I would have died before a year old back then.

Good stuff! Thank you so much!

If I could go back in time, I’d create deodorant….. I’d have multiple chests full of cloth 😂

I likethinking about how emersive this is as these people show me their lifestyle, and then clock out at the end of the day when they go home to their apartment

Love this, thank you.

If I couldn't survive as a medieval peasant then why am I still here 500 years later huh? Seems like I survived my vassalage JUST fine.

What did she just add to her sheep's milk that she had heated in preparation for making cheese? Was it honey? Or vinegar? She didn't say & I'm really curious they usually give precise instructions but she failed to say what she was using 😢

I am always fascinated ok how was Living like before.

Peter and his disturbingly close grave 😂

Another wonderful remembrance, a reminder of those times. Plus there are the specific skills lost from a time when we were in far closer touch with the earth, our land, and our environment. The systems that harnessed the people to religion, which took advantage of the people, not so much. But I love knowing what the life was like for the 'peasant' farmer, and how so much had to be made from local sources, or paid for with higher costs. Dealing with the minimum was a condition of life every day. Could we do it these days? And should we not keep it all alive?

Nobody is known to have survived life yet

Wait Mark is Ruth’s husband! Wow that’s awesome 😊

they probably had much larger families and extended family, living with them and helping out with everything. also maybe a few people living on t he farm and helping aka didn't want to be homeless.

thank you much. like these educational videos.

2.31.30 😂👍 great example of the poor people actually getting the better quality, high fiber more nutrients (rye etc mixed in) while the elite got "fancy white" but less nutritious bread. Score👍😂 ....love it when these examples turn up....as with many things supposedly showing status...good fun example that imitation by some high fashion brand of the IKEA bag 😂 omfg I laughed so hard at that. Also one site we excavated had some monks buried, they often showed signs of poor health due to obesity....greed did not do them any favour. 2.31 ish so it was airy ....but chewing is important to release enzymes to better digest your food/extract nutrients. Again, a negative.

Origin of the phrase "Rule of Thumb at 2:19:34 for all of you etymology enthusiasts out there.

1:55:24 IT wasn't the alcohol in the beer that killed bacteria and made it safe to drink. Most of their daily beer barely had any alcohol in it. It was the heat in the process of making beer that killed bacteria and made it safe to drink. I can't believe y'all got that one so very wrong!

Half the old barns around here still have mule tack hanging up.

Sometimes I wonder if we really do have it better. Yea we have modern medicine and much better life spans, but part of me feels like social media and technology is it’s own form of slavery.

Best historical video,s ever.

not only did they have to harvest the wheat... they then had to subdue it lol

When planting peas, throw some seeds to your fellow farmer and say Peas be with you.

I may have not survived but my ancestors did. I know this because im here now. 😂

Please take me back to a simpler time regardless of all the pits and downfalls I do believe there was more sincerity and decency.

This is just amazing