To continue with the Christmas theme for December, we will look at Tudor Monastery Farm at Christmas.  Christmas was the biggest celebration of the year.  Ruth Goodman, Tom Pinfold, and Peter Ginn return to the Tudor Monastery farm to celebrate Christmas Tudor style.

Tudors celebrated Christmas over 12 days with the 12th night being the biggest party of the year.  The farmers fasted for 24 days to prepare for the days of feasting.  It was a chance to save food and money for the celebration.  Farmers would also lay down their tools during the 12 days of Christmas.  Peter and Tom would make sure that the animals were well fed before the celebrations.

Ruth prepares the pig's head for the Christmas feast.  Boars head was the traditional meal for Christmas.  The Boar was the fiercest animal that the Tudor hunted.  They were hunted to extinction and so Ruth prepares a pig head.  Ruth pickles the pig's head to preserve it for the feasting.  To help Ruth prepare for the feasting, Tom stocks up the farm with wood.  You could control the heat of the fire by using different woods.

To help brighten up the home, Peter goes into the woods to pick holly and ivy.  Peter and Tom work to make a Christmas Crown to hang in the Tudor farm.  They use their fence-building skills to make the crown. However, the boys made it too big for the farm door.  Poor Ruth is busy with cooking for Christmas.  Christmas was the time where the common people could experience the height of luxury.  Foods from all around the world were a part of the Tudor Feast.  It was also the chance for the Tudor Farmer to help the poor with their celebrations.  There was a variety of foods that were made for the Tudor feast at Christmas.  The Christmas Pudding and Mince pie made their way to the table during the feast at Christmas.  The mince pie originally contained meat during the Tudor Period and over the years the spice and fruit combination while the meat in the pie declined.  However, since there were no tins in the Tudor Period the pastry had to be quite stiff to bake.

The first day of the Twelve Days of Christmas was Christmas Day.  It was on Christmas day when the people would break their fast.  The day kicked off with a morning Mass.  Ruth, Peter, and Tom celebrated Christmas with the people who helped them on the farm in the past year.  It was the one time of year where the most meat would be eaten.  Ruth makes the connection between the courses of the Tudor Feast and how modern people feast.  Professor Ronald Hutton provides commentary on why there were celebrations during Midwinter.

The second day of the twelve days of Christmas was the feast day of St. Stephen.  Peter checks on the animals.  Tradition had it that farmers would not work in the field.  Peter discovers that their pigs had piglets, much to Peter’s delight.  The monasteries celebrated Christmas communally.  The feasting in the monasteries tended towards the poultry: swans, ducks, and chickens.  Tudor farmers raised huge amounts of swans, especially for the monasteries. 

Ruth and Tom learn about falconry.  Aristocrats learned it to show off for their friends, the lower classes of people learned it to hunt.  This was another way that the Tudor farmer supplied the monastery with poultry.
To continue to learn more about the Tudor Feast at Christmas, continue to watch this episode. 

You can show this episode during the Christmas season in school.  You could even try to make some of the foods in the classroom!

You can access the YouTube video here.

This special series concludes with a Victorian Christmas celebration.  The blacksmiths forge is up and running.  Ruth prepares the Christmas feast.

Just copy and paste into a word document for use in the classroom.

Questions:

1. What Christmas story was mentioned when Ruth was making the Christmas pudding?
   
2. How many Christmas Puddings did they make?
   
3. Christmas Pudding is in the same food family as this Scottish Dish?
   
4. Where was the estate’s iron work done?
   
5. What were the two things that were fixed in the forge?
   
6. What was the type of coal the blacksmith forge used?
   
7. What color were they looking for in the fire?
   
8. Did the iron burn?
   
9. How long did the Christmas Pudding boil?
   
10.  What was the shape of one of the Christmas Puddings?
    

Answers:

1. What Christmas story was mentioned when Ruth was making the Christmas pudding? - Christmas Carole
2. How many Christmas Puddings did they make? - 2
3. Christmas Pudding is in the same food family as this Scottish Dish? - Hagis
4. Where was the estate’s iron work done? - Blacksmiths forge
5. What were the two things that were fixed in the forge? - Bellows and a chimney
6. What was the type of coal the blacksmith forge used? - Coke
7. What color were they looking for in the fire? - Yellow, White
8. Did the iron burn? - Yes
9. How long did the Christmas Pudding boil? - Six hours
10.  What was the shape of one of the Christmas Puddings? - Cannonball

Preparations continue for the Victorian Farm Christmas.  Ruth makes presents for the boys and boys work to restore a blacksmith's forge to its former glory.

Just copy and paste into a word document for use in the classroom.

Questions:

1. How many bricks did the boys need to make?
2. What new animal did the boys use on the farm?
3. What is the center piece of a Victorian Christmas celebration?
4. What did Ruth grow in the garden?
5. Why did the boys have to stop sawing the log?
6. What fabric did Ruth buy for presents?
7. What project did Rupert Acton set the boys on?
8. Who helped with the sewing?
9. What was an essential skill?
10. How young did girls start sewing and mending?

Answers: 

1. How many bricks did the boys need to make? - 10,000
2. What new animal did the boys use on the farm? - Donkey
3. What is the center piece of a Victorian Christmas celebration? - Yule Log
4. What did Ruth grow in the garden? - Mushrooms
5. Why did the boys have to stop sawing the log? - It has a conservation order on it
6. What fabric did Ruth buy for presents? - Welsh Flannel
7. What project did Rupert Acton set the boys on? - Blacksmiths Forge
8. Who helped with the sewing? - Eve, Ruth’s daughter
9. What was an essential skill? - Sewing and Mending
10. How young did girls start sewing and mending? - 5 years old

Ruth, Peter, and Alex settled in to Farm Life while preparing for Christmas.  Peter and Alex work on the pigsties, and Ruth prepares a Victorian Christmas Feast after spending four days in the laundry.

Alex and Peter as well as Alex's brother work on building and putting a roof on the pigsties.  The weather turns cold and it's not the best time of year to build pigsties.  It begins to snow on the farm.  The team adds a ram on the farm and they create a rattle to help determine whether or not the ewes are pregnant.

Ruth works in the laundry for three days in order to prepare for Christmas.  She explains the laundry process during the Victorian Period, you used stain remover on what needed to be removed and not the whole garment.

You can use this episode of the series in the classroom when there is a sub in the room.  Unless you want to use it as a supplement for a lecture in a history classroom.

You can highlight, copy, and paste the questions into a Word, GoogleDoc or Google Classroom document for use in school or home school.  Format it the way you want to.  All questions after formatting should fit onto one page.

You can find the link to the YouTube video here. 

Victorian Farm Episode 2 Questions:

1. When could the boys expect their first sheep?
2. What does Ruth use for each laundry stain?
3. What was the most important letter on the Victorian farm?
4. What did they build in the middle of winter?
5. What did they use to insulate the floor?
6. How many days did Ruth stay in the laundry?
7.  What did Ruth use to counter the yellow soap?
8. What Christmas tradition came out of the Victorian Period?
9. How much did Ruth put into the pudding?
10. What did Ruth make Peter for Christmas?

Victorian Farm Episode 2 Answers:

1. When could the boys expect their first sheep? - April Fools Day
2. What does Ruth use for each laundry stain? - Ink: Milk; Fruit Stains: Butter; Glue - Whiskey
3. What was the most important letter on the Victorian farm?  Why? - Pigs, they ate everything and fattened up the quickest
   
4. What did they build in the middle of winter? - Pigsties
5. What did they use to insulate the floor? - Bottles
6. How many days did Ruth stay in the laundry? - Four days
7.  What did Ruth use to counter the yellow soap? - Synthetic blue
8. What Christmas tradition came out of the Victorian Period? - Christmas Pudding
9. How much did Ruth put into the pudding? - 4 pence
10. What did Ruth make Peter for Christmas? - Braces

Episode 3 work continues on the farm as Peter, Ruth and Alex explore more possibilities to make money on the Edwardian Farm.  It is November on the Edwardian Farm.

The team plants their potato crop and use the latest in Edwardian technology in order to plant it.  They also use the tractor to do some chores around the farm such as making feed for the animals.  We also learn how the Tamar Valley was home to a hatchery.  Peter explores that part of that part of the history of the Tamar Valley.  Ruth works on cleaning and prepping the privy.

The discussion on the fish hatchery would be appropriate in the agricultural science department, especially if the school offered a class on animal science.

If you need a filler in the classroom, this is an excellent series for that use.  You aren't limited to history with this series either you can use this in a family and consumer education or a home economics class to learn a recipes or crafts.  You really see history come to life in this series and Ruth, Alex, and Peter are excellent narrators.

For use in the classroom: just highlight, copy and paste into a word document or a google document for use in the classroom.  You can easily format these questions to your specifications.

You can find the link for the YouTube video here.  This series is also available on Amazon Prime.

Questions:

1. What was the tractor called?
2. What else did the tractor power on the farm?
3. What else was farmed in the Tamar Valley?
4. Who was a big supporter of fish farming?
5. What was found in the same building as the pigsties?
6. What does Ruth use to sanitize the privy?
7. What does Ruth use for toilet paper?
   
8. Why did Peter use glass tubes in his fish hatchery?
9. What was a new edition to the farm?
10. What does a hedge do for the farm?

Answers

1. What was the tractor called? - Ivel
2. What else did the tractor power on the farm? - A kibbler
3. What else was farmed in the Tamar Valley? - Fish
4. Who was a big supporter of fish farming? - Duke of Bedford
5. What was found in the same building as the pigsties? - Privy
   
6. What does Ruth use to sanitize the privy? - Caustic soda
   
7. What does Ruth use for toilet paper? - Newspapers
8. Why did Peter use glass tubes in his fish hatchery? - To tell apart bad eggs
9. What was a new edition to the farm? - Gramophone
10. What does a hedge do for the farm? - Boundary and a habitat for wild life
    

Episode 4: Ruth, Peter and Alex continue in their efforts to make money for the farm.  Peter and Alex focus their efforts on the sea while Ruth cleans a historic house.

Christmas is coming to the farm and the boys are trying their hand at fishing for crabs.  However the weather and waves keep them away.  In the mean time the boys have a cow butchered.  Ruth in the mean time is looking for extra income for the farm and cleans a historic house using Edwardian techniques and technology.  She gets a new bike to help her out with transportation.  While Ruth is away, the boys will play.  At the end of the episode, they participate in an Edwardian Christmas church service and celebrate Christmas Edwardian farm style.

This would be a good episode to show around Christmas time in the classroom.  A work sheet wouldn't need to be required, unless you have a sub in the room.

If you need a filler in the classroom, this is an excellent series for that use.  You aren't limited to history with this series either you can use this in a family and consumer education or a home economics class to learn a recipes or crafts.  You really see history come to life in this series and Ruth, Alex, and Peter are excellent narrators.

For use in the classroom: just highlight, copy and paste into a word document or a google document for use in the classroom.  You can easily format these questions to your specifications.

You can find the link for the YouTube video here.  This series is also available on Amazon Prime.

Episode 4 Questions:

1. What was Ruth’s new toy?
2. What did Alex hope to catch?
3. Where did Ruth work?
4. What type of staircase did the women servants use?
5. What was the sluice room used for?
6. What was an innovation Ruth used to clean the carpets?
7. While Ruth was away, what meal did Peter prepare for Alex?
8. How long did the butchered cow hang before it was cut?
9. What happened to the cow’s hide after it was butchered?
10. How many lobster pots were left out?

Episode 4 Answers:

1. What was Ruth’s new toy? - bicycle
2. What did Alex hope to catch? - lobsters and crabs
3. Where did Ruth work? - Lahnhydrock
4. What type of staircase did the women servants use? - wooden staircase
5. What was the sluice room used for? - Getting rid of human waste
6. What was an innovation Ruth used to clean the carpets? - vacuum
7. While Ruth was away, what meal did Peter prepare for Alex? - Oysters and Steak / carpetbag steak
8. How long did the butchered cow hang before it was cut? - Four weeks
9. What happened to the cow’s hide after it was butchered?  - Sold to a tannery
10. How many lobster pots were left out? - 6