Question from Katie - Making garments for kings and queens

Who was allowed to touch the kings and queens of the Tudor period. The reason I ask as having been a costume maker, how and who made the measurements and was there a form of pattern, a mannequin made or a tailor brought in? Any help would be appreciated in furthering my interest away from the formal portraits to who in the household or outside was responsible ultimately to fit the garments and then get them made.

Question from Rebecca - River boats and harbors in Tudor times

Hello! I'm looking for information about what types of boats would have been used in rivers during the 16th century, and what river harbors outside London would have looked like. Any info or resources you can share would be greatly appreciated!

Question from Don - Treatment of children in Tudor times

I was wondering, how were kids treated in Tudor times? (Hopefully this kind of question hasn’t already been asked). We all know women were regarded/treated like only second-class citizens, so, unfortunately, it should make sense that a child would be treated no better. However, did it also depend on the kid’s social status/gender? Like, were the boy children treated slightly better than the girl children, or were the young/little boys also expected to only “be seen, but not heard”?

(Note from Lara - I think there are pieces of an answer to this scattered through other posts, but I thought I would go ahead and post it so there would be a centralized place for the topic.)

Question from anonymous - Last names of bastard children not acknowledged by the father

If a woman gave birth to a child outside of marriage, and the father did not recognise them, would she pass her own surname to the child? Or was there some sort of last name for "bastards"?

Question from anonymous - Baynard's Castle in Henry VIII's reign

Are there any record of what Baynard Castle looked from the inside under Henry VIII's reign? Also, although he gifted it to Katherine of Aragaon upon their wedding, would he sometimes stay there with his court? (Note - I believe the submitter is referring to Baynard's Castle in London not Baynard Castle in Yorkshire, but they can chime in to correct me if I'm mistaken.)

Question from anonymous - Forms of address for non-titled people

Conversationally, back then, how would one address someone that had no title? Could not be "my Lady" or "my Lord / Sir", so what would it be?

Question from Thomas - Punishment for theft

Hi, my name’s Thomas, I’m a 17 year old boy, and this is my strange question. What would happen if a Medieval/Tudor era peasant or surf were to steal from a knight, a nobleman, or even the king, himself? (Btw, I need to know this for a history class assignment). Would the peasant/surf be punished, and if so, would the punishment be lenient or severe? Or depending on his circumstances/situation, and/or his backstory/excuse, on why he stole, would he be completely let off the hook and just been given “a slap on the wrist?”

Question from Chris - Average height

What was the average height around this time period? I know most Medieval/Tudor era knights were expected to be like, over 6, preferably like, 61 or 62, or taller. The peasants and surfs probably were quite a bit shorter, and the ladies, (unless she was aristocratic/wealthy) werent quite as tall as the men. So, on average, how tall were most average citizens? (Both male and female). A good estimate from someone, or another blogger would be helpful. Thanks.

Question from Glenn - Appendectomies

How were appendectomies performed? If I were to need my appendix removed, in this time, how painful or dangerous would it be? Would it have been any more dangerous and painful, then, than it is now? Did people then even call them that?

Question from Lorraine - Milestone birthdays

My question is about milestone birthdays. Were birthdays, (in a child or adult's life) such as 10th, 13th, 16th, 18th, 21st, 30th; etc,.. considered as important back then, as they are now? Did people celebrate these ages the same way we do now? Were there any traditions that people had for those who finally turned a certain age? Lastly, did people see getting older as a good thing or a bad thing?

Related previous thread:
https://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2008/06/question-from-liz-celebrating-birthdays.html

Question from David - Time travel 'what ifs'

My question is about time travel. As a huge time travel genre fan, I was wondering what would ( probably) happen if I were to travel back to this era, and bring with me some modern day stuff, like, iPads, computers, modern day foods for them to try, a TV set; etc,.. Or if a Tudor era gent/lady were to travel forward to this time, and experience and find out about what life is like now. Would they be shocked, appalled, or (happily) fascinated?

Question from Donna - Self-esteem, shyness, etc.

In Tudor times, did some people have self-esteem issues, shyness/social anxiety, and/or compare themselves to others? It would actually seem to me that that would not have been so, in "simpler times" in which there was no advertising, technology, cameras, (the camera "adds ten pounds" phrase didn't exist) or media/social media. Life wasn't perfect back then, but at least, in a way, everyone seemed actually more socially accepting of different body types.

Question from Linda - Tonsil and throat treatments

Ive been having some tonsil issues, and am due for a tonsillectomy soon. It made me curious and want to ask some questions about it. Did tonsillectomies exist in this era? If so, were the people put under some kind of anesthesia, or was the surgery done while the person was fully awake? Lastly, what kind of advice wouldve a patient been given for recovery time? Would he/she be told to refrain from things like, talking too much, avoid hot foods/beverages, only eat/drink soft, lukewarm, and/or cold foods/beverages, or wouldve it been different?

Question from Becky - Menstruation, cramps, etc.

How were womens menstrual/period cramps dealt with in 16th century England? What did women use/wear between their legs and underneath their dresses to keep from leaking? How were pms/pmdd symptoms dealt with? Did most women/some men even understand the concept of that, and were they even called that back then? Some answers would be helpful. Thank you.

Previous partially-related thread:
https://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2008/04/question-from-beth-womens-underwear-and.html

Question from Nathan - Witches and warlocks

In Tudor times, what did the people think of witches/warlocks? Did some people even think they existed, did some revere them, or did many of them demonize witchcraft, and persecuted those who they supposedly thought were warlocks/witches?

Related previous threads:
https://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2009/04/question-from-liz-malleus-maleficarum.html
https://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2010/11/question-from-marie-witchcraft-and.html

Question from Alicia - Murder of servants

Dear Tudor bloggers, I just read The Door by Mary Roberts Rhinehart, and it made me come here to ask an odd question. I realized the centuries-old double standard, thats older than Feudalism, about how if a servant murders his/her master/mistress, its a horrible scandal, but most likely if an aristocratic employer murdered his/her servant, they wouldnt have been as stigmatized and nobody wouldve batted an eye. For example, you always hear stories about how the butler did it, but we never hear any stories/mysteries about how/why, say, Lord X, Earl of X murders his butler. So, in this era, presumably, how many noble/rich people got rid of their servants, and were they as demonized/villainized for doing so as they wouldve been, had the roles been reversed?

Question from James - Self defense against someone with higher status

What would happen if, say, a king (or queen) hit someone (commoner) and/or tried to hurt and assault them, (btw for no reason, the royal was the one who threw the first punch). With the issues of treason and high treason coming to mind, would/could the person getting hit/beat up hit back in self-defense? The way I look at it is this, if ANYONE hits anyone / tries to physically hurt someone, no matter who the person is, the person whos being attacked/bullied should always have the right to self-defense, and there shouldnt be any double standards about it either. I realize that no one should be hitting anybody, in the first place, so what you think? Some feedback would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

Question from Landon - Proof of Elizabeth I's alleged promiscuity

I just came here to ask, is there any proof to Queen Elizabeth I being sexually promiscuous? Did she sleep with any of her male courtiers, or is/was that just a rumor? (Btw, hopefully, I'm not asking something that's already been asked before).

Related threads (I think I found them all... Elizabeth's virginity feels like it has come up a lot more than this in the ~17 years this blog has been around, but I might also be remembering threads on my old email discussion list too!):

https://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2008/01/question-from-lyra-henry-viiis-children.html https://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2008/08/question-from-kelly-elizabeth-and.html https://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2008/11/question-from-angie-elizabeths.html

Question from Laura - Professional modeling

Back in Tudor England, this may seem like an anachronistic question, but Im terribly curious. Were there such a thing as fashion models? Like on the runway or catwalk? Were there any women (or men) who modeled clothing, for a living, as a career? Answers would be appreciated, thanks.

Question from Brian - Famous singers of the era

Were there any famous singers that existed in this era? Such as; opera, or classical music singers. If so, did they perform in theatres, or King Henry VIIIs palace, or some other similar fancy place, like that?

Question from Peter - Tuition and education for children in wills

Dear Lara and friends, In some wills I have seen reference to 'Sam Jones to have tuition/education of my son James' What was entailed by such requests and why couldn't the mother or family be responsible, why did it have to be specified in a will? Many thanks Peter

Question from Jake - Colleges and universities in Tudor times

Hey Tudor bloggers, I'm a college student (going to be a sophomore after summer break is over). I've been researching the history of colleges, in centuries past. I came here to ask did students back in this era go to college after they graduated high school? What were colleges like, back then? Did anyone need to study for, and pass any big tests in order to enroll? I would appreciate some answers.

Question from Emily - Pica in Tudor times

As an eating disorder and mental health specialist, I came here to ask how was pica seen/treated in this era? You know, the disorder where someone craves and/or eats inedible and non-food objects. Are there any surviving documents or any record of anyone, from Tudor times, that suffered from this condition? If so, can you please give me an example, or two, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

Question from Jessica - Elizabeth I's temper

This question may not exactly be 'Tudor,' but it is Elizabethan which I though it was close enough. Several years ago when I was in junior high, I had a history teacher who told me that Queen Elizabeth I had a violent, abusive temper and would do things like throw objects, cuss like a sailor, and even bully and torment both her courtiers and servants by starving them, beating them, pressuring them to look/act a certain way, threatening to behead them, and expecting them to be as meek as a mouse, all the while. So, exactly how much of this info is true? Was Good Queen Bess actually this horrible? Did she really mistreat those around her, or is that all just a big myth/rumor?

Related threads:
https://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2006/11/question-from-carlyn-elizabeth-i.html
https://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2012/01/question-from-stacey-incidents-with.html

Question from Laurence - Toilet privacy

This may be a strange question, but one I just need to get out and in the open! Did the people in this era have shy bowels or bladders; aka; parcopresis or paruresis? Because often when I'm in public I find it hard to do #.2, or even #.1 in the restroom stalls. So, did people back then simply not have the expectation for privacy we do now, or were there still some people who had trouble going if there were other people around them?

Related threads:
https://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2013/10/question-from-george-toilet-facilities.html
https://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2017/03/question-from-george-further-inquires.html