After looking at many photos of estates in Great Britain where the Tudors lived, I was just wondering about the gardens that are seen now. Did they mow the lawns in the 1600s? It seems a huge job now. I can't imagine how they kept them up without current technology.
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A superb question, and one that historians have only recently begun to examine, oddly enough. The history of gardens in Tudor England has become a very trendy topic only in the past 5 years or so! It is so newly trendy, in fact, that only a handful of books have been published about it. Did people in the Tudor era "mow" their lawns in the modern sense, with wheeled mechanical lawn mowers? No. But they did use animals, usually sheep, to keep whatever grass they had in their gardens short, and they also used scythes and other single-bladed cutting tools to hand-cut the grass where they wanted to do so. But mechanical mowers, even the "old" push type with whirling spiral blades, are modern inventions and were not available in the 16th century.
How did they keep up the gardens? lots and lots of servants.
Aren't servants wonderful? ;)
Really - I kind of knew the servants kept up with it - just wnated to know the mechanism. Strangely, I never even thought about sheep, even though we still use this today in large fields in the state of Texas. Thanks.
thanks goodness someone asked this question, it was driving me crazy. but one point/comment to make, if they were using animals to do the lawn work, would they really take the time to pick up after them? I can't envision the "servants" stopping to pick up droppings. And would this be done during the day? If this was done at night, it seems like messes would missed.
Im pretty sure the royals and nobility cared little that servants had to pick up poop. They never show this in film but hell, people were pooping in the corners of castles. London and Paris had literal rivers of human feces and urine running through the streets, I imagine servants and peasants weren't squeamish when it came to defecation - from any source.
I was thinking about this while I was mowing today. Thats pretty interesting. Must been crazy cause Gardens and certain areas with vast vegetation
Hi, Friend!
I'm pretty positive the royals and nobility cared very little that servants had to choose up poop. They ne'er show this within the film, however, hell, individuals were pooping within the corners of castles. London and Paris had literal rivers of human feces and piddle running through the streets, I imagine servants and peasants weren't overnice once it came to voiding from any supply.
Please, continue your good work in the future!
Thanks
Thank you so much for your information!! I didn't even think about it that livestock were used yo maintain short grass. Thank you again!
I believe that geese (the small variety) were used to keep down grass. They also fertilize the soil (no serious cleaning up of waste to do; especially after rain) and there's the bonus of eggs.
Thank you for your help in
the information you researched I personally only thought about it while watching Wolf Hall 1 and Roll on Wolf Hall 2. That Dam Covid-19 held up another Classic.
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