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

Question from Harriet - Self-poisoning

This may seem like a redundant question, but can I ask, what would've happened if a king or queen, or nobleman or noblewoman tried to poison themselves? I mean, nobody else put anything into the food or drink, except himself/herself; like arsenic, for instance. Whether their motivation was suicide, a weight loss method, a coping mechanism to try to gain more sympathy from others, or a disturbing experimentation just to simply see what poison does to ones body, cause they were curious, what would be done about it? How would the rest of society, and their courtiers react? Thanks, I would appreciate a reply from a fellow blogger.

Question from Amanda - Going to the theater in Tudor times

What was going to the theater like in Tudor/Elizabethan times? Was seeing a play to them the equivalent of a movie theater from today? Did the theaters offer people popcorn? Were women and/or children allowed to even go, or was it just an all adult male audience? Were there any restrooms to go if one needed to in the midst of a show?

Question from Clara - Shopping in Tudor times

Did people go shopping in Tudor times? Were there grocery stores or shops as we know them today ?

Question from Niles - Food-borne illness

How was food poisoning dealt with in this era? My job as a full-time waiter in a fine dining restaurant makes me curious to ask this. I would assume since unfortunately there was no such thing as refrigeration that it might have been quite common. Wouldve they have been given the same advice/treatment as we would today, or did the concept of foodborne illness just not exist? Good day, Niles.

Question from William - Views on suicide in Tudor times

*Trigger warning* I wanted to be courteous enough to put that there because I want to ask about the sensitive topic of suicide. How was killing onesself viewed back then? Did they consider it a sin? Did they believe the person who killed themselves would not be allowed to enter Heaven, or was this just simply a subject that no one ever talked about or had any modern day concept of? Answers please, William.

Question from Nigel - Exercise in Tudor England

As a frequent gym-goer, I wanted to ask how did people of Tudor England exercise? Did they jog, lift weights, do pushups, or run laps?

Question from Oswald - Punishment of children for misbehavior

How were teenaged kids punished in Tudor times when they misbehaved or broke a parents rule? Did he / she get grounded as in; having privileges taken away, made to do extra chores, prohibited from leaving the home, hanging out with friends; etc. ? Or were they whipped, beaten, or what?

Question from Jane - Learning horse riding

What age were teenagers when they learned how to ride a horse/horse-drawn carriage? Did they learn when they were 16? (Because its the equivalent of learning how to drive cars nowadays, since horses to them were their main source of transportation). Or were they younger or older?

Question from Peter - Non-belief in Tudor England

God bless you Tudor bloggers. Im a pastor at my town's church, here's my question; I hope this is a question someone can help me with. What percentage of the population in this time in history believed in God? Did they worship our one true God, or did they worship many gods? How many people were atheists (non-believers)? Yours truly, Peter. Editor's note - related thread here: https://queryblog.tudorhistory.org/2009/09/question-from-zoe-atheism-in-tudor.html

Question from Roger - Tudor-era attitudes toward bodily functions, dissections, etc

As a beginning med student, my morbid curiosity has lead me to this site to ask this. My question is were the people back then, less squeamish or less easily grossed out by things such as bodily functions, anatomy, dissected, skinless bodies, just reading about how the body works books, etc. than we are nowadays? Or was everyone, even back then, just as nowadays their own individual person? Like, some people simply were more squeamish, whereas others were not.

Question from Sally - Phobias in Tudor times

How were phobias seen/regarded/treated in this time? Just to name some; arachnophobia, acrophobia, social phobia, claustrophobia; etc. Did people treat those that had them with respect and kindness, or did they shun them from proper Tudor society regarding them as an oddity, a freak, or 'mad'?

Interruptions and delays in posting and comment approvals over the next few weeks

Hello to the people who still periodically check this blog! I just wanted to give everyone a heads up that I'm in the process of moving across town over the next few weeks so I'm not going to be able to post submissions (which oddly seem to have ramped up in frequency lately) and approve comments as quickly as usual. "Regular" service will resume in early June depending on how quickly I get things set up at the house.

Question from Anne - Treatment of girls and women

Greetings! I would like to ask a rather unusual question. It is; In an era where women/girls were treated as lessers, were discriminated against, and/or even abused, were there still some men who genuinely loved/cared about their wives and were good and kind to them? Also, were there some fathers (and mothers too), who were truly good to and treated their daughters well and with kindness? Or was every single girl/woman who lived in this era mistreated by her father and/or her husband?

Question from Barbara - Nobles cooking their own meals

Message Hello everyone, I just had a very odd thought, that I want to drop by. I doubt its even been asked before. Here goes; Would a rich English nobleman back in this time be allowed to cook his own meals if he wanted to and not have a servant to do it for him? It wouldve allowed him some independence I would think, because if he was hungry he wouldnt have to wait on a personal cook to get it for him! Lol!

Question from Samantha - Leap day birthdays

Greetings Tudor bloggers, Ive got an extremely odd question I just couldn't help but ask! My college professor was born on February 29th. So, its been getting me curious, did the concept of Leap Day birthdays exist back in this era, or is the technically aging only every 4 years thing that we sometimes joke about, a more modern concept? With gratitude, Samantha.

Question from Craig - Disabilities in Tudor times

I am curious to find out how disabilities were viewed/treated at this time? For example ; blindness, deafness, being stuck in a wheelchair, being mute, not having all your limbs; etc,.. Did the people of this era treat those who were disabled with kindness and compassion, or were they bullied, mistreated, and made to feel like an outcast?

Question from Zach - Life of a noble child vs a peasant child

I'm 9 years old. My history teacher has assigned me to write a history report, imagining I'm a noble vs a peasant in the 1500s, and then compare. I need to know more of what a boy my ages life would have been like, what I wouldve eaten, what I would wear, my school life, and fun and games, and entertainment would have been like.

Question from Ms Smith - Bullying in schools

I'm a middle school teacher. I've been wondering, in this era, how would bullying in the schools be handled? Would the bully get in trouble, or would they victim-blame the kid being bullied?

Question from Jim - Domestic violence and abuse in the Tudor era

I was wondering about domestic violence and abuse in this era. If a man in this era abused or beat his wife and / or his children, how would it be dealt with? Likewise, what would society think about a woman abusing her husband, or children and teenagers getting violent with or abusing their parents? Would there be any double standards there, depending on who was the victim and who was the perpetrator? Sincerely, Jim

Question from Max - Penalties of public nudity in 16th century

Dear everyone reading this, I got a question I hope somebody has an an swer to. (Hopefully, it hasn't already been asked). What would happen if a noble gent of this era, like one of Henry VIII's courtiers decided to take all his clothes off and run naked; a.k.a go streaking through the palace or in public? Would he be punished, charged with indecent exposure, or would he just be pardoned, with everyone turning a blind eye to it?

Question from Nicole - Celebrity of actors in the 16th century

Hey, I'm thinking about writing a story about a Tudor era gentleman who is a very famous actor / celebrity from the English theatre. So, I have a couple of questions; would being a famous celebrity back then be harder or easier than it is nowadays? Also, would he get bombarded with people asking him to sign autographs, or have some 16th century version of the paparazzi all up in his business and private life constantly?

Question from Alex - Eating disorders in Tudor England

I have some questions. They're for an assignment I'm doing in history class for school. (I'm in 9th grade) (female). We've been researching about the history of eating disorders in Medieval / Tudor times. I realize that more females than males did, ( and still do ) suffer from eating disorders, but I want to know did some men ,if any, suffer from them as well? For example, Ive read that if Medieval knights got fat / put on too much weight, it would be easier for them to be defeated in battle, and therefore not fit to become or stay knights. Also, if say, King Henry VIII or some other aristocratic gentleman from Tudor times starved himself / refused to eat because he wanted to lose some weight, or was afraid of / obsessed about getting fat, how do you think his courtiers or servants would respond to his behavior around food and his body image? Would they respond the same or differently depending on whether the person was female or male?

Question from Eden - Forms of address for the Queen

I'm writing a fantasy story that is roughly on a parallel with the Elizabethan period. Obviously I have the queen being addressed as Your Grace, but is it acceptable to have the form of address change to madam during council meetings etc.?

Question from ? - Jane Seymour's attending ladies

Do we know who Jane Seymour's ladies-in-waiting, maids-of-honour etc were?

Question from Alice - London orphanages in 16th century

Quite a precise question: were there orphanages in London in the early sixteenth century ?

Question from ? - Education of women in early 16th century

What kind of education would women like Catherine Parr, and other aristocratic and gentlewomen born in the early 16th century, have been given? Thank you :)

Question from ? - Romantic links of Mary and Elizabeth

Who was Elizabeth I thought to have been in love with, throughout her life? I know of Seymour, Dudley and Essex, but were there more? And was Mary I ever romantically linked to anyone other than her husband? Happy New Year and thank you!!!