Medieval Life During Plague & War

Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society

History Hit

Education, Society, History, Scandal, Sex

4.8 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 30 August 2024

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When so much of history is written by men, Margaret Paston's letters offer us a rare insight into the life of a woman and the world around her in 15th century England.

How did she cope with waves of plague wiping out her town? What did she do when the War of the Roses reached her home? And what family gossip did she write about?

Joining Kate today for this insight into every day medieval life is Diane Watt, author of God’s Own Gentlewoman: The Life of Margaret Paston to take us back to this period of tumultuous English history.

This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.

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Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.

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Transcript

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0:16.4	Hello my lovely bed twixters how the hell are you doing fabulous to see you here as always but before we can keep going I have to tell you this is an adult podcast book my adults to other adults about adulty things in an adulty, covering the range of adult subjects and you should be an adult too. But to be completely honest, even if you're not an adult, I'm still really pleased that you're here because we are in the top 10 of the listeners choice award at
0:26.5	this year's British podcast awards and that my lovely betwixtus is all because
0:32.1	of you because you actually stepped up and voted.
0:35.2	What if we actually get to the top five?
0:37.2	But we actually won it. I wouldn't know what to do with myself. But the voting closes on the 29th of August, which is actually today.
0:45.0	It's today. So if you've been sitting around thinking, I will vote for it, I'll get around to doing it.
0:49.0	Now, you need to do it right now. Voting closes at midnight. Just go to the website
0:54.4	W.W. British Podcast Awards.com forward slash voting and click on betwixt
1:00.1	the sheets. Maybe we could do it.
1:02.6	Every vote is crucial, but never mind all of that, on with the show! It's the mid-15th century and rumblings of war have reached us here in Norfolk in the east of England.
1:22.2	A 30-year struggle for the English throne
1:24.9	between the Houses of York and Lancaster is well underway as Richard the Duke of
1:29.8	York challenges the rule of the mentally unstable, Henry the sixth of House Lancash. The Margaret Paston. She's well aware that things are getting dicey and she's writing a letter
1:44.7	to her husband John, who's based all the way down in London and she's asking for some wartime
1:49.3	essentials. Crossbows, check, poolaxes, check,
1:53.0	and armor, check,
1:54.0	and at the end of this list,
1:55.0	she asks for some almonds and sugars to be sent,
1:58.0	because you still need snacks during warfare.
2:00.0	What incredible insights can we get into everyday life during such a crazy
2:05.2	period in this country's history? This remarkable woman's letters offer us a
2:10.1	really rare insight into everyday life during such a turbulent period during British history.
	...

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