The Surprisingly Gruesome Life Of The Medieval Barber | Worst Jobs In History

Life in the Medieval period looked like lots of different things to lots of different people. Your place in society could dictate everything. From what food you ate, where you could go, how educated you were and even how long you were likely to live for. Across this series, discover what life was like for those that worked, those that earned, those that learned and those that played in Medieval England. Presented by medieval historian, Dr Eleanor Janega. 💚 Join the Absolute History club to get access to exclusive member benefits! 📺 You can now become a History Hit member right here on the original video platform! Join for access to a new exclusive documentary every week, and access to over 160+ of our documentaries presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, Eleanor Janega, Tristan Hughes, Mary Beard, Matt Lewis and more.

This week we take a close look at the worst rural jobs and remember those who risked their necks to maintain the heart of rural life, shifted excrement to produce enduring images of the countryside and saved souls in the villages by eating bread. Tony experiences life as a shepherd boy, nettle harvester, reddle man, thresher, chaff-box boy, sedge cutter, sin eater, pole man, lead-white maker and featherier. Then he tackles the most arduous job of all, that of the steeplejack when he climbs the highest spire in Oxfordshire.

In contrast with the common representation of the middle ages as a gloomy era haunted with famine, this episode provides a more positive view on medieval cuisine. Throughout Europe, medieval kitchens were often filled with innovative, healthy and savory dishes. Enjoy the elaborate information on the preparation of bread, meat, wine and herbs consumed in castles, monasteries and the growing cities.

Tony Robinson explores the major uprising across large parts of England in 1381; it's origins, motives and aftermath.

Medieval historian Dr Eleanor Janega investigates the sort of jobs women undertook during the Medieval period and how they were a vital and often forgotten part of the workforce.

Just east of the San Francisco Bay Area are the Berkeley Hills Walls--remnants of a massive, stone wall that stretches a distance of over fifty miles. The wall segments are up to six feet high in some places and are constructed of tightly fit limestone boulders. Scott is in intrigued by the fact that nobody knows who built the wall or even what purpose it serves. The only historical precedent for a miles-long, manmade, ancient wall is the Great Wall of China. Could ancient Asiatic explorers have made it all the way to the North American West Coast? In investigating the theory, Scott uncovers other evidence that could suggest the Chinese with their massive maritime fleet made it to the New World, using maps that were in the possession of Kublai Khan. He also discovers evidence that European explorers knew about China's epic voyages, including Italian explorer Marco Polo. 💚 Join the Absolute History club to get access to exclusive member benefits! 📺 You can now become a History Hit member right here on the original video platform! Join for