Melancholy, Mutton Candles and Banned Bells: How the Tudors Faced the Dark

About this episode

By All Saints' Day in Tudor London, the sun was down by quarter past four. In the final episode of our autumn series, we find out how the Tudors got ready for the long dark, in their bodies, in their homes, and in their hearts. We start with the health books. Sir Thomas Elyot warned that autumn was "dangerous to all ages, all natures, and all countries," and Andrew Boorde had a whole diet for melancholy people (no red wine, sorry!). Then we light the mutton-fat candles with Thomas Tusser, find out why one doctor thought the smell of apples was dangerous, and hang out the lanterns with London's mayor. And then we come to Hallowtide, when church bells rang all night for the souls of the dead. Henry VIII nearly banned it, Elizabeth's bishops tried for years to stop it, and ordinary people in places like Sandbach and Weaverham kept climbing the tower to ring for the people they'd lost. This is episode 4 of 4 in our series on how the Tudors got ready for autumn. Thank you so much for watching! 🎟 TudorCon From Home, October 23 to 25. We livestream the main room all weekend, and every talk is recorded with audio and slides so you can listen afterward. Every ticket comes with a digital