How to live like a Tudor, and other stories, with Ruth Goodman

Historian and author Ruth Goodman joins James Fisher to discuss her life and work, the importance of working class history and how to cook on an open fire.

Historian and author Ruth Goodman.
Historian and author Ruth Goodman.
(Image credit: KYN Hurlingham)
James Fisher
By
published
in Features

It’s important to think about the past. I think about it often. Usually when I’m lying in bed and my brain decides that’s the best time to think of mistakes I’ve made, loves that have been lost, and, of course, the Roman Empire.

A lot of history is about kings, queens and battles. Which is very interesting in its own way. But is it real history? After all, most of history doesn’t involve kings or queens or battles. Most of history is just normal people going about their business, trying not to be too hungry, too cold, or too sick. That’s real history.

That’s why it’s important to talk to people such as Ruth Goodman, who is less interested in kings and queens and battles. She likes to learn about normal people, doing normal things, in the past and what that says about us.

She came on the Country Life Podcast to talk to us about normal people doing normal things in the past, and how she learns so much about them. The secret is to put yourself in their shoes. She cooks dinners over an open fire. She once lived according to a ‘Tudor body-cleansing regime’ for three months and apparently it wasn’t so bad. To her, the study of the people of the past is a type of anthropology; after all, to us, the Tudor is a different society altogether.

KYN Hurlingham, the former 'Ragged School' turned into a care home.
(Image credit: KYN Hurlingham)

It was extremely eye opening and interesting. We also discussed her work around restoring a former ‘ragged school’ in Fulham that has been redeveloped into KYN Hurlingham. It’s an interesting focal point of how working-class people worked together to improve their own lives, in the face of indifference from the wealthy and the government.

It was a wide-ranging and interesting chat. You’ll love it. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Many thanks to the kind people at KYN for helping us organise it.

Episode credits

  • Host: James Fisher
  • Guest: Ruth Goodman
  • Editor and producer: Toby Keel
  • Music: JuliusH via Pixabay
  • Special Thanks: Adam Wilbourn

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James Fisher
James Fisher
Deputy Digital Editor

James Fisher is the Deputy Digital Editor of Country Life. He writes about property, travel, motoring and things that upset him. He lives in London

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