Tudor Monastery Farm

In this series Ruth Goodman, Peter Ginn and Tom Pinfold take the farm one stage further attempting to recreate not just the historical context but also the spiritual context of life in the year 1500, in a society where the Christian faith was at the heart of everything.They take on the role of the lay-folk who did the bulk of the farming and craftwork within monastic lands, as well as exploring the monastery's primary function - to pray and care for the spiritual welfare of all Christians, both living and dead.Under the reign of the first Tudor King, Henry VII, the country was enjoying a new dawn of peace and prosperity. And as the biggest landowner, other than the King, the monasteries dominated many of the thriving crafts of the era - from wine-making and cloth production to printing and bell casting. They were also places of technological innovation and improvement: farmers on monastic lands pioneered many crucial developments, from the waterwheel to sheep breeding.