Bulking the flour

Among the many activities that the children enjoyed was 'bulking the flour'.  This involved four children holding and shaking the corners of some muslin cloth which sifted the 'husks' of wheat from the flour.  In Tudor times this would have been done by an apprentice baker aged about seven, but had this young apprentice allowed the husks to mix with the flour he would have been severely thrashed by the baker!

Gathering Herbs

As the children discovered, the Tudors never bathed and were a smelly lot.  A Tudor would carry around his or her neck a pomander which was filled with sweet smelling herbs.  The pupils were given the opportunity to make a pomander and to see the wonderful herbs and spices growing in the gardens of Holdenby House.

Among the many 'cures' the pupils learned about was the wearing of a dead frog around a Tudor's neck to ward off the plague!

Writing with quill pens

Each child was given the opportunity of writing with a quill pen and some ink made from diseased acorns.  Their written messages were eventually rolled into a scroll, sealed with some hot wax and a stamp and tied with ribbon.

The final activity of the day was candle making where every child was given the chance to make a candle using a double length of string and some hot wax.  It took six dips into the wax before the candle was complete and for many pupils this was their favourite activity of the day.

Miss Foley would like to thank all the Year 4 parents who made this trip possible by making all the super costumes and props for their children.