Tudor Children
Nicholas Orme
(Yale, £20)
IN May 1520, the civic authorities in York were obliged to put a stop to children going about the city with rattles on the days before Easter. The church bells were silent on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, so children had traditionally been engaged to use rattles, or ‘clappers’, to summon people to worship. Just like today, however, it seems that some of these children, or youths, were taking things too far, evidently making a nuisance of themselves.
Childhood was certainly recognised in Tudor England. Children occupied their own space in the world
This small, but delightful, insight into the relations between adults and children in the 16th century is somehow typical of the material drawn together in Nicholas Orme’s new volume. Not only is the content endlessly eye-opening, but one is also left astonished at the amount of research and reading that was necessary to come upon so many precise and colourful details on children from all walks of life. Ultimately, this rich and compelling study reveals that, although society at the time was clearly very different from today, we can readily see much of ourselves in the parents and children of the Tudor era.
This story is from the February 22, 2023 edition of Country Life UK.
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This story is from the February 22, 2023 edition of Country Life UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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