What lessons for modern living did they learn?
The BBC series Tales from the Green Valley follows historians and archaeologists as they recreate farm life from the age of the Stuarts. They wear the clothes, eat the food and use the tools, skills and technology of the 1620s. It was a time when daily life was a hard grind, intimately connected with the physical environment where routines were dictated by the weather and the seasons. A far cry from today’s experience of the countryside, which for many involves a bracing walk ahead of a pub lunch. While few would choose to live a 17th Century lifestyle, the participants found they picked up some valuable tips for modern life. 1. Know thy neighbours. Today it’s possible to live alone, without knowing anyone within a 20-mile radius (the same goes for townies). That was simply not possible in the past – not only did the neighbours provide social contact, people shared labour, specialist skills and produce. “And women were judged on good neighbourliness,” says historian Ruth Goodman. “If y
