Hello Robert I have just subscribed to your I substack. I like you my focus is on early modern England/Europe and I hope to study it formally again next year, if I can find a university that still believes balance and enquiry which is proving difficult. I also enjoy medieval history and think it’s important to learn about it so that I can better understand the early modern period. I have a couple of questions:
I read an article a couple of days ago on substack discussing medieval universities, what was studies and the number of scholars ( they were suggesting Oxford had around 30,000). I can not now find it. Would you happen to know about this article?
Secondly, are there any early modern history substacks you are aware of.
Hi Nick, thanks for your comment. I hope you can find a good university where you can continue learning about early modern culture, which is one of the most enriching subjects I've ever studied, especially when you can also explore the ways in which it emerged from and built upon medieval culture.
I am not aware of any Substack newsletters specifically on early modern history or culture. If you do a search you might find some on Shakespeare, but I can't speak to their quality.
Hi Robert. Yes that’s the article, thank you. Interesting but I wonder how accurate it is. I’d like to find out more.
I’m new to Substack and I’m pleased I found your newsletter. I’ll keep looking for a university, meanwhile I’ll keep reading as wide as possible on early modern history. Keep up the good work!
Yes, I'm in the US. I've been to England a few times and would like to visit again, but traveling is increasingly difficult these days.
I do think you need to be careful with that article. I didn't read all of it, but it seems a bit sensationalistic, and one sentence really left me scratching my head: "The average Medieval peasant was highly educated and likely better educated than University students today." I'm not sure what the author is trying to say here. Most medieval peasants were unable to read and did not receive formal education in the modern sense of the word. Even in Shakespeare's time, illiteracy among the peasantry was high, and only a small proportion of school-aged boys could attend school.
Yes I agree. Reading it again it is a bit sensational and no references I could see. He also likes to use. The word ‘lie’ quite a bit.
Going back to your article, thatching roofs is alive and well here in Devon. I’ve friends who are thatchers, one of whom did some work on a Devon Hall house I owned and renovated several years ago. It was built c1490. The roof structure was something to behold and the base costing of read still had the ears of corn on. And yes there was plenty of bugs and unfortunately larger ‘wild life’ as we lived next to a dairy farm. Still it was a beautiful house. I used to think of all the history it had seen.
I wish I could see that house! What a wonderful piece of living history. That's one of the benefits of living in the "Old World"—thatching was never a major part of the American building tradition (though an old roof of hand-split wooden shingles is also a fine thing).
Those split shingles can be seen over here, they are lovely to see and makes a change from slate and concrete tiles (!) but are not common. I think Canadian’s brought that idea here but I’m not sure.
Yes, thatched roofs must have been rather less critter-proof than modern roofing. Actually, the author that I quoted in the essay also said this: "Thatch has, it must be admitted, certain practical disadvantages—birds and winds are apt to scatter fragments from it." I imagine that rodents also enjoyed searching for stray kernels among the straw. Perhaps thatched-roof communities were careful to maintain a vigorous population of hungry cats!
Love the history of thatched roofs. Wonderful.
Hello Robert I have just subscribed to your I substack. I like you my focus is on early modern England/Europe and I hope to study it formally again next year, if I can find a university that still believes balance and enquiry which is proving difficult. I also enjoy medieval history and think it’s important to learn about it so that I can better understand the early modern period. I have a couple of questions:
I read an article a couple of days ago on substack discussing medieval universities, what was studies and the number of scholars ( they were suggesting Oxford had around 30,000). I can not now find it. Would you happen to know about this article?
Secondly, are there any early modern history substacks you are aware of.
Thank you.
Nick
Hi Nick, thanks for your comment. I hope you can find a good university where you can continue learning about early modern culture, which is one of the most enriching subjects I've ever studied, especially when you can also explore the ways in which it emerged from and built upon medieval culture.
Is this the article that you're referring to?
https://classicalideals.substack.com/p/the-medieval-peasant-was-smarter
I am not aware of any Substack newsletters specifically on early modern history or culture. If you do a search you might find some on Shakespeare, but I can't speak to their quality.
Hi Robert. Yes that’s the article, thank you. Interesting but I wonder how accurate it is. I’d like to find out more.
I’m new to Substack and I’m pleased I found your newsletter. I’ll keep looking for a university, meanwhile I’ll keep reading as wide as possible on early modern history. Keep up the good work!
I’m in England by the way. Are you in the US?
Yes, I'm in the US. I've been to England a few times and would like to visit again, but traveling is increasingly difficult these days.
I do think you need to be careful with that article. I didn't read all of it, but it seems a bit sensationalistic, and one sentence really left me scratching my head: "The average Medieval peasant was highly educated and likely better educated than University students today." I'm not sure what the author is trying to say here. Most medieval peasants were unable to read and did not receive formal education in the modern sense of the word. Even in Shakespeare's time, illiteracy among the peasantry was high, and only a small proportion of school-aged boys could attend school.
Hi Robert
Yes I agree. Reading it again it is a bit sensational and no references I could see. He also likes to use. The word ‘lie’ quite a bit.
Going back to your article, thatching roofs is alive and well here in Devon. I’ve friends who are thatchers, one of whom did some work on a Devon Hall house I owned and renovated several years ago. It was built c1490. The roof structure was something to behold and the base costing of read still had the ears of corn on. And yes there was plenty of bugs and unfortunately larger ‘wild life’ as we lived next to a dairy farm. Still it was a beautiful house. I used to think of all the history it had seen.
I wish I could see that house! What a wonderful piece of living history. That's one of the benefits of living in the "Old World"—thatching was never a major part of the American building tradition (though an old roof of hand-split wooden shingles is also a fine thing).
Those split shingles can be seen over here, they are lovely to see and makes a change from slate and concrete tiles (!) but are not common. I think Canadian’s brought that idea here but I’m not sure.
But……the critters!
Yes, thatched roofs must have been rather less critter-proof than modern roofing. Actually, the author that I quoted in the essay also said this: "Thatch has, it must be admitted, certain practical disadvantages—birds and winds are apt to scatter fragments from it." I imagine that rodents also enjoyed searching for stray kernels among the straw. Perhaps thatched-roof communities were careful to maintain a vigorous population of hungry cats!