Education - Tudor Stillroom

Typically this activity runs for 30-60 minutes per group and covers the preparation of medicines from herbs during the Tudor period, and the range of remedies available. Some of the remedies had active ingredients that are still used today and had some treatment effect, while others had no real benefit to the patients.

Other topics can be covered such as diseases common in the Tudor period, infant mortality rates, herbs used in cookery, demonstration of using a still and other methods of preparation of medicines

Activities can be tailored to match ongoing classroom activity.

• Diseases and remedies of the Tudor period can be compared with what the children experience today
• source materials such as medical text books and herbals can be made available for examination
• tables of mortality can be studied to show how information was analysed and recorded
• Pupils can be involved in making items such as pomanders or can follow simple cooking recipes

Ancillary learning opportunities such as the role of women in tudor society and class structure of tudor society can be discussed in small groups.