The Exploress

Explore Tudor dining culture with exotic dishes like cockatrice, table manners, and festive traditions. Discover entertainment options from blood sports to theater in Tudor England. Learn about lighting challenges and upcoming topics on courtship and marriage in future episodes.

Season 3, Episode 8. We've talked a lot about the kinds of work Tudor women were doing inside of the domestic sphere. But what about out in the wider world? Let's see what professions were open to the ladies, talk about their rights under the law, and what kinds of punishments they might have encountered if they colored outside of society's strictly drawn lines. For show notes, suggested reading, a list of my sources and more, go to my website. The era-appropriate guitar music in this episode comes courtesy of John Sayles. To find out more about our excellent guests: and Elizabeth Norton at her website and Ruth Goodman at hers. To hear my full interview with Ruth and Elizabeth, and other exclusive bonus goodies, check out The Exploress Patreon. If you'd like a beautiful (and accurate) timeline of ladycentric Tudor history, make sure to buy yourself one of my Ladycentric Tudor Timelines.

Season 3, Episode 7. In our last episode, we found out just how much work we ladies have to do in Tudor England. Now...well...we’re going to work some more. Grab your linen basket and a sturdy accounts ledger, and let's explore how Tudors are doing their laundry, tending to the sick in their households, and more. For show notes, suggested reading, a list of my sources and more, go to my website. The era-appropriate guitar music in this episode comes courtesy of John Sayles. To find out more about our excellent guest Ruth Goodman, check out her website. To hear all nine chapters of this series, as well as a complete interview with Ruth and other exclusive bonus goodies, check out The Exploress Patreon. If you'd like a beautiful (and accurate) timeline of ladycentric Tudor history, make sure to buy yourself one of my Ladycentric Tudor Timelines.

Season 3, Episode 6. Women in Tudor England had a LOT to do on the day to day. Let's dive into what kinds of tasks she would typically be getting into, from cleaning to dairying, and making two huge staples of our diet: bread and ale. For show notes, suggested reading, a list of my sources and more, go to my website. The era-appropriate guitar music in this episode comes courtesy of John Sayles. To find out more about our excellent guest Ruth Goodman, check out her website. To hear my full interview with Ruth and other exclusive bonus goodies, check out The Exploress Patreon. If you'd like a beautiful (and accurate) timeline of ladycentric Tudor history, make sure to buy yourself one of my Ladycentric Tudor Timelines.

Season 3, Episode 5. What the Tudor woman wears, and particularly what type of fabrics, will depend a lot on her level of wealth and social station, but they're all wearing the same basic layers. Let's explore those layers, as well as other clothes-related gems: why we design our clothing to come in many pieces, the origin of the word 'spinster', and why we have such a large number of straight pins. For show notes, suggested reading, a list of my sources and more, go to my website. The era-appropriate guitar music in this episode comes courtesy of John Sayles. To find out more about our guest Ruth Goodman, check out her website. To hear my full interview with Ruth and other exclusive bonus goodies, check out The Exploress Patreon. If you'd like a beautiful (and accurate) timeline of ladycentric Tudor history, make sure to buy yourself one of my Ladycentric Tudor Timelines.

Season 3, Episode 4. Before we get dressed in Tudor England, we've got some cleaning of our bodies to do. What DOES a Tudor lady smell like? Let's go traveling. For show notes, suggested reading, a list of my sources and more, go to my website. The era-appropriate guitar music in this episode comes courtesy of John Sayles. To find out more about Ruth Goodman and read all about her books, check out her website. To hear my full interview with Ruth and other exclusive bonus goodies, check out The Exploress Patreon. If you'd like a beautiful (and accurate) timeline of ladycentric Tudor history, make sure to buy yourself one of my Ladycentric Tudor Timelines.  

Season 3, Episode 3. In part 2, we got out of bed and explored our Tudor cottage a little. Now it's time to get right with God and find a place to have our morning pee. How are we going to the bathroom in Tudor England? And what're we doing about menstruation? Let's find out. For show notes, suggested reading, a list of my sources and more, go to my website. The era-appropriate guitar music in this episode comes courtesy of John Sayles, while the choral music comes from The Tudor Consort. To find out more about Ruth Goodman and read all about her books, check out her website. To hear my full interview with Ruth and other exclusive bonus goodies, check out The Exploress Patreon. If you'd like a beautiful (and accurate) timeline of ladycentric Tudor history, make sure to buy yourself one of my Ladycentric Tudor Timelines.

Season 3, Episode 2. Last time, we got some context about where we're time traveling back to. Now we'll open our eyes on Tudor England and get going with our day. For show notes, suggested reading, a list of my sources and more, go to my website. The era-appropriate guitar music in this episode comes courtesy of John Sayles. To find out more about our excellent guest Ruth Goodman, check out her website. To hear my full interview with Ruth and other exclusive bonus goodies, check out The Exploress Patreon. If you'd like a beautiful (and accurate) timeline of ladycentric Tudor history, make sure to buy yourself one of my Ladycentric Tudor Timelines.

Season 3, Episode 1. Let's time travel back to Tudor England and explore your average lady's day. But first, we'll be contextualizing the time period: where are we, exactly, in English history? What sort of landscape and situation are we walking into? We'll meet all stars like Queen Elizabeth Woodville and Kingmaker Margaret Beaufort, who helped kicked off the Tudor dynasty, and find out more about the slice of history we'll be time traveling to. For show notes, including a transcript, images, and a list of my sources, visit my website. If you'd like a beautiful (and accurate) timeline of ladycentric Tudor history, make sure to buy yourself one of my Ladycentric Tudor Timelines. To support the show - AND get bonus episodes AND all main episodes early and ad-free - become a patron. Find out more about our Tudor experts Ruth Goodman and Elizabeth Norton.

How have women throughout history dealt with their periods? In this bonus episode, we'll explore how menstruation was viewed in different cultures and time periods, and learn about the historical evolution of sex education, period products, women's health, cultural taboos around virginity, and the magical qualities of period blood. For show notes, including a transcript of this bonus episode, further reading and images galore, go to my website.