Could You Make a Living in Medieval London?

How would you make a living in medieval London? What jobs were available? In this video, medieval historian Dr Eleanor Janega takes us on a whistle-stop tour across London, visiting key historical sites and shining a light on the various communities of medieval London.
From Temple Church to the Tower of London, from London Bridge to Smithfield, traces of medieval London are everywhere in the city.
#Medieval #London #HistoryHit
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[@jonathanscott7372]

I recently found out that my ancestors were member of the clothmakers Guild in the 18th century and had the freedom of the City of London. Come the Industrial revolution, they had to look for new professions, and then came an early death, and the three children went into an orphanage around 1816. One seems to have died, one eventually went into indentured service in Australia, and the third became a chimney sweep (my gt gt gt grandfather) and spent most of the 19th century in the poor house or prison. As she said, profound changes can happen in a very short time period.

[@BobJohnson648]

That is interesting

[@kristhomad5635]

I would start a bakery fire extinguisher service👍🧯

[@blackbob3358]

@@kristhomad5635 Ya trying to be a bit cute there, you "pudding" head. (You get the ref !)

[@kristhomad5635]

@@blackbob3358 reference to Pudding lane?

[@BobJohnson648]

I understand there are about 5 places in London where you can really get some good family research done....wish I could do that

[@markbowen3638]

Fantastic content. Could listen to Eleanor for hours. So nice and refreshing to have a subject put across with passion, but not dumbed down and sensationalised. Looking forward to further content from the Dr!

[@mxRue]

she's actually a cohost of a podcast called 'Not So Different', and it's an amazing (mostly) medieval podcast, so if you like her maybe check that out

[@markbowen3638]

@@mxRue Many thanks for this , I will!

[@meghanncaldwell4841]

Completely agree! More Eleanor!

[@rodolfodickson9500]

facts.

[@karebushmarebu233]

Except for when she talked about “The dual”, cause she got so many things wrong when talking about that movies historical accuracy

[@Staticjokes]

Absolutely love her enthusiasm. It's so nice to see a video about london that isnt just talking about the castles

[@kristinakorbelova8132]

I can’t even make a living in modern day London bruh

[@chandleraskew6496]

I love listening to dr Eleanor teach history. You can tell she’s highly intelligent but is able to convey what she’s saying in an easy to understand way

[@codykelton1384]

They say you don't truly understand a subject unless you can explain it simply

[@PhyllisGlassup2TheBrim]

I love the content but *hate* the American accent.

[@chandleraskew6496]

@@PhyllisGlassup2TheBrim would you rather have a red dot I own a hotel accent?

[@feliciacoffey6832]

@@PhyllisGlassup2TheBrim Why so hostile to an accent different from your own? There are many accents one might have when speaking English.

[@theaxe6198]

@@PhyllisGlassup2TheBrim it’s a bit odd since it’s English history she is discussing, but that tells you how good she is as an American.

[@narahinkle4997]

This just came across my page and I can’t tell you how lovely it was to learn about this and listen to Dr. Eleanor. Thank you so much for making this content available!

[@nw961]

Eleanor is always top tier! One of the best

[@notimportant1404]

I can't handle her fake deep voice, she reminds me of Elizabeth Holmes. There's a set range female vocal chords operate in, 165 to 255 hz. This is far artificially out of that scope and it's jarring to most people with high quality headphones on.

[@brianhapeman9262]

@@notimportant1404 sorry, but that’s an average range, not set range.

[@WHJeffB]

She completely boneheaded her commentary on "The Last Duel" in a video where she's talking about the historical accuracy of medieval movies. I'm sure she's knowledgeable about medieval subjects, but in that case she clearly didn't have a grasp on the subject.

[@aboukirman3508]

@@notimportant1404 Moron!!!😂😂😂

[@JohnyG29]

@@WHJeffB She was just commenting on a short clip of the film for entertainment. Therefore it's not surprising she didn't know everything about the film, the event portrayed or its context.

[@ewtube8004]

It’s nice to see this channel grow, I love the fact it’s growing. Also there’s great content coming out!

[@n.2197]

Absolutely LOVING the videos with Dr Eleanor Janega! Her narrative style is just amazing, please, make more videos with her!

[@datacipher]

Where did they find this diversity hire? Her voice is mainly Elizabeth Holmes obnoxious but then she “technically” unleashes freakish valley girl squeal.

[@timclynes747]

Dr. Janega is the best! Will watch anything with her in it. Makes the history content easy to understand!

[@DrEdwardTsang]

Thank you, Dr Eleanor, for an excellent video! The topic is well researched and clearly presented.

[@paranaueuk]

at 23:23 your remarks on community meaning and usefulness are so powerful, thank you for sharing.

[@mattstirling7494]

Absolutely riveting stuff! From the production value to the breadth of content, this is really remarkable.

[@panagiotakonstantopoulou962]

What a fascinating history on the Inns of Court, which I found fascinating, especially as I have visited there. The buildings in person are just stunning. I urge anyone on a trip to London to visit; there are lovely old cobbled lanes with old bookshops that are also worth a visit. This series of lectures by Dr Eleanor Janega has reignited my interest in medieval English history. It is a shame that we don't study much of this history in England as part of the curriculum. It is so important in understanding the present I find.

[@citizen1163]

As a Londoner whose family goes back MANY generations, I never tire of hearing London's history, especially medieval. Brilliant Dr Eleanor! Liked & Subscribed

[@larapalma3744]

Hate to tell u EVERY family goes back lol

[@citizen1163]

@@larapalma3744 haha true but I'm sure you get my meaning. :)

[@NoLefTurnUnStoned.]

@@larapalma3744😂

[@Celeste-in-Oz]

love this! As an Australian with all my lineage from this part of the world, it's great to be learning about the history. I knew London was originally a Roman name, but never knew about the walls or who the Knights Templar were. Keep these great vids coming! 🤩

[@donwan4392]

Yo Dr Janega did awesome, great info and you can really feel the love. Thanks and will be looking for more.

[@desydukuk291]

Thank you Dr Eleanor for this brilliant masterclass.

[@Matityahu755]

Was great to hear you talk so passionately about the beginnings of medieval London.

[@emmadehaas5185]

Absolutely fascinating! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this and learnt so much. I could watch Eleanor for ages, so passionate about her knowledge and it’s the little asides that are never “taught” but bring everything you are into context. Thank you ☺️

[@katescrimgeour3884]

Incredibly interesting - I love Dr Janega's passion and enthusiasm for her content.

[@stephenschroeder6567]

As a fellow historian and also as an anthropologist, I greatly appreciate your style of delivery and solid content. I will be directing my students to your work and look forward to many more fascinating and enlightening presentations. Thank you, Dr. Janega!

[@calico27]

Thank you for this! It was so interesting, well presented and absolute pleasure to watch.

[@debbylou5729]

I love your narration. Straightforward and to the point. Makes it fun

[@westpoll1]

I enjoyed that, very interesting and well presented. Keep up the good work!

[@denamontgomery4539]

Dr. Janega is an expert on Medieval History and makes it engaging. Wish she had more than a few history tv episodes but I’ve found her podcast and enjoy it also.

[@datacipher]

Where did they find this diversity hire? Her voice is mainly Elizabeth Holmes obnoxious but then she “technically” unleashes freakish valley girl squeal.

[@delskioffskinov]

I have to say this is my first video from your channel i've watched and it was excellent! Thank you! Now looking forward on this dank, dour day to watching more!

[@SarahGreen523]

I really like Dr. Janega and enjoy her discussions. I always learn something new.

[@superpantman]

I don't think she'll ever see it but I'd like to thank Dr Eleanor Janega for making the history of London so interesting and causing me to take time from my busy schedule to stop and listen to this series.

[@AmidalaEmma]

Just to nitpick one thing, I assume she meant to say the 2nd to 3rd century AD (not BC)when Romans were building that wall because Britain didn't become a colony until under Emperor Claudius starting in the 40s AD.

[@odenetheus]

Thank you! I was super confused when she said BC, because we're quite sure that they weren't, in fact, built back then

[@annkelly0072]

This was absolutely fascinating & very well done.

[@mrberryman]

That was SO well described, told, and storied. Thanks!

[@chegeny]

Usually I flit about KZbin history channels, watching just a few minutes here and there. I was completely engaged however with this presentation. Dr Janega is exceptional at promoting history as a living, breathing, fully-formed, and nuanced thing. Looking forward to much more from History Hit.

[@Ben-Hollingbery]

My ancestors had the surname De Hallingbury and we were in the city of London for about 500 years, we were everywhere from the guilds to the high sherrif of the city of London. We even found a record of our high sherrif ancestor having to haul six of his guild member friends in front of the king for "Making merry and breaking the town" they were charged £500 each which is probably about £6 million today.

[@thomasvardy2068]

Dr Janega is brilliant!

[@Kate_kdlopa1]

Great program - Dr. Janega does a great job with the presentation. I’m always impressed by her shows.

[@theenquiringmind7047]

One of the best videos on the channel so far

[@brendakipkemoi2738]

I lived in London for 12 years and never knew some of these places. Thank you so much for this enlightened, interesting, and sometimes sad content. I've learned a lot.

[@franktherabbitstudio]

Love HER! awesome presenter and very passionate and knowledgable

[@calamarenlata]

Thank you! What a good show, excellent content and great host!

[@markwhalebone751]

My family have been in the city and just to the South of London Bridge since at least the late 1600's. I have had a fascinating journey finding out about them. from relatives dying in the workhouse and on Tyburn to baptisms weddings and deaths in all the local churches including my own wedding in Southwark Cathedral. History never stops as we are making it daily. A great history video.

[@jchow5966]

It is wonderful to hear history from a real historian.

[@peterfeltham5612]

Yes Dr Janega puts this over very well, fascinating subject explained so well.

[@thestoicsteve]

A fascinating presentation of history. Glad I have discovered this channel.

[@pamcullen4143]

I am a historian myself (Western Canadian history) and have been thoroughly enjoying your videos for quite awhile now. I enjoy your context and your way of presenting it.....everything coming together at the end in a logical manner. Thanks and I look forward to more videos from you.

[@cleverusername9369]

Western Canadian history, that's very niche, indeed

[@DavidBrown-et6dj]

I learned more from watching this video than I have learned from similar, “history” channels. I look forward to her future presentations.

[@greenman6141]

Wow, wow, wow. I know a lot of history. I know a lot about London and its history. But Dr Janega's explanations and narration are still gripping and enlightening, running through multiple ages and groups of people to tell a particular story. Taking the story of the Middle and Outer Temples below Fleet St. I suppose it helps if one already knows who are Edward the Confessor, William the Conqueror, the Templars, the hospitallers, Edward II, & Henry 8th..and what they all got up to, and what time periods they lived in...so being conversant with history helps.. but she sums it up so cleanly and knowing what to emphasize. Really really impressive.

[@EddieLawless-vn9ys]

Fascinating! I was born in London, in Camden and grew up in North West London, Barnet, NW7 postcode as a kid. I never knew any of this, was gripped from start to finish!

[@SwedeProof]

Thank you, Dr. Eleanor! Your fabulous diction and infectious enthusiasm bring history alive!

[@Dolleemixtures]

This was so interesting. I've never really been interested in medieval history but Dr Eleanor really inspired me! Think Dr Eleanor could quickly become one of my fav historians. Like her tone and voice. Easy to understand and engaging ❤️

[@datacipher]

Where did they find this diversity hire? Her voice is mainly Elizabeth Holmes obnoxious but then she “technically” unleashes freakish valley girl squeal.

[@marshawargo7238]

Since watching KZbin I've noticed that there are A Lot of 'Passionate Informative Natural Teachers' who Should be teaching our soon to be adults! My Opinion of Why they aren't? MONEY! Teachers, Educators of our children, who will grow into adults & run the world! Are Not Paid Enough! If we had teacher's like these people, who are obviously passionate about their subject, we might be making greater strides in advancements! Everyone says do what you love as a job & you'll never work a day in your life! But if your passionate job doesn't pay the bills... Then Who Suffers??? We idolize & pay exorbitant amounts of money to our Entertainment, sports icons, musicians, actors, comedians & even drug distributors because people care more about Entertainment than Education & our future as a whole! My TED Talk is over, thank you for coming! ❤😂

[@Chipoo88]

Great content. Very well delivered. Keeps it fresh and interesting

[@LittleEmoDancer]

It's interesting so see the history of London not as castles or individual people but as communities interacting with eachother

[@SecretSquirrelFun]

Random comment but thank you. Listening to just the way you pronounced France transported me back in time to when my father, an American living in Australia would occasionally say words like bath and France, but he would try to say it like I did - his child born in Australia. He would twist his mouth up making fun of himself and pretend like he was having great difficulty contorting his facial muscles to say these words. This game went on his entire life. He would make me say squirrel and then laugh at me, repeat the word back and ask me to “try again”. He had a southern accent and now I have a mixture of words, expressions, descriptors and an “accent” that means I’ve spent my life being asked “where are you from?”. Anyway, thanks for sharing this wonderful video with me, and thanks also for sparking great and fun memories of my dad. 🙂🐿❤️🌈

[@Bobbydyland]

This is amazing. Please do more of these. Also, I'd recommend doing a merch store, I'm sure some of those old maps would sell really well as posters.

[@ImaSMACKHEAD982]

Im stealing that idea and making a business out of it 😅

[@ZenzeroCAM]

I’m sure the owner of the maps wouldn’t like that

[@ImaSMACKHEAD982]

@@ZenzeroCAM Im sure the owners of the maps are long dead 😂😂😂🤦‍♂️

[@ZenzeroCAM]

@@ImaSMACKHEAD982 yeah, because that’s how things work. When someone owns something and then that person dies then nobody can own that thing anymore. It just exists without ownership.

[@ImaSMACKHEAD982]

@@ZenzeroCAM Your getting confused with possesions 😂 Nobody owns the rights to maps as its a public entity not a private one 😂 Thats like saying everytime you go onto google maps your charged 10p per minute Wake up you tool Gotta be thw stupiest thing iv heard on the internet today Some randon tool saying you cant have maps because someone owns them 🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️ Next time i see a roll of wall paper thats got london on it il ring the london mayors office and complain that londons rights have been stolen 😂😂😂😂

[@SnikkerDerVon]

very nice video, thx a lot for putting it together. Boy i´d love to walk london together with Dr Janega!

[@lynnwalton814]

Fascinating episode. Thanks for posting

[@joshlesure3196]

Definitely loved learning more about London's Medieval origins! Looking forward to more content from Dr. Janega!

[@lukefraser6172]

I’ve only just now discovered Dr Eleanor Janega! I could listen to you all day & all week. And I will be! Eleanor: you are wonderfully engaging & knowledgeable. I love listening to you & your voice. Thank you so much for brightening my day! You are a star! 😊🥰⭐️

[@lotsapeachtree5513]

Information so good and entertaining!! More more more! I think I’m falling down the rabbit hole of your videos!!

[@amandafield3569]

My favorite host. Easy to understand and makes it easier to understand ❤

[@susanhepburn6040]

Really interesting and well presented - thank you very much!

[@larsgrabowski9269]

I fell a little bit in love :) - thanks for the great tour

[@ricelovinasianricelovinasi7127]

This was awesome could listen you all talk all day

[@monarch3495]

This was such a cool documentary! I love learning about the details of people’s lives from the past!

[@lynnmcavenia676]

Absolutely fascinating. I had no idea that Jews were the only ones allowed to lend money at this time. No wonder there was horrendous prejudice against them, that continues to this day. Tragic.

[@jx2794]

Dr. Eleanor is one of my favorites on this channel. I hope they continue to have her as a 'guest lecturer.'

[@RSLtreecare]

Fascinating. I love the older London, I am lucky to have worked around some of these areas She highlights.

[@davidd6171]

This is so good! Thanks for this really well-made documentary!!

[@ODIN_xx]

Great video Dr Eleanor Janega

[@BlueSaphire70]

This was absolutely fascinating! I certainly would not be able to make a living there! I am so grateful to have been born in the 20th century and not in the 13th. This was very excellent information, delivered in a most entertaining way. Thank you!

[@RTD3]

Outstanding! I'm going to London next week and this puts a lot into perspective.

[@Jay-ql4gp]

I love listening to Eleanor, thank you so much!

[@lightanddark2673]

Just as an educational program should be, presented by some one with passion for the subject and entertaining delivery. More please

[@moomyung9231]

I'm working on 1580s London, but just a few minutes in and it's already helping me get a better idea of where everything was located. (My map is so filled with streets, churches, etc that the simpler medieval map helps to put it into perspective). I just got recommended Dr. Janega's videos a few days ago, but so far she seems knowledgeable and not irritating. Tony Robinson and David Starkey get on my nerves so bad I can't watch even for this history.

[@fuzzzone]

To be fair, Tony Robinson isn't a historian, just a host who has a distinct presentation style which one will either like or not. And David Starkey... well, he's a twat who, even at the peak of his academic prowess, was little more than a cookie-cutter historian repackaging the work of others and consistently failing to bring a unique eye or insight to any element of the Tudor era.

[@tompo7467]

David Starkey, we’ll he’s a twat. 😂😂😂😂😂

[@ocean-mist]

This was very well presented and I learned many things I didn't know before!

[@sbalman]

This was so good!!! One of the best history programs I have found on youtube.

[@HistoryHit]

Wow, thank you!

[@alisoncauser2955]

My ancestor owned Rothley Manor, he sheltered the knights templar in his Chapel next to his home. He was also one of the founders of St John Ambulance and hospital.

[@Adaman368]

Kudos. I love the way we most often laud our famous ancestors, but few people tell us about the Peter the pig sticker who got locked up for getting the mills owners daughter pregnant 😅

[@dorianphilotheates3769]

@Ada...That sound like one of my folk...

[@alisoncauser2955]

@Adaman368 I also have a long line of sheep farmers from Lancashire, I've found out a lot about them. I also have cotton mill workers, coal miners and laceworkers. I'm equally fascinated with. Its just you can find out an awful lot more about land owners or the well heeled because their lives are better documented, and there's a paper trail. I even have one ancestor who lived in a cave with his wife and 8 children he also gave sermons and preached from this cave. Now known as Anchor Church on the banks of a river.

[@velvetindigonight]

Excellent! Great synopsis and very enjoyable presentation. Thank you. I needed a 'mind' break and ten minutes of this was perfect. I will of course return! Enjoy

[@Celeste-in-Oz]

same! There is so much fascinating info that I think I'll take it in 10 min bites. I like time to reflect & google questions 😁

[@velvetindigonight]

@@Celeste-in-Oz Yes I do the same. I've learnt more thanks to YT and channels like this and TED Talks than I ever learnt at school. Enjoy

[@ladyphoenixgrey3923]

I enjoy her immensely. She’s quite engaging when she’s speaking. ❤️❤️❤️

[@PLuMUK54]

Fascinating. I also loved the presentation, such enthusiasm.

[@davidegaleotti94]

Only 1k likes yet?! What a shame, this is a great doc!!! Extremely detailed and Dr. Janega is adamant at explaining things. Thank you :D

[@wagherbert]

This was a great doco! Thanks :)

[@annfisher3316]

Janega ROCKS! 👏

[@worthymartin4008]

dr janega is so great. i just adore her

[@mikelheron20]

The London Wall was built around 200AD - not BC. It also makes no sense to talk about "from the 2nd to 3rd century BC". (Unless you're travelling backwards in time.) It's also unusual to hear an historian referring to BC and AD rather than BCE and CE these days.

[@garylancaster8612]

I noticed that too but it's obvious that she knew she was actually talking AD ( because of the 2nd to 3rd century thing you mention and because she'd know that Londinium wasn't founded then) but just misspoke.

[@fmore2]

That was so frustrating to hear. I lost 10 minutes questioning myself and researching

[@adrienne7374]

Binge watching your videos this Sat morning while I wait on my tired husband to get up so I can put him to work 😄

[@monsieurbono]

This is amazing! I am fascinated by the events in the 15th, 16th, and 17th century because that is when so many people fled Britain and why.

[@Twads1867]

Fascinating! Thank you Eleanor

[@rosscameronsmith]

Had me a bit worried 5 seconds in when she called Geoffrey of Monmouth "Gregory", but all in all really well done!

[@Robert-wp2vk]

I live in America.. But ancestors came from Scotland. Migrated in the 17th century to North Carolina. I've been so fascinated with English and scottich history...love your channel. Simple facts and accurate. Please put more on..

[@joshpoland804]

Every time I watch her, I’m just blown away by how smart Dr. Janega is

[@phrayzar]

Dr Eleanor is every kind of great. More of her please.

[@nathaliemorrison6882]

I could listen to Dr. Eleanor talk for hours but can we also talk about how she rocks a blazer with a pleather pant? Mad respect.

[@beckiejbrown]

This was fantastic, learned so much from this... quite shocked actually. Thank you!

[@crapparc]

She just talked about my thesis subject. This is awesome!

[@warpdriveby]

I'm a professional blacksmith and artist, and my mentor required I learn to do every task by hand and without any modern air/pneumatic powered tools. As one might guess I hated it and him at times for it, but I learned how to maximize my efficiency first. I would guess the smiths of this time FAR exceed my abilities, but I'm probably skilled enough to be taken on especially at times like the Hundred Years War.

[@Alejojojo6]

I would love to see this format but about cities on other countries as well: In France, Spain, Poland, Sweden, The Italian states etc...

[@annthomas984]

Well Done. I am a Londoner and I learnt a lot. Thank you.

[@CrowGB]

Love the medieval content. Would love more Dan Jones soon too!

[@joshuarogue9345]

I feel like I get more from her in 30 minutes than I did in weeks of high school history classes, and I was/am a nerd lol. I really enjoy the way she breaks it all down, and her pace keeps you engaged but not overwhelmed.