How do you use a medieval PEASANT HANDCART?

[@hetrodoxly1203]

At 15 years old i worked as a barrow boy during the school holidays in Birmingham Smithfield fruit market, they had stays or legs at the handle end for keeping them level, the most important thing was loading them right, most of the weight went on the front almost lifting the handle end of the ground, i'd fly down Jamaica row which was a cobble stone hill with the handles under my armpits almost lifting me off the floor, the cart loaded with sacks of potatoes, i'd use animal fat to lube the wheels the sound would drive me crazy, not to mention every man and his dog would here you coming from miles away not to mention your dinner, rabbit or a partridge etc.

[@ModernKnight]

great information, thanks!

[@krahnjp]

My first thought was exactly that, I'd throw a bit of tallow on the wheels.

[@larsbundgaard5462]

Was about to ask a question why they wouldn't just have made something for them, just like "legs" on a wheel barrow.

[@brianknezevich9894]

Very interesting. I was thinking some grease on the axles/hubs would make it less squeaky... I'd love to hear anything more about that experience!

[@gerryjamesedwards1227]

I know that in the old Navy they used 'slush' from the galley, which was the skimmings off the pots used to boil their beef, to lubricate wood-on-wood contact points, like the hoops which run up and down the mizzen mast to carry the spanker.

[@badwolf7367]

When I was a young child of 4 to 9 years old, my family lived all over Asia from Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan. This would had been the late 1950's to early 1960's and carts very similar to this were ubiquitous especially in the countryside. When these carts were pulled, the carters would have a bar connecting the two handles and push on that crossbar. Also when pulling the cart, the carters used a rope tied to their waist or to some kind of harness which was connected to the frame of the cart and they would pull with their hands on the handbars and with their body. There was this one old man (with the eyes of age) who sold noodles out of his cart. He started with a push/pull cart and about a year later he got a tricycle cart. Everyday just before noon when he arrives, he would announce his presence by using a pair of wooden clapper. To this day over 60 years later, I can still remember the sound of those wooden clappers. "Look not mournfully into the past, it comes not back again. Wisely improve the present, it is thine. Go forth to meet the shadowy future without fear and with a manly heart." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

[@manatoa1]

Thank you very much for that memory and the poem. I only recently discovered Longfellow through "A psalm of life", which I love, and this verse is just what I needed to hear.

[@Vicus_of_Utrecht]

"We will all die. Act accordingly." -Me.

[@Mygg_Jeager]

That was wonderful. Thank you for sharing. And that quote at the end was entirely unexpected, yet equally appreciated. XD

[@KarolOfGutovo]

Oh to be a cart noodle seller...

[@Mygg_Jeager]

@@KarolOfGutovo I feel like this is a reference to a movie or a video game...

[@randalthor741]

I absolutely love these "slice of medieval life" videos. Things that would have been common, everyday items back then that we just don't really think about these days. Videos about weapons, armour, knights, battles, and all of that are great too (that's what first got me interested in history in general, and medieval history specifically), but there are a lot of channels that do great vids about those things (including this channel of course), and this is one of the few channels that really delves into the more mundane things that are rarely discussed (another channel that's been doing something similar lately with videos about medieval logistics is thehistorysquad). And those mundane things are absolutely fascinating! They give a great window into things that we usually just take for granted.

[@DctrBread]

slice of life is really the primo way to learn about history. It helps make our ancestors feel like people, rather than characters or heroes. I like to see the crafty and likeable sides of medieval people, rather than the common view that they were dirty, short-lived, and stupid.

[@randalthor741]

@@DctrBread exactly! It gives so much useful context.

[@LynneFarr]

I couldn't agree more. It's the next best thing to time travel.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

This channel has VASTLY improved the D&D game I run. I am able to give better descriptions and set better scenes. I can explain more of the "commoner" activity that goes on around the adventurers breathing more life into the world. Thank you.

[@Imustscream]

I’m a ttrpg gamer and things like this are what I reference when I say “my game is realistic”. Pretending to be people from hundreds of years ago is my favorite way to learn about history.

[@TVPiles]

You are right about the "singing cart". In Galica (Northwest of Spain) the Roman fixed axle cart pulled by cows still was widely in use in the 1960s and 1970s, and they "sung" and the Folk song says: "Because nobody sings anymore, my cart sings".

[@Chip_Doubledip]

Seriously, one could make a great ASMR video with that cart!

[@jasonslade6259]

I think if had a bunch of these rolling around together, it would make quite a symphony.

[@robingray5037]

Even though this cart was done "by eye", it's quite lovely. There's just something about all the wood being left to look like tree parts, instead of manufactured into "clean lines", that gives it an aesthetic all its own. As ever, thank you for another delightfully educational video.

[@raraavis7782]

I thought the same, when he talked about the absence of 'straight lines'. It looks much more aesthetically pleasing this way.

[@alexanderlapp5048]

Wood is stronger if it follows the natural lines of the wood grain. If it is cut straight at a saw mill, it is significantly weakened.

[@mademoiselledusfonctionell1609]

I thought of that same thing when I was in Zimbabwe a long time ago (when Zimbabwe was still one of the best functioning countries of Africa). I saw a lot of road side stands, and they looked crooked to my eyes that were so used to straight lines. But then I realised that they were built with what people found, which is both thrifty, time saving and clever, and that they were just as sturdy as straight stands, which is what counts. It changed my world view somewhat.

[@victoriazero8869]

It is the definition of function over form. Don't waste any wood for the sake of aesthetic, unless it get so bad your cart become imbalanced.

[@raraavis7782]

@@alexanderlapp5048 True. I've started archery as a hobby not long ago and researching how bows were/are made, really makes you think about the properties of wood and how they can be utilized to best advantage.

[@Not-a-fancy-name]

Most millionaires buy super cars, Jason gets himself a medieval handcart. You are such a geek, and that is wonderful. Thank you for doing what you do!

[@cmdrTremyss]

Also, you can't carry 4-5 corn sacks with your super car, can you?

[@grandmashadowdreamer]

He's amazing I love his clips

[@RaistlinMajereFistandantilus]

Thanks to this comment for me just finding out that Jason is the co-founder and CEO of Rebellion.

[@sithlord.6668]

And much more awesome :D

[@angelopalmieri434]

As a huge lover of all things history I'd do the same given millions, probably a good thing I'm not rich or I'd have all this very neat but albeit useless stuff laying around lol.

[@APinchOfHistory]

"There are very few straight lines as we understand them now" Handcarts are an example of an object we never think of when talking about the past, yet it gives us an insight into the materials and techniques you had to work with to build anything in the Middle Ages. The sound is also a great little observation done by the experience with the actual object. Another very wholesome video of yours, thanks, Jason!

[@ModernKnight]

Thanks to you as well.

[@jed1nat]

Even things like decorative swords for nobility wouldn't have had perfectly straight lines and symmetry. It just wasn't a thing before mass production.

[@ragnkja]

Getting a straight line was a waste of effort and probably also of materials when you didn't actually need it to be that straight.

[@Evan-rj9xy]

There probably were some times when medieval people tried to work with straight lines. Most likely in larger and more permanent construction projects where string-lines and plumb-lines could be used to help keep things orderly and structurally consistent. Simple strings that are pulled tight have been used for who knows how long, and are still invaluable on modern construction sites.

[@raraavis7782]

@@Evan-rj9xy There's a channel called 'Northmen', where a couple guys show how they built actual houses with traditional Nordic building techniques. So, everything is done by hand and with simple tools. It's very impressive. Mr.Chickadee (USA, I think) is also well worth a look. He's slowly building a quite impressive second home out in the woods. Again, with very simple tools and traditional techniques. And all by himself. I have no idea, how/if this is comparable to middle European techniques in the middle ages...but I'd assume, that there are quite a few similarities.

[@simonelorandi4394]

Interesting! Here in northern Italy miners used to say that pitprops sing before they snap. That's why they preferred wooden props over the iron ones . Iron may have been stronger, but it gave no signals that's going to break apart.

[@janicereadymartcher7696]

I went down Annersley pit in the sixties on a school trip, the miner with us said the same , he said pit props give you a warning the roof is unstable. Phil.

[@Yora21]

It was similar with the use of chains for elevators. Chains are stronger than ropes, but a rope gives you plenty of signs when it's getting near failure. A chain link just snaps with no warning at all.

[@joehodgson2815]

You can still see working men with hand-carts like this in certain parts of India. You'll see them sleeping in them at an angle on the streets at night. Different continent, of course, but presumably the ways people live day-to-day with such a simple form of trade/tool are fairly universal.

[@julianshepherd2038]

If it ain't broken, don't fix it.

[@jbelme1]

WW2 refugees are frequently seen with handcarts.

[@seigeengine]

@@julianshepherd2038If it ain't broke, fix it twice and then decide it was a bad idea in the first place, and try to redesign the whole thing from scratch.

[@orvoloco8261]

A good design is always good.

[@orvoloco8261]

@@seigeengine sound like a huge waste of time and resources to me.

[@johnevans5782]

I know that you must have heard this thousands of times, but you are one of the few who truly keep medieval LIFE alive. So many people forget that history is more than some paragraphs in books, but it was the world and its people, Thank you for helping to bring that world to life in your own special way.

[@NikozBG]

"The song of the wheels" is the name of a Bulgarian 20th sentury short story about a master wagon maker. And the song in this story is the specific creaking sound of the wooden wheels and the way you can tell who the master is by the "song" of the wagon. So yeah I think Kingsley is 100% correct in his assessment of the phrase.

[@julianshepherd2038]

Wagon maker is a cartwright.

[@Catsincages]

​@@julianshepherd2038 Methinks you are a person who is too busy talking to listen...

[@NikozBG]

@@julianshepherd2038 ty didn't know that. I guess wagon maker didn't sound right to me, but was good enough :)

[@orangeandyoghurt]

Interesting! Thanks for sharing.

[@royreynolds108]

@@NikozBG A wagon is generally a 4-wheeled vehicle while a cart is a 2-wheeled vehicle. It would make sense that someone added another axle to an elongated cart to make a vehicle to carry about double the things that can be carried on a cart.

[@Kishandreth]

Hand carts are completely under appreciated. They allow a person to basically carry another person (or two) for a marginal reduction of speed and a little bit of effort. Compared to having someone being carried on your back it is a godsend. I would have added a wall on the handle portion of the cart to prevent the load from tipping out. Not as simple of a solution as yours and you lose the ability to access the cart easily from the handle side but well within the realm of possible solutions. As a bonus, if you were tipping the cart to sleep under it, your load wouldn't fall out. Lubrication: Try wax or lard or any product that was known. If it is easier to push with a simple lubrication it would have been done (humans are willing to use their brains to be lazy in the long run). Harness: How about a simple rope or twine. You'd be surprised how effective a strong bit of string will be as a harness. I wouldn't be surprised if the axle was included at the wheelwright if you were buying 2 wheels entirely. The construction looks segmented, which would allow for quick and easy repairs/replacements.

[@Feezwa]

"Humans are willing to use their brains to be lazy in the long run." This hits so close to home. So true ! I am myself guilty of this.

[@trueaussie9230]

The vast majority of (if not ALL) inventions come from a desire to ease one's workload. Some see it as being 'lazy'. (Yeeaay. I finished that job in half the time. Now I can lie around unproductively.) The wise see the benefits of achieving more with the same effort. (Yeeaay. I finished that job in half the time. OK. Let's get on with this other job.) Working smarter is far superior to working harder.

[@marcogenovesi8570]

The smile at the "this is my authentic medieval handcart" is so lovely. You can feel the passion behind it

[@IIVVBlues]

A number of years ago I constructed an 18th century French Candian Red River cart of similar construction as a living history project in Washington State. It was considerably larger because it was intended to be drawn by oxen. They were used to haul the freight of the fur trade and had wooden hubs on wooden axels. With no lubrication, they made an incredibly loud squeal as they progressed across the plains in trains that could heard for miles. The axel and hub were never greased because of the attraction of dust particles acting like sandpaper as they turned. So to lengthen their lifespan, they were left dry.

[@RonRay]

There is no data on this (as I know of), but I can imagine that the medieval people might use a mixture of lanolin (from the rendering of wool), and beeswax, smeared into the grain of the wood. To my imagination, this would waterproof it and lubricate it as well. I'm sure they had their (today's), little known tricks to preserve and waterproof their wood, but those two substances would have been readily available. I have enjoyed your brilliant wooden "time machine" cart.

[@sauceless6666]

probably would not use beeswax, was a high value commodity

[@eduardvaniersel7535]

@@sauceless6666 I think you're right. More likely something like linseed oil, though I have heard vegetable oils where quite scarce in medieval times as well. For the wheels and axles I would definately have used some tallow. As lovely as squaking wheels are today, I would find it very annoying to use everyday.

[@Jacob-W-5570]

The old wooden windmills use pig fat to grease their gears and axles in the Netherlands.

[@RonRay]

@@Jacob-W-5570 Good to know.. Thank you!

[@raraavis7782]

Boiled linseed oil is a popular treatment for wood to this day. It really penetratea the wood and and then polymerases/hardens with sufficient drying time. And since linen was a very popular material vor underclothes back then (well, the only one really), I wouldn't be surprised, if the oil was used to treat wood. Especially since its not particularly tasty.

[@htothebeee]

"Since they were exactly the same as us, they'd have come up with that solution as well." I love this guy. Along with the plain facts of historical technology, he teaches us to understand that the people of this history were people like us.

[@Yanate1991]

well yeah it wasn't even that long ago, its like 7 lifetimes since medieval era ended

[@trueaussie9230]

The more we change the more we remain the same.

[@Blondie42]

As a woodworker myself, I think your cart is quite lovely. And I also enjoy the sound it makes as it moves. 👍

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

I'm a little surprised that there wasn't either a dovetail or mortise and tenon with a peg at each of the points where the segments of the wheel came together. But, I suppose that may have been too difficult to achieve during that period of time and probably not necessary with a cart that's going to be pushed rather slowly by a person.

[@joelopez3954]

Cockles and mussels! Alive , alive O! 🎶

[@Seldinor]

What a legend X) They really had lots of carts back in Medieval Times. You usually had a few even if you were from the lowest classes. Your best cart was the Market Cart, the one you used to sell and buy on market days. Then that one was used to transport wood from the woods and it was a Woodcart. Later on, when it was pretty damm old and about to break, it was converted into a Fieldcart or Dungcart for hard peasant work. In most descriptions of medieval Spain it was so, 3-4 carts per farm, even in the cities. Another interesting fact was that most old cities had streets as wide as two carts with a little space to spare, so they could go in their own lanes, what today would be considered one of the lanes for a car (that occupies 2 cart spaces side to side).

[@Ordo1980]

In western Hungary we still have basically the same thing, it is called "kulló". The frame is usually metal, but the cart is mostly made of wood. Sometimes even the wheels are wooden like this one, but smaller in size.

[@konradvonschnitzeldorf6506]

Damn, I live in vienna now and I have already been to budapest. Anything in western hungary you recommend seeing or doing?

[@Ordo1980]

​@@konradvonschnitzeldorf6506 In the post I was referring to Vas county at the border. Things to do here and in the neighboring area: walk around in smaller comfy old towns, like Sopron and Kőszeg. Go to thermal baths, there are a couple of them, eg. at Bükfürdő, Szentgotthárd, Sárvár. If you like hiking and nature there is smaller peak (Írottkő) at Kőszeg what I recommend. Or go to the area called Őrség. It's a densely forested area with small villages. It is a really peaceful place. In august there is the Savaria Carneval (it has a Roman theme) at Szombathely. It can be crowded, so try to plan beforehand.

[@Ordo1980]

@@konradvonschnitzeldorf6506 Western Hungary in general has so many things that I cannot write them down here. If I have to pick one, then my favorite spot is the north side of lake Balaton around Szigliget, Badacsony and St. George mountains. The wine is great. The view is spectacular. It reminds me to Japan a little bit. There are these small mountains growing out from nothing all around and if you are in the right spot you can see the lake as well.

[@Zabzim]

We call those wheelbarrows in England

[@Ordo1980]

@@Zabzim I've thought wheelbarrows have only one wheel.

[@BeingJapan]

These sorts of videos are really important to historians. Taking recorded designs (even from a simple manuscript) and recreating them brings history to life and demonstrates what life was like. Thanks so much for this video!

[@ModernKnight]

Glad you like them!

[@Estudiante-musico-con-hobbies]

​@@ModernKnight How did you do it? How would it be done in the past? Where is the video that shows how the wood was cut to create the pieces for this?

[@Estudiante-musico-con-hobbies]

​@@ModernKnight without using modern tools, and only using old tools

[@Nuts-Bolts]

Whilst the wheels may not wonder much now, in time as the wooden bearing wears, they may start to wobble as seen on Asian ox carts. Counter intuitively, this make going over rough uneven ground easier, as it allows the wheels to follow the path of least resistance. Look at videos of ox carts in motion and you’ll see what I mean.

[@Leto85]

How interesting! I can imagine different people who visit the same 'wheel-shop' having the same wheels, obviously, but the other parts of the car being all personal. I can picture people back then stopping on the road admiring each other's carts, sharing ideas and compliments. And yours looks amazing - a great mixture between authentic and practical still.

[@anyascelticcreations]

Ooo, I'll bet they did! How fun that would have been to compare and share ideas about their carts!

[@adeptusvoxradio]

both admiring and dunking on. Remember that rural populations have a way greater tolerance and liking for something we could call "banter", generally speaking

[@Leto85]

@@adeptusvoxradio And that was the same back then? I'm curious in how you can answer that question though. I mean; there's I thought not much documentation about farmers life from the medieval ages, and I really hope I am wrong.

[@adeptusvoxradio]

@@Leto85 You mean if which thing was the same back then? If it's the carts, I think that this was commonplace trait of them throughout history until ball bearings and things like that became a thing during the industrial revolution. You can have a lot of visually different carts, but deep down they're all just a chassis on wheels and the whole construction down to the axles is all mostly wood so bending, movement and creaking will be a thing no matter how your cart looks or where it was built, unless you grease it daily or put at least a metal slider in there

[@adeptusvoxradio]

aah sorry, I got confused about which message were you responding to. For the matter of personality nope, I don't have any proof of that, but rather I'm extrapolating. In my experience rural people from just about anywhere have mostly the same disposition towards things. We've also "all read about" peasants being not as polite as elites and there's things like the roman graffity on walls which shows Caesar sucking the Bythinian ruler's dong and things like that which all make me think "peasants" in general have mostly the same attitude towards life and things at any given place and time. But it's just a personal opinion.

[@fuferito]

Nice to see Jason _slumming it,_ once in a while, to feel around the village for what the commoners are saying about the Lord of the Manor.

[@sherieffiong853]

😂🤣

[@davidparadis490]

Undercover boss

[@rosekopelowitz5069]

Twice as a teenager, I went on a hike with a large group using Victorian era handcarts. They're bigger and sturdier than yours with a crossbar at the front so that a fee of us could push from the front and a couple could push from the back (these were quite heavy). We found it was easiest to pull the cart behind us, and we'd often tip it and rest in the shade underneath. Such a great experience!

[@TheDiner50]

Yes dragging vs pushing is no contest. If your going over anything with even a slight bit of bumpiness or just even slight elevation changes? The momentum and work efficiency is grater when done in the front and not from the back of the load. All else equal. If your for example indoors on a flat concrete like surface it really dose not matters if you pull or push. Unless grip to the surface (like say ice) then pulling is simply the better option. If the wheels and power load to overcome stuff in travel is changing, the fact your in the front pulling means that when the work of pulling lessens for a moment you get the chance to throw your own weight into accelerating. The same thing when starting from a stand still or the load increases hitting a bump for a brief moment. Your not going to have to use your muscles as much as your own weight AND strength to power out of it and keep the momentum. What you can do pushing your most likely able to do better pulling. It is simply physics. The risk of a rear wheeled powered vehicle is that the back steps out of line when trying to push. A front wheel drive might also step out of line and go off sideways sure. But a rear push might end you up overtaking the front. And that is how you end up in a ditch or worse around a tree. But going down a hill your better off going down it behind. Since in front if you lose control your going to struggle to keep on your feet and effectively try and hold the weight. From behind your at least not going to be run over and can escape. But really that is a exception. Always pull and only push when pull is clearly not the better option.

[@trueaussie9230]

That's very wise advice, summed up in your final statement. ALWAYS pull - except when you're pushing. 😉😚

[@jamesanderson6769]

This is so neat. I have ancestors who walked half way across America with something similar. It's amazing how far a little ingenuity and grit will get you.

[@BeedleTheBardcore]

I love the sound of that handcart! Great video as always

[@skyflame999]

Handcarts are still a common sight in India (though most have 4 bicycle wheels) selling all sort of stuff. Similar 2 wheel hand carts are rare in cities but a bigger version pulled by a bull or camel can be seen regularly. Great video! Love this content 👍 P.S. People here sleep under the carts in the afternoon to escape the sun and use a stick similar to how Jason showed to keep the cart horizontal.

[@toomanymarys7355]

I prefer the 2 wheeled yard carts over one wheeled wheelbarrows myself. I don't accidentally knock them over.

[@wampuscat1831]

We just rescued the front and back of a old wagen , now it is newer with steel axle & tires. I gave one half to my friend ,we both plan to create two wheel carts good for F. &. I , Separation war with England and it will work for Medieval Reenactments . Sleeping in it will be a plus but I want to sit up in it. I like your cart simple design . Thankyou.

[@mistahanansi2264]

I love that those of us in the future with smartphones and computers can looks back and appreciate how cool and interesting a medieval peasant’s handcart could be. Might’ve just been a boring necessity to them, but still very creative and incredibly useful at the time and place.

[@daniel-wood]

One of my absolute favorite books is an old (1930s printing) series called A History of Everyday Things in England, which is about precisely this sort of stuff--how were handcarts built, how did they tie their shoes, how did they lay out their homes--episodically comparing tidbits across different periods, from 1066 until the printing of the final book in the 1930s. I love these little quotidian tidbits about daily life, and I hope you do more of them!

[@minerwaweasley1008]

You are absolutely right, to make such a stroller, it was enough to order wheels from a qualified wheelwright. The rest could be done by the peasant himself, using the tools he usually had at home. I remember quite similar carts in the countryside, but with the minimum use of iron - forged wheels (but still wooden!) and an iron hub (in still a wooden rim). Moreover, I know from literature and old drawings that similar carts were used by traveling traders (in our country they were mostly Jews), the poorest who could not afford a horse or a donkey. P.S. OMG, what have you on your head? Even the blindest guard at the gate would know that you were a knight in disguise.

[@sherieffiong853]

😂😂😂

[@norsknorsk6539]

Red River carts were made and used by the Metis of Canada and the USA. The wooden wheels were 6 feet tall and also ungreased. They were ungreased because any oil or grease would hold dirt or sand and eventually bind up the wheel and axle. The Red River carts were reported to be noisy and could be heard for a long distance across the prairie.

[@MrMaxBoivin]

I use a cart like that regularly (one made with modern materials, but it is functionally the same). I pull it if I'm on an even surface without much obstacles, I push it when I'm in the woods and need more precise navigation. It is useful to carry my tools with me when I go do some work in inaccessible terrain with modern vehicle, and I can bring back kidding or bucked trees (or whatever I went to fetch) out of the wood on the cart.

[@georgemorgan794]

I have to say you truly appear to thoroughly enjoy presenting this wonderful cart! Thank you very much!

[@jasonyesmarc309]

So strange how history obsessed over the movers and shakers and conquerors, that we have missing gaps of knowledge about how a common worker operated a simple handcart during a period that was not devoid of bookkeepers. Probably never occurred to anyone of the time that this common knowledge would become lost and academically important. EDIT: I suppose movers and shakers would be the headlines of gossip, but it's also not like there was ever a lack of common people on every countryside just trying to get by.

[@seigeengine]

Really, this is a common thread. The mundane information that was so ubiquitous everyone would know it gets lost because it's so common nobody bothers recording it in detail.

[@peelsreklaw]

@@seigeengine It's funny, that's not quite as true any more, assuming our digital records are preserved for future generations. You can see all sorts of mundane daily crap on social media.

[@edwardscott3262]

@@peelsreklaw Future generations are going to think we all eat tidepods and do every stupid TikTok trick that doesn't really work.

[@kellydalstok8900]

Some painters, like father and son Breughel, painted a lot of ordinary people, so we do get an idea how they lived.

[@seigeengine]

@@kellydalstok8900 You have paintings of them, but that's not really what we're talking about so much as actually practicable information on how they did things or things worked.

[@maverickcop]

These are fantastic videos. You’re a great presenter. The enthusiasm and joy you explore everything with is really good to watch!

[@ModernKnight]

Glad you like them!

[@Lukasaske]

I need a loop of the sound it makes. So calming to listen to :)

[@phillange166]

re: 'singing carts'... all of the wooden carts pulled by oxen in northeast Brasil had a sapling rod lashed under the cart so that it rubbed against the hardwood axle and produced a constant singing sound. No one could tell me exactly why all wooden carts had this accessory, but they were careful to build it into every new cart and to repair and maintain it on old carts. NB: that drawings from the medieval period would not show this sapling rod, it was completely hidden under the cart, those in Brazil could not be seen even when close to the cart, you had to kneel down and look under the cart to see it. (Later, I wondered if this sound gave a clue to the oxen of the speed and so they knew that if they kept to a certain note, they would be going fast enough and not be punished?) A detailed and thoughtful video, your quiet musings on medieval Europe are always original, interesting, and often important. Thank you! On pushing hand carts from the front, see videos on "LDS hand carts".

[@lizcat3767]

That's one handsome cart! I hadn't thought of all the techniques and materials that would go into making one.

[@bigtimbolim]

You're right. The sound is simply delightful. I didn't expect to smile so much at that!

[@hbaker]

Always nice to see a video about the average medieval serf. I feel, making videos like this is showing your respect for the interesting lives they lived. Thanks for another great vid!

[@olwens1368]

Never thought I'd catch myself admiring the lines of a medieval peasant handcart, but that's a really pleasing thing to look at.

[@snoww6454]

This channel is an absolute goldmine of information on medieval knights and the period. Thank you so much for all your work (and the horses too)! What about doing a future video on how horses are controlled with just legs/knees, specifically in the case of King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem in the Crusades? I read that knights, whose hands were occupied with shield and lance, had to control the horse with just their legs and knees and wondered how a medieval knight would have trained for this. 🐎⚔

[@ragnkja]

Probably similar to how modern riders can learn to guide their horses with their legs and seat.

[@C.G.Hassack]

Training a horse to turn /steer from the leg is as easy as training them to turn from the mouth, maybe more so. I start and train all my own horses and all are trained to respond to the leg. The lower leg is used rather than the knee, it's a simple matter of placing the lower leg against the horse - left leg to go right, right leg to go left, (because a confident horse will naturally move away from the pressure.) Consistent training /riding on the riders behalf is necessary. The amount of pressure the rider applies on the leg will tell the horse how tight the turn needs to be. For side passing I use a slightly different placing of the leg to tell the horse that I need them to go sideways rather than simply turn. I also use vocal cues myself. Spurs are NOT needed. but for the leg to be effective the horse must be kept light / responsive in the side, so the rider must be riding in a classical manner, that is with the lower leg hanging free from the horse, as described by Xenophon in 'The Art of Horsemanship' or Col. Podhajsky - 'The Complete Training of the Horse and Rider. If a rider is constantly gripping with the lower leg most horses will become 'dead' in the side, and therefore slow to respond, if they respond at all. (its why people resort to spurs)

[@snoww6454]

@@C.G.Hassack This is really helpful and detailed information. Thank you so much!

[@dakotahrickard]

There's something extremely soothing about hearing this sound. I could absolutely use that sound as a sleep aid, were it longer or looped. One thing that our modern era does is silence everything. I notice this particularly as a blind person. I've been asked before, particularly in reference, for instance, how a blind beggar (as in the Bible) would know someone is passing. Well, I know when people are passing even now, when I'm out and about (not begging, of course), but it is slightly difficult. Most shoes are soled in rubber. People also walk with a heel-toe stride, whereas some evidence (I can't site it at the moment) suggests medieval walkers used a toe-heel step instead, which is noisier. Combine that noisier tread with the fact that shoes were harder-soled, roads were rougher, and the environment itself was just less consistently noiseful. This has been mentioned in some other videos on this channel. Today, we deal with consistent noises: the hum of traffic, of fans and climate control pumps, of computers, even of lights. Our brains, massively efficient that they are, adapt our listening so as to tune out these consistent (constant) sounds. We don't even notice them anymore most of the time. But when it's truly silent, something I've rarely experienced, it's amazing the amount of audible detail there is in the environment. I've strayed a bit from my original pair of points, but basically, the conclusion is this: These sounds, these analogue, earthy, medieval sounds of cart wheels and harness bells and rough shoes on roads, they are an audible environmental topographical map of the active participants in any given area, and with the level of silence present, even passive sounds like breathing would be much more detectable by a person using his or her ears, let alone a blind person who has been trained by experience, at least, to gather that kind of detail. And coming full circle, the peace of these sounds is, I think, something to be admiread and emulated as much as possible. We have lost much by making our world uniform and silent. Thanks for the great video.

[@Glimmlampe1982]

That's absolutely fantastic. The sound alone is really marvelous. At first I thought it must be an incredible annoying sounds, wooden wheels on wooden axels without grease. But actually it's really beautiful and it immediately takes you back. I guess it's one of those things you'd never expect.

[@seigeengine]

I imagine you'd rapidly become dissuaded by that notion after a dozen or ten hours hearing it.

[@Glimmlampe1982]

@@seigeengine true, might be. Or it fades in the background like the sound of a small stream

[@seigeengine]

@@Glimmlampe1982 lol fuck no

[@yegirish]

Across the 1800s, the Métis people of the Canadian and northern US prairies used a very similar horse/ox drawn cart (called the Red River cart) as the backbone of their lifestyle. It was simple, versatile and all wood, so always repairable on the move. But there’s stories about how you could hear the squeaking and whining from their cart trains for **miles** around.

[@jacobcharleszimmerman7934]

I've slept under a handcart with a tarp over it just as you descripted in a pioneer reinactment. It was a more modern (19th centery) handcart, but the basic shap was still the same.

[@ThortheGodly]

I would be curious to see an "overburdened" load compared to a "light" load. Such as stone vs grain. Firewood also would be a nice thing to experiment with.

[@vasilkraychev8194]

Growing up in the country side of Bulgaria there were still some horse and donkey wagons, more modern of course, but same principle. I remember, people saying that in the past they would lubricate hubs with tar. Don't remember why, maybe against rotting. And about singing carts, one if the best of Bulgarian writer Yordan Yovkov has a story named "The songs of the wheels". It states people recognize whose wagon is coming by the "song of the wheels. There's one sentence: "The horse wagons were singing on the roads as if they were telling how one man could be very rich and in the same time very unhappy." Please, forgive my English and butchering translation.

[@Kicking_Crow]

Is handcart envy a thing? Such a lovely and modest insight into the life and mechanics/design of a medieval peasant and their tools. This really made this period come to to life for me, I really enjoyed this and so many of your other videos.

[@Feezwa]

" 𝔄𝔶𝔢, 𝔈𝔠𝔤𝔟𝔢𝔯𝔥𝔱, 𝔶𝔢𝔯 𝔥𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔠𝔞𝔯𝔱. ℑ 𝔞𝔡𝔪𝔦𝔯𝔢𝔱𝔥'𝔱 ! 𝔅𝔲𝔱 𝔪𝔦𝔫𝔢 𝔬𝔴𝔫 𝔥𝔞𝔫𝔡𝔠𝔞𝔯𝔱......𝔑𝔬𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔩𝔦𝔨𝔢𝔱𝔥'𝔱 !" " 𝔖𝔥𝔲𝔱 𝔶𝔢𝔯 𝔣𝔦𝔩𝔱𝔥𝔶 𝔪𝔬𝔲𝔱𝔥, 𝔏𝔢𝔬𝔣𝔯𝔦𝔠. 𝔒𝔲𝔯 𝔣æ𝔡𝔢𝔯 𝔪𝔞𝔡𝔢 𝔪𝔢 𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔱𝔬𝔬. 𝔄𝔫𝔡 𝔟𝔢𝔱𝔱𝔢𝔯 ! "

[@VarnasL]

One of many reasons I watch this channel is a video like this. Simple medieval life is a most fascinating part of this era

[@bobcricket4873]

17 seconds in and I have never seen a video of a man so enamoured and enthusiastic than Jason saying; 'This is my authentic medievil hand cart.' Epic!!

[@mathewdruggan8877]

This episode really resonates with me. I have been doing contracting, restoration and plumbing for the better part of 15 years now and one thing I have come to really appreciate are hand trucks and wheeled tool boxes. I cram ever conceivable convince, contraption and necessity on those and man it makes a huge difference. I do a lot of work solo and in some rather remote or off the beaten path places with both real and imagined dangers all around me. The comforts of having everything i can scoop up and go in a moment's notice, make fewer trips with or just be able to take a break and sit, make a hot cup of coffee and read a book i keep on hand is so amazingly comforting and makes the job infinitely more enjoyable. I can definitely see folks adding small comforts and kits to these carts when possible and feasible just so they have peace of mind and comfort on their long travels. Although I do agree most would opt to stay in an inn when available; I don't think camping out with their carts would be so uncommon an occurrence. Only thing I think could add would be that they would probably had traveled with a few carts and folks for safety and reliance. As always your videos are simply amazing!

[@ModernKnight]

thanks for commenting. That's really interesting.

[@chiaroscuroamore]

Hearing the sound that the handcart made really brought it home to me what it must have sounded like in the medieval period when several people would have been using these on the same road etc Thank you again for another awesome video. I really enjoy learning about the medieval period from a practical perspective

[@johncloud3823]

These kinds of carts were essential to one key phase of settling the western United States and a lot of the survival techniques you suggested were essential! 😄 They used them as portable shelters and had systems of flipping the carts backwards and tying ropes to allow additional people to haul the carts up particularly steep hills- I imagine similar techniques might have been used as well!

[@greyareaRK1]

'Bring out yer dead!' is my frame of reference for the cart.

[@alancrane4693]

But I'm not dead 😂

[@user-pe9qg3hg3k]

Jason has to be one of if not my favorite content creator, genuine passion, come from a background of video game design too, what an absolute legend of a man

[@ReticentArc]

These sorts of videos are my favourite. I love speculating about the day to day things that would have been so familiar to medieval life but have been mostly forgotten now. And you are quite right, they thought no differently to us and were capable of solving problems just as we do.

[@HoldtheHammerhigh]

Absolute professional level of dedication. Entirely timeless, so well planned. Charming, yet precise, though enough play. Really strong medieval point for the whole name, yet understandably most fancied in English heritage. Very well executed. Very underrated by the masses maybe.

[@RonRay]

You LOVE this stuff, don't you? ... So do I. This is brilliant!

[@evropaheart]

always a great day when I've got another upload from you to watch.

[@ModernKnight]

Glad to hear it

[@PaletoB]

And this is why we love you, what other channel would get a "authentic medieval hand cart"... 😁

[@Anvilshock]

Primitive Technology, perhaps. (And the many knockoff channels he spawned.) Though he might build something rather more neolithic than medieval. Which in turn would probably not be much different after all.

[@chrispirolo170]

This is a beautiful cart and you can see the usefulness. Definitely a medieval DIY.

[@beowulfshaeffer8444]

Also famously used by Mormon pioneers in America, during the short period between oxen becoming prohibitively expensive and the railways finally passing through Utah. Those people actually did use them as a basis for simple shelters when traveling hundreds of miles through sparsely populated territory :)

[@HolyKhaaaaan]

Greetings from Omaha, formerly known as the Mormon "Winter Quarters", in 1847. We've got a museum in Florence dedicated to the Mormon pioneers. My first exposure to "primitive" but effective technology.

[@ELCinWYO]

The examples we have of the Mormon handcarts here in Fremont county Wyoming have a bar between the handles so you can hold that when pushing. We have a big recreation time in summer.

[@johnsaluke4985]

“Singing carts “ reminded me of using the two man cross cut saw. The best rhythm was hearing the blade “sing” back and forth cutting through the wood. Marvelous material.

[@Adam_okaay]

If rawhide is that susceptible to moisture I'd assume it would be coated in wax or tallow for waterproofing.

[@sherieffiong853]

Leather used for making footwear was treated with lanolin or possibly bacon grease. It was waterproof and lasted much longer. I don't know what time period it was started. But, any treated leather was definately costly and most likely beyond the wages of a peasant.

[@Eowyn3Pride]

I agree, and most likely wax. A video link on how the cart was made would be really cool too!😁👍

[@baddudecornpop7328]

Bro that last remark about dining carts, I think you’re spot on.

[@Moewenfels]

I just LOVE this kind of exploration of history by just putting yourself into these situations and use your noggin. You and Lindybeige do such an amazing job at it :)

[@Vickie-Bligh]

How absolutely fascinating. You read stories (both historical and fantasy) about folks going to market, to fairs, and pushing/pulling carts along roads. You made it real.

[@phillipallen3259]

Something so simple and something that been in use probably since the invention of the wheel and is still in use today. You are probably one of a handful of people in the world who would look at something so simple with wonderment and joy. And that is why we love your channel!

[@robaddison4144]

First of, I’d like to say I love your channel, and I’m not an historian or an experimental archaeologist (though that would be amazing!) I am a commercial landscaper, who spends a lot of time using a wheelbarrow to move heavy and / or awkward things, and I can confirm your theory that in my experience it’s much easier to pull the barrow - or cart - across soft or rough ground, than to push it 👍🏼 If you’ve ever had to drive with a trailer on, you’ll know it’s easy going forward, but much harder to steer in reverse and this is the same thing. But like I say, that’s just my view, and most of the lads I work with only push their barrows, although that is perhaps because I’m more ambitious with how heavily I load mine so have needed to get creative due to necessity!

[@valinhorn42]

You might want to put a crossbar between the handles, similar to jinrickshaws in Asia. This would allow for more grip options and better control over the cart. From experience, I think it is quite likely that carts were mostly drawn on rough terrian (better leverage for going over obstacles), pushed uphill, and "drawn" downhill (as in, the person would walk in front of the cart); though what you've said about changing positions to rest different muscles occasionally certainly makes sense.

[@RobertKreegier]

My only experience comes from using a hand truck (dolly), but generally I'd prefer to be pulling it up an incline and "pushing" it downhill. You get a better angle over bumps when you pull it over them, and that certainly applies to going uphill. If you push it into bumps or into a hill, well, you're pushing the wheels into them. I don't know what the mechanical term is, but your angle of force digs into the ground. Plus, with a cart full of heavy things, I'd rather be behind it if it decided to run down an incline.

[@MrAstrojensen]

@@RobertKreegier The mechanical term would be force vectors. And your description of what happens, and why it's easier to pull something uphill, rather than push it, is accurate.

[@brianilbrink]

You can see the upright holding stick has some cord loops that might be to use it as a crossbar.

[@mikegould6590]

We take so much for granted. This is a wonderful craft, and I find myself wanting one for doing jobs around the property. More stable than a wheelbarrel, with a larger load capacity, and has a lot more character. I love how you bring to life all the simple aspects we have all forgotten. Carts, meals, clothing, etc. Well met.

[@badgerlordpatrick6493]

It is really cool how our ancesotrs not only made do, but knew how to make what they had do more.

[@Stubrok]

These videos have a very relaxing and calming quality to them….love this channel…you could repost every video as if it were brand new and I’d watch it again lime it was the first time….just a great KZbin channel all the way around 👍🏼

[@ModernKnight]

Glad you like them!

[@jlogan2228]

I love how every couple months youtube recommends a random video from this channel and i watch it and see 3-4 other new vids since last time. Its like going to grandmas house. Always a pleasant little visit.

[@ModernKnight]

Thanks for watching!

[@runlevelone]

Your videos give a much more intimate look into how people lived than any history book or class could ever convey. This channel should be youtube top 10.

[@lananieves4595]

I think your idea about sleeping under it is spot on. It was actually my first thought when I saw this cart. It seems to me that our long-ago ancestors were often really clever about making items as versatile and utilitarian as possible.

[@belladonnabaggins3996]

What a cool thing to own! 😍 Thank you for the very interesting video!

[@LynneFarr]

Just watched this video again. It's so great to see the demos of how ordinary people lived. History lives again thanks to Jason's knowledge and story telling ability!

[@stephenweaver7631]

Love this! It is reminiscent of the "Red River" carts from the Selkirk Colony in Southern Manitoba and the borders of Minnesota and North Dakota. Built without nails, and using rawhide to bind the joints. As a wheelwright myself, I find these old designs fascinating. Our forebears were wonderfully inventive!

[@phillange166]

The Red River Carts were famous for bearing huge loads and yet wheels and axles had no lubrication and were 100% wood, no metal. They ''sang" so loud they could be heard for miles.

[@kerstinjanson8339]

You‘re so a lovely man. It‘s sweet, how you‘re getting happy by the sound of the cart. That makes me smile.

[@NemeanLion-]

I have a feeling it was pulled more than pushed. Pulling is mostly about leaning your body weight and a good grip. Pushing uses body weight also, but a lot more stress is on the pectoral/shoulder area, which has lot less endurance. Also, navigating over small rocks is a lot harder to push over, than pull over. Not to mention, if your cart is full, you can’t see the road over your cargo.

[@victoriazero8869]

Pulling is more risky because you cannot pay attention to your cargo, especially with that wattle basket for a wall. Pushing also easier to overcome obstacles like rocks and holes on the ground.

[@catzkeet4860]

The major reason I don’t think pulling was the major way this was used is that it’s not braked, so going downhill, even a slight hill with a heavy load, meant you’d be run over, or at the very least, spend most of your energy trying NOT to be run down. I’m sure that at times they did pull them, but I don’t think it was a matter of course…..more a means to an end, getting up a steep slope for example

[@grimwaltzman]

I would agree. As someone who has a bit of experience in hauling heavy loads around in a wheelbarrow i know that on level terrain it's waaay easier to pull those.

[@rosemarielee7775]

Pulling a heavy wheelbarrow is often easier, but ghey do tip over more easily.

[@zanaduz2018]

I actually suspect that you both are correct: it would likely vary on terrain, distance traveled, and personal preference. There certainly are valid arguments for both pulling and pushing the cart.

[@robertwright3243]

These videos are my favorite ! The contributions to the historic soures are fantastic!

[@jooptablet1727]

Videos like these are KZbin's true potential, realized.

[@leelasmoochie]

I just love learning about medieval history. But seeing it in action just feels amazingly fun.

[@artbyty]

What a fantastic little video! Learned a lot. I love little bits of history that are off the beaten path.

[@thejerseylady1]

Thank you so much for making and sharing this handcart. Love it. It makes me think of my childhood. As a teenager my dad rescued two buggy wheels and the running gear of a wrecked buggy. We called it the wheels. We used the wheels as a hand cart all my growing up years to haul things around the place or to the neighbors and back. A big use was to haul our canoe and our flat bottom duck boat from our house down to the river for shooting, fishing, or an afternoon picnic on the water. Sending all good thoughts your way, Gloria 🐂

[@CorvusNumber6]

That's a fantastic piece of experimental history. I suppose if someone wished to silence the cart, they could just use goose fat or similar around the axle? Excellent upload! Thank you Jason! Dave.

[@emmalouie1663]

How very neat that you explained this. I've never seen this described in all it's details like this.

[@N0THANKY0U]

this reminds me of the chinese wheelbarrow, a very similar type of device, but with just one meal directly in the center, underneath the bulk of the load. They are super versitile, sometimes used to transport people, sometimes people even attatched sails to them to use wind power to help push it, also beasts of burden were used to pull them often too. Amazing how such a simple device can augment what a single person can acomplish so drastically! Wonderful recreation of a handcart too

[@bbb462cid]

The urge to call out "bring out your dead!" as you push it along must be nigh on irresistible.

[@hotsnow5042]

HOW IS THIS CHANNEL NOT PICKED UP BY SOME MAJOR NETWORK, and WHY isn't Jason getting paid gadjillions a year!? From AvP to These fantastic subjects, Mr. Kingsley, you are a gem. You deserve far more from us all than you know! I love it

[@ssl3546]

Jason is already a very wealthy man, and does this for fun.

[@101Mant]

Major history TV networks aren't interested in actual history, with the possible exception of Nazis. It's all ancient aliens, truckers, conspiracy theories and other rubbish.

[@hotsnow5042]

@@101Mant I'm older than most of you guys, maybe, but I remember David Attenborough, Nova, National Geographic, etc... I grew up in the 80's and 90's and remember quality television that we all could get behind. I am proclaiming praise for this channel and nothing more, let alone telling him what he ought to be doing with his time or content. Don't take everything so literally with my post, if you think broadly about it, it was me just showing my appreciation in my own way. It's all good, fellas

[@grimwaltzman]

Nah, it's better this way.

[@pjstatenisland1575]

So awesome to hear the sounds that folks would have heard back in the day...thank you for all you do!

[@ModernKnight]

Our pleasure!

[@Jakers457]

This isn't accurate, he's not wearing a dirty outfit made out of brown and black leather. And the handcart, including the wheels, aren't made of bulky planks

[@ModernKnight]

lol, hollywood has a lot to answer for!

[@Sorrowdusk]

Wheels made of plants??

[@snotgobblerific]

Must be a king, he hasn't got sh*t all over him

[@BlackMasterRoshi]

and his leather doesn't randomly have iron studs jutting out of it

[@inisipisTV]

"Bring Out your Dead!... Bring Out your Dead!"

[@colbyalbertson4573]

I can’t get over what a splendid noise it makes! Multiply it a few times by imagination and you get a taste of what market day would sound like! Delightful.

[@dwarftoad]

When I use a wheelbarrow or small cart, I like to have more of the weight towards the front, so it's easier to push though less stable, and prefer lower handles rather than high ones. (So when holding it at hand height with arms straight it leans forward a bit.) I have sometimes attached some ropes to the handles or lashed a cross bar (if the cart doesn't have one) to help either push or pull a cart or wheelbarrow full of heavy stuff or over rough ground.

[@samgrainger1554]

What an absolute mad lad! Hope he never changes

[@susanohnhaus611]

An old man who had worked on his parents farm as a child in the late 1800s told me that it takes four times as much force to push a cart as to pull it and that is why horses pull them. Not sure about the numbers but I sure know it is easier to pull than to push.

[@tin2001]

I reckon horses probably pull because it's easier to steer that way. If they pushed, it would be similar to reversing a trailer with a car.

[@doreestone4487]

But horses do not pull carts. Horses are outfitted in a harness and the horse is actually pushing against the harness, not pulling anything at all. Pushing is puts much less strain on the body and requires far less effort than pulling. Try pulling a heavy object then try pushing it. Research the physics on this. Ergonomically, pushing is easier than pulling.

[@thrifikionor7603]

Theres definetly one thing i would change. Add a string to the horn pieces so if they ever fall out for some reason you dont loose them. Other than that really nice cart, now i want to build my own.

[@pilotwall]

This guy seems to be so nice! I would love to work for him if he would take me in his farm!

[@ragnkja]

@Richy J Movies Why not stay in the modern world and bring parts of medieval life into your own?

[@jonrettich4579]

Thank you for the fascinating “creak show.” Possibly singing carts refers to wood rubbing against wood and creating more whistling sounds. Making history real adds so much to our understanding