Charlotte Watson The first documented use of fireworks in the UK was at the wedding of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York in 1486. They became more popular under Queen Elizabeth I. In 1572 an area on the island at Warwick Castle was set up to host the first firework display to celebrate the queen visiting the castle.
When King Henry VIII fell out with the Catholic Church he made himself the head of the Church of England. He ‘dissolved’ all of the monasteries, taking the buildings, land and property for himself.
Poor people washed their linen underwear but did not wash their outer clothes. The smell of wood smoke from their fires acted like a deodorant to help mask their bad smell.
Rich people slept in strong wooden beds with a canopy over the top and curtains around the bed to help keep the warmth in. Poor people slept on a bed of straw.
Cardinal Wolsey was to be tried for treason because he failed to secure the divorce between Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. Luckily for Wolsey he died before going on trial!
Spoons were set on a table face down to “keep out the devil”.
If the Lord invited you to dinner then you would probably be sitting at a table lower down than him so he could quite literally look down on you. You would have to wait until the Lord was served first before you were served and might even have to share your meal with one or two others! And of course you’d have to wait until a servant tasted the food. If they weren’t ill then it hadn’t been poisoned!
Spinning was done nearly entirely by women to make clothing. Many single women were able to earn a living this way and this is where the term ‘Spinster’ (an unmarried woman) comes from.
Henry VIII is crowned King at Westminster Abbey on 24th June 1509.
Music was an important part of everyone’s lives. Sea captains would make room for orchestras on their small boats whilst King Henry VII never travelled without his harpists, trumpeters, fiddlers and pipers
