And 1000 years from now, archeology will be utterly confused as to why there was a resurgence in castle building, using centuries old technology, in the early 21st century.
"Secrets of the Castle" did not prepare me for how much information would actually be in this series. This is easily one of the best I have ever watched
you should check out victorian Farm, Ruth, Peter and other live on a Victorian farm for a year, there is also Edwardian farm, and WW2 and Edwardian pharmacy , all so very awesome!
Yes like how they say it’s all done as they did in the 13th century then they say they use nails not rope and machine the wood carve by hand for their own safety I partly get the nails not rope but using a machine is lazy if your going to copy the castle builders copy them don’t cheat your already taking a lot longer to build the castle than they did in the 13th century
I love this series! Man, that oven was insane, lmao. Considering some of the other areas they seem more advanced, the oven relatively seemed more primitive? But perhaps the way they actually used it at the time wasn't as crazy as the way they did in the video. And the blackened bread was hilarious. I like how they laugh when they fail instead of getting emotional and frustrated...
I've used a traditional bread oven just like this, but we baked thinner bread so each cake is only in there for a minute or so, and we keep the fire smoldering along the sides, only keeping the center clear. It makes for some amazing bread.
Ovens of that type were still in use in the 1940's in some rural parts of the USA, my grandmother had one in southern MN. People build them and use them now, pizza's are awesome in them, as are artisan breads. But yes a bit to much wood was in there, but yes you rake out the burning material onto the ground, a quick whip with a bunch of wetted rag strips on a stick inside on the oven floor does wonders.
I was in Spain and Italy late fifties, early sixties, as a boy, and that was the standard cooking arrangement. I was back in the eighties and nineties in the Marines, and it was still the same. Wood fired stone ovens.
You can't get any better with documentaries than this, down to earth charismatic bunch talking about everyday life. This is what I always expected from history, not just politics!
No idea if anyone still reads comments, but, I have a greater appreciation of the progress in making steel. Using modern, relatively, only around a hundred years old, axes and adzes which cut so much cleaner and deeper than what is shown here. The blacksmith truly was magical.
they had the ability to make steel, and did so, long before they fully understood what they did to make it; the ancient Romans believed that if a red-headed boy slave urinated on iron ore it would become steel; there have been burial sites found where nobility were buried with steel jewelry, since because they didn't know exactly how to make it it was rare and therefore valuable
As a PM of a Masonic Lodge, I appreciate the clear distinctions of modern Free Masons and the architect of the crafts origin. A lot of false facts about Masonic Lodges get tossed around these days. Also really enjoyed the video. I am a builder too, so it is always fun to see different ways, or how modern ways evolved since 1000+ years ago. Good luck in your adventures!
Absolutely fascinating to watch. I thought I might get bored but instead found I couldn't stop watching. Much better produced and edited than other similar series I've seen that left out to many steps or just glanced over them.
OK. The gentleman discussing masons and free masonry with such eloquence and obvious reverence, ending his monolog with the phrase "chilling out" REALLY does it for me. Cheers.
them: blacksmiths judged by the colour of the metal me: I have a vague memory of something similar and then I realized it was because I'd played sims medieval which shows a scale when you're making stuff and the scale is based on colour XD
Grain mills were at the forefront of creating labor surplus through specialization that could then be used for other uses, such as castle building. It also allowed for the more accurate taxation of wealth by requiring the farmers to give up a percentage of their crop for milling at the mill, which was more accurate than requiring a percentage of crops grown, since it was easier to hide production when out of view of the lords agents that could be more easily stationed at a mill instead of roaming the countryside. The way the tree was chopped down is incredibly dangerous, and would not have been done like that by wood fellers at the time, as they knew how to create a proper hinge joint to stabilize the tree and accurately direct its fall.
I have a better understanding why apprentices to these several crafts began at young ages. By the time a man was a master craftsman or overall master of the work they had definitely put a lot of work. Outstanding presentation of medieval crafts and how each craft worked together building simple home to castles.
This series randomly started playing while I was watching secrets of nature and I guess it found its way to the autoplays "next" video It started on EP5 but I was interested enough to find a playlist of the full series, I was one of the people that thought the insides of castles were like the ruins they talked about, dark, damp, and putrid smelling cesspits. Not only did they demonstrate a castle's engineering and construction but even went the extra step to go into detail on what the daily lives, even the mundane tasks, of the people building and living in and around the castle was, or may have been like. Really opened my eyes that it wasn't always just a serious non parody version of Monty Python's "OoOHh, there's some lovely filth down here!"
Watched the entire original series and enjoyed it immensely. Revisiting this piece of it was a genuine pleasure. Ruth is a force of nature throughout the series along with Peter. There are any number of things in the series I would have loved to try my hand at. My brother is a carpenter turned cabinet maker. I'm more into finer hand work and graphics and analysis. I was a journeyman printer for about 12 years. Not a press operator, but a negative stripper, one that laid out the designs that customers presented to the company for printing, providing precision plates to the pressmen to run on their presses. One plate per colour. Perhaps in the past....
Also this man talking about the Free Masons is spot on! It was the weapons designers and those that created them. The black smiths were not so elevated in the eyes of the kings and lords. But those that finished them. There were some a few Black smiths that would make swords only for the knights, lords and kings. But they would have certain smiths that would over see how the swords and bow and arrows were made. Because they would make up the main body of their military. So they need swords, bows and arrows that would allow them to stay alive and win battle after battle. Of course they were not taking care of as the knights, lords and other upper class of Military people. But the ever day soldier did have to be allowed the spoils of war. Because even if many were forced to be there if you don’t give them certain amount of compensation they would not be as motivated to fight to their abilities. And history shows this as far back as you can go!
Most weapon smiths where concentrated in towns and very specialized, most swords was forged in a few almost industrialized production centres, such as Toldeo or Solingen, from whence they where exported and sold to local cutlers and hilt smith… The magic blacksmith was really a rural phenomenon, and the peasant populations belief in the sorcereous powers of the community blacksmith outlast the middel ages and survives well into the 19th century, in some places into the beginning of the 20th century. Daughters and wives of blacksmiths where often taught the esoteric ways of the blacksmith families and filled the role as community midwife / cunning woman.
Utterly amazing how any of these things were built.. They may not have had the modern machinery, or tools, but they had brilliant imagination, and worked like Mules.. Mind blowing, to say the least...
None of this would have been possible without an understanding that cooperation among each member of the community. Church services helped to cement the attitude and understanding needed to accomplish these great works.
There's book, The Cathedral Builders ' by Jean Gimpel that focuses on one of the greatest of creative genius in history of man- the building rage which swept medieval Europe. Thank you for video.
Amazing to see all this happening. I think visiting a site like this if possible would be such a treat. I'd even volunteer to run those cranes on top the tower for a spell. What a piece of medieval engineering.
"I can never remember which was the motte and which was the bailey" It's easy... Just think of a castle's "mote" (surrounds the castle) and think of "The Old Bailey" in London (where prisoners were traditionally brought for court)
OMG I would love to participate in this program and spend 6 months with them helping build and live like medieval times. That would be so much fun!!!!!!
At 20:00 area, I see them taking out the iron bloom with metal tongs. The iron bloom is used to make tools like the tong>>so how did the tong or the anvil or sledge hammer precede the making of tools.(as they themselves are tools) but without explaining how the other tools preceded the making of the axe(a limit has to be set on leeway given)
Well, they're not claiming to *invent* the castle-building processes used; just to (hopefully) replicate the procedures of the era. This is *a* medieval castle, not the first one ever, and it's also not a "primitive technology"-style project which assumes isolation from any other form of society or industry. They also didn't claim that they were producing all their materials on-site, which is not something any castle likely did. They were just demonstrating how a working blacksmith would recycle scrap metals from the building process in order to minimize the huge expense of having to purchase new materials from merchants and transport them in from off-site.
You can come close to it, many companies build standard wood houses not much different (in shape and appearance, mind you) from the ones built around this castle. I sometimes spend some minutes daydreaming about these pretties: www.ecosia.org/images?q=wood+cottages
I was always taken in by Ruth's passion and energy. Amazing lady, I bet she was a real looker in her day. Still very pretty and not letting age slow her down. Just a guess but I wonder if she was a 1960s-1970s "flower power" type? I could see her being young and seeing the Rolling Stones back in the day with flowers in her hair?
A few days ago, I returned to the US from a month in Florence, Italy. I saw almost all of the architecture and sculpture tat I had seen for decades in school in my earlier life. Being somewhat OCD, I notice odd , small, seemingly minor things. Not to boar you with lists, I saw a lot of "Guild marks" on buildings, both commercial, residential and sacred. The Wool Guild seemed to be chief among them. Textiles for export. Post pandemic (plague) forced the rich elite to accept the importance of individual workers both skilled and manual. Is this hope for our immediate future or will the Railroads With PROFITS or 41% annual, continue to repress workers?
Outside of arrowheads most medieval blacksmiths hardly ever made armor and weapons. They were busy making every day items: hinges, brass fittings, chains, horseshoes etc.
I have eaten pike for 60yrs and yes, it is boney but if you serve it correctly you can leave the bones behind. Take the top fillet off and then just lift out the spine. Looks pretty cool too, like you actually know what you are doing...
I've always wanted to build I bit bigger one underground on my own property. Just make sure you read up on underground structures to water seal them. And certain places that are below sea-level ; swampy regions like Louisiana are not good locations for underground bunkers. But Ukraine sounds like a great idea considering the hostilities
Ive been to a still working mill in kings landing canada NB, it was an absolute marvel, and its still working over more than 150+ years, and is a feat of engineering. Its a preserved site of where people first European settlers landed in canada and how they lived, and they have set it up as if people still live there just like when they first landed. Not sure if covid destroyed business for it and closed it but def check it out if you want to experience something like this video in real life for yourself!
I thought the first people who "landed" in Canada did so thousands of years ago after crossing from what is now Russia to what is now Alaska. Are the original inhabitants of Canada not people in your opinion?
@@GoCoyote my mistake in gramer, should have put first European setters. And for your info i have native american in my family line, so you trying to make it seem like i dont care or have any thoughts on native americans than you need to check yourself. Nice try but your just making yourself seem very stupid. And to top it off, canada wasnt called canada until the Europeans came, theres no such thing as native canadians, they are native american cause all of the continent of america was there land. Get some education before making facts so you dont sound stupid.
@@Benderisgreat219 Just because we both have native American genes does not mean that we are always conscious of how we speak. Even the name "American" is an externally applied name that comes from Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian navigator. As such, it is just as valid a name as Canada. Have you ever asked native Canadians/Americans what their name is for the land? Every native person I have spoken to has different ways to identify who they are, including being native to the continent of America, native to a country, to a state, to a cultural group, to a tribe, or to a language. I am very conscious that most of my ancestors emigrated from Europe, and that I am mostly "European American" by genetics and heritage.
@@GoCoyote what point are you trying to prove other than a argument? You do know Canada is the cree word for village right? Go take your round about argument somewhere elsewhere, wont work here. My original comment had nothing to do with native people, it had to do with upper canada village and the water saw mill there, take your portrayed prejudicial view apon it and keep it to yourself instead of attacking, cause your making it seem like you like to go online to find comments to start arguments with for your own satisfaction. Hope thats not the case, but if it is, i feel bad for you. Grow up.
That oven could have done 4 loaves at once - at least 3 bakings before it needed refired just a bit. But wood fired masonry ovens have a hella learning curve. I would have loved to know the flavour of the wild yeast her sponge was made with.
I can't imagine trying to bake without any kind of temperature readings, or even a reliable timer! A baker must have had to come to know the intricacies of their unique oven like the back of their hand.
@@michaelccozens Townsends on youtube can walk you through it. Lot of it is practice and knowing how baking works and being able to reproduce it without bells and whistles. There were tricks to use to test the temp as well.
The reason why medieval blacksmiths were considered magical, the armor they made when clumped together was heavy. When the knights and foot soldiers put them on it was light, not so heavy. They had no concept of displacement of weight.
It was really the rural blacksmiths existing within the peasant communities that was considered magical by their communities… and the belief lasted into the 19th century in much of europe, in some cases into the early 20th century. It was Not the high status spezialized metal workers making arms and armour for the elite.
I find intriguing that in America we used the double bite axe head predominantly to fell trees.You don't see the real long handles nowadays on our axes.I wonder if early America used longer handles like I see europeans using today and I saw in this series.Also l wonder if they used double bit axes at the time this series represents?
And 1000 years from now, archeology will be absolutely confused at finding a resurgence of castle building during the cell phone era. "Perhaps there was a social media war that bled in to the real world?"
If i had unlimited funds, i would hire a village of experts and historians to build a castle like this and stimulate the period precisely ...and i would dress as the king
I have a "four de pain" at my house where I live, Dordogne which was built in 1787 - however, it`s much easier to go to the supermarket!! I also have an apple press - Dordogne is famous for its apples - but the actual press "plate" is missing because it was probably wooden. The base looks to be made of concrete, albeit very old, it didn`t have a wheel I guess because the base is square though maybe the apples were fed in from the corners. I think perhaps I should do some research unless anyone has any knowledge?
im a blacksmith and i know that they are being historically accurate, but it bothers me that they make bloom steel/iron rather than using a crucible to make almost pure steel. i still love this series tho
According to wikipedia, this is not the case: "The first European references to crucible steel seem to be no earlier than the Post Medieval period.[39] European experiments with “Damascus” steels go back to at least the sixteenth century, but it was not until the 1790s that laboratory researchers began to work with steels that were specifically known to be Indian/wootz" Guedelon castle is set in France in the mid 13th century. So that's about 350 years before European crucible steel.
It's because we can raw materials and turn them into useful items such as swords, armor, and such. I am a Smith actually a Carswell-Smith and I have been Smithing since I was a child.
Drawing the sword from the stone is not a myth. Early iron ore was found in river stone and processes very similar to what's shown in this video saw the iron being extracted from the ore through heating and beating the product until the iron remained. To this day the process of heating iron/steel and beating it into shape is called "drawing"
RUclips is sometimes like a time capsule. Documentaries like this, which might otherwise be lost, are being freely preserved for our enjoyment and education. Thank you for helping keep this series, it is well worth it.
In the mid 1960’s I studied at the Versailles Palace. At that time the sandstone blocks were showing surface deterioration. To correct that, each block was carefully removed one at a time. The joints were sawn out using long thin metal blades until all sides of the block were loose, except the back if course. The block was then shimmed and wiggled until it would eventually slide out leaving the empty pocket. The old stone, approximately, two feed deep, was set on a table next to a new matching piece of the same sandstone. Then young Portuguese stone cutters would hand chisel an EXACT duplicate using dividers, chisels and mauls. The only difference was that each stone was exactly a saw blade width larger than the original. The surface carving could be simple and flat or heavily carved. Whatever it was, they duplicated it. Then the new block was slid precisely back into position leaving no joint space whatsoever. It was a friction fit; no mortar was used. Then on to the next stone. The work was astonishing.
Hand to eye precision like that is a lost art. My grandpa was a blacksmith,harness maker and a brilliant at every thing else he did. My dad was same way,but I didn’t either pay enough attention, or I’m just not as talented as they were. I get things done,but in no way with the seemingly ease that they did.
Yes... the old Stone and furniture makers were so above the constructions of today... it is sort of sad that these skills don't continue to be taught. Geez... we can't even make a well mad box.
When I see old buildings and stone barns, I think of the Europeans that brought their skills to the new world, they were very fine builders with many generations of Builders behind them.
@@karlmiller7500 the American “Master Builders” of the late 1800’s through the 1930’s were incredible. 18 months to build the Empire State Building - still an impressive feat.
Everyone said I was daft to build a castle on a swamp, but I built it all the same, just to show them. It sank into the swamp. So I built a second one. And that one sank into the swamp. So I built a third. That burned down, fell over, and then sank into the swamp. But the fourth one stayed up. And that’s what you’re going to get, Son, the strongest castle in all of England.
im a apprentice stone mason,24, I re watch every segment of this series to learn from the masons. im currently re bulding a old home that has not been lived in in 80 years! no power or pluming have ever touched it. i found news papers in the door frames from december 1880 so i think it was built in the summer of 1880. we just re built a 3' wall today just like they built castles! they used very big stones on the farm houses! they had there kids help them for sure.
Please post somewhere those newspapers. I’m sure they are an interesting read. Good luck to you on your journey! Important work. My grandfather was a stone mason and I still point out the houses he built every time I pass them.
My great grandfather was a stone mason who immigrated from Italy. Family lore has him working on the base of the Statue of Liberty and the Lion and Elephant Houses at the Bronx Zoo.
I've seen the recent pictures of the site. It looks amazing. Its scheduled to be finished in three more years. Every last person involved in this project should be proud.
so they started building this thing in 1997, i just looked at its wiki and it says its still ongoing, so they havent finished it yet, but there are pictures of it there, this documentary it says is from 2014
The time and care presented in this series will encourage me to, in the words of Peter, "When ever I see a ruined castle, I wont be looking at the building itself. I'll be looking at the hundred craftspeople who were involved with that project. The thousands of hours of labor that went in to make it." This was truly remarkable. I feel saddened that there isn't more yet heartened that I can watch it again. I think I will always gain new insights watching this.
Real castles, especially ruined ones are haunting to see up close. Thinking about everything that happened there, what they looked like in their prime, and the monumental effort it took to build them in the first place. So much is lost in the modern world of cheap trash where even expensive things are so poorly made, just so they have to be replaced more often. Once upon a time, they knew how to build things to last.
that feeling doesn't just apply to Castles either. Even just old houses with interesting architecture which is all we get here in the US no medieval castles) .
Lord Dickweed the Rich let's you get it about 95% complete before he builds a case on you and storms it just before the defenses are ready and catches you off guard ... then he decides to give it to his bratty 4th-born son to keep him entertained ... 😂
People who write stories based in a Middle Ages time period should watch this show. This has been an invaluable resource for me, personally. In most fantasy and historical fiction they portray commoners as having much easier lives than in reality, and having luxuries only the wealthy possessed (like peasants burning candles and fighting with swords).
@@jasonbrown372soap was extremely common in the medieval period as there were entire guilds dedicated to its manufacture. Bath houses were also one of, if not the most common establishment found all over europe during these times.
If I remember right I think Guédelon is due to finish sometime around 2025 (although the covid-19 pandemic might push it back a year), but no doubt similar skilled masons will assist the repair of Notre Dame, luckily apart from a few vaults which collapsed most of the stonework is relatively undamaged, it's mostly only the wood beam roof and the central spire which will need rebuilding.
I'm sure some of the stonemasons and capenters here would have been called over to work on Notre Dame. Would be interesting to see the actual list of laborers to find crossovers though
I must point out that as the stones grind the grain, they're also grinding each other. So along with the flour you're getting at least a small amount of stone dust, and occasionally small bits like sand. This wears the teeth of those that ate the bread. Later fine screens were introduced to ensure the bread for the lords table used a finer flour with less sand sized grains. The peasants still made do with the rougher flour that did have sand sized bits of stone in it.
I love the vibrational feed mechanism on the mill; so similar to modern industrial machines, and using the roughness of the millstone to generate vibrations is genius!
![DDG & G Herbo - Nosey [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/I9Ra0Zc2NlQ/mqdefault.jpg)
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Hey is there any way/where I can find how to make the water mill you guys built? bc tis magnificent!
@Celto Loco THATS NOT TRUE
>>>>>>i>>9t 5
I love that you used Fernando Alonso in the thumbnail!
And 1000 years from now, archeology will be utterly confused as to why there was a resurgence in castle building, using centuries old technology, in the early 21st century.
"Secrets of the Castle" did not prepare me for how much information would actually be in this series. This is easily one of the best I have ever watched
IT WAS ALMOST MINE AS WELL, IF THEY HAD LEFT THE SECRET SOCIETIES OUT OF IT. BUT YES IT IS FULL OF WONDERFUL INFO. ONE OF THE BEST.
Ruth especially will happily info-dump all day. And I will happily listen to her. She's a teacher through and through.
you should check out victorian Farm, Ruth, Peter and other live on a Victorian farm for a year, there is also Edwardian farm, and WW2 and Edwardian pharmacy , all so very awesome!
Look up guedelon castle here on youtube. Few other neat vids on the place floating around.
Yes like how they say it’s all done as they did in the 13th century then they say they use nails not rope and machine the wood carve by hand for their own safety I partly get the nails not rope but using a machine is lazy if your going to copy the castle builders copy them don’t cheat your already taking a lot longer to build the castle than they did in the 13th century
It is so delighting to see them share a meal together and being close to each other. This kind of companionship is what makes life beautiful.
I love this series!
Man, that oven was insane, lmao. Considering some of the other areas they seem more advanced, the oven relatively seemed more primitive? But perhaps the way they actually used it at the time wasn't as crazy as the way they did in the video. And the blackened bread was hilarious. I like how they laugh when they fail instead of getting emotional and frustrated...
It's easy to laugh when you know you've got another source of dinner. ;)
Traditional pizza ovens are pretty similar to this one, once you get used to cooking with it I bet the results are better.
I've used a traditional bread oven just like this, but we baked thinner bread so each cake is only in there for a minute or so, and we keep the fire smoldering along the sides, only keeping the center clear. It makes for some amazing bread.
Ovens of that type were still in use in the 1940's in some rural parts of the USA, my grandmother had one in southern MN. People build them and use them now, pizza's are awesome in them, as are artisan breads. But yes a bit to much wood was in there, but yes you rake out the burning material onto the ground, a quick whip with a bunch of wetted rag strips on a stick inside on the oven floor does wonders.
I was in Spain and Italy late fifties, early sixties, as a boy, and that was the standard cooking arrangement. I was back in the eighties and nineties in the Marines, and it was still the same. Wood fired stone ovens.
You can't get any better with documentaries than this, down to earth charismatic bunch talking about everyday life.
This is what I always expected from history, not just politics!
No idea if anyone still reads comments, but, I have a greater appreciation of the progress in making steel. Using modern, relatively, only around a hundred years old, axes and adzes which cut so much cleaner and deeper than what is shown here. The blacksmith truly was magical.
I still read it :)
they had the ability to make steel, and did so, long before they fully understood what they did to make it; the ancient Romans believed that if a red-headed boy slave urinated on iron ore it would become steel; there have been burial sites found where nobility were buried with steel jewelry, since because they didn't know exactly how to make it it was rare and therefore valuable
@@CorvusCorone68 I think he meant modern steel vs. historical steel.
As a PM of a Masonic Lodge, I appreciate the clear distinctions of modern Free Masons and the architect of the crafts origin. A lot of false facts about Masonic Lodges get tossed around these days. Also really enjoyed the video. I am a builder too, so it is always fun to see different ways, or how modern ways evolved since 1000+ years ago. Good luck in your adventures!
Absolutely fascinating to watch.
I thought I might get bored but instead found I couldn't stop watching.
Much better produced and edited than other similar series I've seen that left out to many steps or just glanced over them.
OK. The gentleman discussing masons and free masonry with such eloquence and obvious reverence, ending his monolog with the phrase "chilling out" REALLY does it for me. Cheers.
them: blacksmiths judged by the colour of the metal
me: I have a vague memory of something similar
and then I realized it was because I'd played sims medieval which shows a scale when you're making stuff and the scale is based on colour XD
Nice snippet of info!
10:10 Chilling out is and always has been essential for our well being my dude.
38:43
The daily grind. Nice.
Grain mills were at the forefront of creating labor surplus through specialization that could then be used for other uses, such as castle building. It also allowed for the more accurate taxation of wealth by requiring the farmers to give up a percentage of their crop for milling at the mill, which was more accurate than requiring a percentage of crops grown, since it was easier to hide production when out of view of the lords agents that could be more easily stationed at a mill instead of roaming the countryside. The way the tree was chopped down is incredibly dangerous, and would not have been done like that by wood fellers at the time, as they knew how to create a proper hinge joint to stabilize the tree and accurately direct its fall.
36:12 "flour power" lol :)
13jhow wow i only got it now
I have a better understanding why apprentices to these several crafts began at young ages. By the time a man was a master craftsman or overall master of the work they had definitely put a lot of work. Outstanding presentation of medieval crafts and how each craft worked together building simple home to castles.
This series randomly started playing while I was watching secrets of nature and I guess it found its way to the autoplays "next" video It started on EP5 but I was interested enough to find a playlist of the full series, I was one of the people that thought the insides of castles were like the ruins they talked about, dark, damp, and putrid smelling cesspits. Not only did they demonstrate a castle's engineering and construction but even went the extra step to go into detail on what the daily lives, even the mundane tasks, of the people building and living in and around the castle was, or may have been like. Really opened my eyes that it wasn't always just a serious non parody version of Monty Python's "OoOHh, there's some lovely filth down here!"
Watched the entire original series and enjoyed it immensely. Revisiting this piece of it was a genuine pleasure. Ruth is a force of nature throughout the series along with Peter. There are any number of things in the series I would have loved to try my hand at.
My brother is a carpenter turned cabinet maker. I'm more into finer hand work and graphics and analysis. I was a journeyman printer for about 12 years. Not a press operator, but a negative stripper, one that laid out the designs that customers presented to the company for printing, providing precision plates to the pressmen to run on their presses. One plate per colour. Perhaps in the past....
I want this woman’s life and knowledge She is wonderful in every episode.
wood needed my lord
sorin1991 cant build that there my lord
food stocks are to low sire
People are leaving the castle
Sire you are the greatest Lord
Stronghold?
Fantastic doco. I can't stop watching.
How amazing and informative indeed hello from Australia
Also this man talking about the Free Masons is spot on! It was the weapons designers and those that created them. The black smiths were not so elevated in the eyes of the kings and lords. But those that finished them. There were some a few Black smiths that would make swords only for the knights, lords and kings. But they would have certain smiths that would over see how the swords and bow and arrows were made. Because they would make up the main body of their military. So they need swords, bows and arrows that would allow them to stay alive and win battle after battle. Of course they were not taking care of as the knights, lords and other upper class of Military people. But the ever day soldier did have to be allowed the spoils of war. Because even if many were forced to be there if you don’t give them certain amount of compensation they would not be as motivated to fight to their abilities. And history shows this as far back as you can go!
Most weapon smiths where concentrated in towns and very specialized, most swords was forged in a few almost industrialized production centres, such as Toldeo or Solingen, from whence they where exported and sold to local cutlers and hilt smith… The magic blacksmith was really a rural phenomenon, and the peasant populations belief in the sorcereous powers of the community blacksmith outlast the middel ages and survives well into the 19th century, in some places into the beginning of the 20th century. Daughters and wives of blacksmiths where often taught the esoteric ways of the blacksmith families and filled the role as community midwife / cunning woman.
Utterly amazing how any of these things were built..
They may not have had the modern machinery, or tools, but they had brilliant imagination, and worked like Mules..
Mind blowing, to say the least...
None of this would have been possible without an understanding that cooperation among each member of the community. Church services helped to cement the attitude and understanding needed to accomplish these great works.
I expected that French woman to say: "Listen carefully..... I shall say this only once...!"
Alas.....she didn't........
LOL!
Corrected my mistake.
Thanks ! ;-)
There's book, The Cathedral Builders ' by Jean Gimpel that focuses on one of the greatest of creative genius in history of man- the building rage which swept medieval Europe.
Thank you for video.
This series is going to be super handy for Minecraft builds and stories I'm writing
Amazing to see all this happening. I think visiting a site like this if possible would be such a treat. I'd even volunteer to run those cranes on top the tower for a spell. What a piece of medieval engineering.
41:20 Imagine if you could have gone back in time ~800 years and just left them a tape measure and a carpenter's pencil...
This series is definitely my favorite documentary
"I can never remember which was the motte and which was the bailey"
It's easy... Just think of a castle's "mote" (surrounds the castle) and think of "The Old Bailey" in London (where prisoners were traditionally brought for court)
watching the blacksmiths work is so cool.
OMG I would love to participate in this program and spend 6 months with them helping build and live like medieval times. That would be so much fun!!!!!!
That mill the woman used to grind wheat to flour by hand - my grandmother used to have the exact piece and we call it “Tiragali” in Telugu .
At 20:00 area, I see them taking out the iron bloom with metal tongs. The iron bloom is used to make tools like the tong>>so how did the tong or the anvil or sledge hammer precede the making of tools.(as they themselves are tools) but without explaining how the other tools preceded the making of the axe(a limit has to be set on leeway given)
Well, they're not claiming to *invent* the castle-building processes used; just to (hopefully) replicate the procedures of the era. This is *a* medieval castle, not the first one ever, and it's also not a "primitive technology"-style project which assumes isolation from any other form of society or industry. They also didn't claim that they were producing all their materials on-site, which is not something any castle likely did. They were just demonstrating how a working blacksmith would recycle scrap metals from the building process in order to minimize the huge expense of having to purchase new materials from merchants and transport them in from off-site.
This project is important. It seems the intersection of archaeology and engineering is very rarely explored.
I just loved watching these, I loved learned alot. Thank you n please do more like these.
i wish i can build me a home like they did back then
Get to work!
You can come close to it, many companies build standard wood houses not much different (in shape and appearance, mind you) from the ones built around this castle. I sometimes spend some minutes daydreaming about these pretties: www.ecosia.org/images?q=wood+cottages
It just takes a lot of time to do it. Most people don't have the patience or persistence to do things like that these days.
You could, if you had lots of time and a lot of laborers.
Your command of the English language is appalling. If you can't structure a simple sentence, you've no hope of structuring a castle.
The mill probably needs the water to come in higher, as a midshot or overshot wheel.
I can listen to Tom, Alex, Peter and Ruth all day long.
"Advako makes" is a great channel, his forest made water wheel is amazing
Impressive. This is on my favorite list. I enjoyed watching it.
Threadmill or stones driven by animals would be possible too. And inhabitants on his property were obliged to use the mill of the owner of the ground.
"The daily grind" - surely an expression from before water mills when each family had to grind its own grain to make their own daily bread!
About the mill: one meter is actually a good deal of head in hydraulics.
But flow was few litres, maybe 20 per sec, thus this mill was powered by something around 50-60W
I was always taken in by Ruth's passion and energy. Amazing lady, I bet she was a real looker in her day. Still very pretty and not letting age slow her down. Just a guess but I wonder if she was a 1960s-1970s "flower power" type? I could see her being young and seeing the Rolling Stones back in the day with flowers in her hair?
A few days ago, I returned to the US from a month in Florence, Italy. I saw almost all of the architecture and sculpture tat I had seen for decades in school in my earlier life. Being somewhat OCD, I notice odd , small, seemingly minor things. Not to boar you with lists, I saw a lot of "Guild marks" on buildings, both commercial, residential and sacred. The Wool Guild seemed to be chief among them. Textiles for export. Post pandemic (plague) forced the rich elite to accept the importance of individual workers both skilled and manual. Is this hope for our immediate future or will the Railroads With PROFITS or 41% annual, continue to repress workers?
Thank you for such a fun, informative video! Love It.
Outside of arrowheads most medieval blacksmiths hardly ever made armor and weapons. They were busy making every day items: hinges, brass fittings, chains, horseshoes etc.
i thank God for this documentary. extremely entertaining watch. fascinating from start to finish. will rewatch a dozen times from now
Damn this was a really great documentary, I was hooked!
Muito bom 👍👍😎
I have eaten pike for 60yrs and yes, it is boney but if you serve it correctly you can leave the bones behind. Take the top fillet off and then just lift out the spine. Looks pretty cool too, like you actually know what you are doing...
I've always wanted to build I bit bigger one underground on my own property. Just make sure you read up on underground structures to water seal them. And certain places that are below sea-level ; swampy regions like Louisiana are not good locations for underground bunkers. But Ukraine sounds like a great idea considering the hostilities
where did the ladies hat come from? Pattern? Name? Love the show!!
Found my new binge
Favorited after 2 minutes.... GIMME MOOOAAAR!!!
Mesmerizing. Ty for posting!
This is great; and the trades lost to time.
Ive been to a still working mill in kings landing canada NB, it was an absolute marvel, and its still working over more than 150+ years, and is a feat of engineering. Its a preserved site of where people first European settlers landed in canada and how they lived, and they have set it up as if people still live there just like when they first landed. Not sure if covid destroyed business for it and closed it but def check it out if you want to experience something like this video in real life for yourself!
I thought the first people who "landed" in Canada did so thousands of years ago after crossing from what is now Russia to what is now Alaska. Are the original inhabitants of Canada not people in your opinion?
@@GoCoyote my mistake in gramer, should have put first European setters. And for your info i have native american in my family line, so you trying to make it seem like i dont care or have any thoughts on native americans than you need to check yourself. Nice try but your just making yourself seem very stupid. And to top it off, canada wasnt called canada until the Europeans came, theres no such thing as native canadians, they are native american cause all of the continent of america was there land. Get some education before making facts so you dont sound stupid.
@@Benderisgreat219
Just because we both have native American genes does not mean that we are always conscious of how we speak. Even the name "American" is an externally applied name that comes from Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian navigator. As such, it is just as valid a name as Canada. Have you ever asked native Canadians/Americans what their name is for the land? Every native person I have spoken to has different ways to identify who they are, including being native to the continent of America, native to a country, to a state, to a cultural group, to a tribe, or to a language. I am very conscious that most of my ancestors emigrated from Europe, and that I am mostly "European American" by genetics and heritage.
@@GoCoyote what point are you trying to prove other than a argument? You do know Canada is the cree word for village right? Go take your round about argument somewhere elsewhere, wont work here. My original comment had nothing to do with native people, it had to do with upper canada village and the water saw mill there, take your portrayed prejudicial view apon it and keep it to yourself instead of attacking, cause your making it seem like you like to go online to find comments to start arguments with for your own satisfaction. Hope thats not the case, but if it is, i feel bad for you. Grow up.
36:05 High quality dad jokery right there, lol "flour power"
WooooW!!! sooooh! Interesting!!! Thankyou !!!!
That oven could have done 4 loaves at once - at least 3 bakings before it needed refired just a bit. But wood fired masonry ovens have a hella learning curve. I would have loved to know the flavour of the wild yeast her sponge was made with.
I can't imagine trying to bake without any kind of temperature readings, or even a reliable timer! A baker must have had to come to know the intricacies of their unique oven like the back of their hand.
@@michaelccozens Townsends on youtube can walk you through it.
Lot of it is practice and knowing how baking works and being able to reproduce it without bells and whistles. There were tricks to use to test the temp as well.
20 years ago this was they were felling trees in the mountains of Malai Africa. It was crazy to see.
Fantastic!
Fabulous!
Loved it. I hope to get a chance to visit one day.
This article has the castle visiting hours! www.burgundytoday.com/historic-places/archaeological-sites/guedelon.htm
@Karine Fonte That website is parked with a domain squatter. There is no content there. The castle has its own website at www.guedelon.fr/en/
Not having a modern sharp axe would drive me mad!
That was fun. Thanks.
8:12 What kind of pencils are they using? Graphite pencils came into use in the 16th Century England.
The reason why medieval blacksmiths were considered magical, the armor they made when clumped together was heavy. When the knights and foot soldiers put them on it was light, not so heavy. They had no concept of displacement of weight.
It was really the rural blacksmiths existing within the peasant communities that was considered magical by their communities… and the belief lasted into the 19th century in much of europe, in some cases into the early 20th century.
It was Not the high status spezialized metal workers making arms and armour for the elite.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised tap strings go back that far.
I find intriguing that in America we used the double bite axe head predominantly to fell trees.You don't see the real long handles nowadays on our axes.I wonder if early America used longer handles like I see europeans using today and I saw in this series.Also l wonder if they used double bit axes at the time this series represents?
Will literally watch anything with this narrator. Same guy who did I Shouldn’t Be Alive.
And 1000 years from now, archeology will be absolutely confused at finding a resurgence of castle building during the cell phone era.
"Perhaps there was a social media war that bled in to the real world?"
That's cool asf wish I could do this for my aunt
If i had unlimited funds, i would hire a village of experts and historians to build a castle like this and stimulate the period precisely
...and i would dress as the king
I have a "four de pain" at my house where I live, Dordogne which was built in 1787 - however, it`s much easier to go to the supermarket!!
I also have an apple press - Dordogne is famous for its apples - but the actual press "plate" is missing because it was probably wooden. The base looks to be made of concrete, albeit very old, it didn`t have a wheel I guess because the base is square though maybe the apples were fed in from the corners.
I think perhaps I should do some research unless anyone has any knowledge?
Did I see a #2 pencil not even 4 minutes into this video? ??? LOL
Using graphite to mark and draw is not a modern thing. Using a #2 pencil does not change the overall construction. lol
@@donaldhill3823 I know right? What a thing to nitpick 😋
This filthy peasant ruined the whole immersion! Sell him into thralldom I say! The whole project needs to be restarted
Stian Berg ,LOL I'm glad you have a sense of humor too. Some people are so miserable and can't take a LOL .
Actually if you watch til the end you get another close up of the pencil and it definitely looks handmade.
im a blacksmith and i know that they are being historically accurate, but it bothers me that they make bloom steel/iron rather than using a crucible to make almost pure steel. i still love this series tho
...? "It bothers me that they don't just use jackhammers at the quarry and a tower crane instead of that wacky treadmill" that's the entire point, man
@@gavinjenkins899 crucible steel is a historical kind of steel used by many cultures.
even at the time of that type of castle
its not as new as a tower crane or jack hammer
According to wikipedia, this is not the case: "The first European references to crucible steel seem to be no earlier than the Post Medieval period.[39] European experiments with “Damascus” steels go back to at least the sixteenth century, but it was not until the 1790s that laboratory researchers began to work with steels that were specifically known to be Indian/wootz" Guedelon castle is set in France in the mid 13th century. So that's about 350 years before European crucible steel.
Who else wants to see Ruth hook up with that historian dude that guested in this episode? Did you see how googly eyed she was when he was talking?
lol
Bless. She’s like someone’s Nan. And probably *is*.
Literally my first thought while he spoke.
With archaeological genes like that their kids would be the ones to finally find Atlantis
Richard Physician yes I did! Thought it was my imagination.
I made some progress with >petrification< like in the Indian Tempels - but the pyramids and the constructions in Bolivia are made of >geopolymers
It's because we can raw materials and turn them into useful items such as swords, armor, and such. I am a Smith actually a Carswell-Smith and I have been Smithing since I was a child.
Very interesting.
Drawing the sword from the stone is not a myth. Early iron ore was found in river stone and processes very similar to what's shown in this video saw the iron being extracted from the ore through heating and beating the product until the iron remained. To this day the process of heating iron/steel and beating it into shape is called "drawing"
RUclips is sometimes like a time capsule.
Documentaries like this, which might otherwise be lost, are being freely preserved for our enjoyment and education. Thank you for helping keep this series, it is well worth it.
ruth goodman and the two archeologists have made lots of interesting documentaries like this you should try finding them!
if you want to be kept up to date, this is their official channel ruclips.net/channel/UCy9Kti8oDm_wmbU7-yLRfog
And its free for anyone that's interested. It'll pop up on recommended too
as long as the juice keeps flowing./.
It was a great series, but I seem to recall there were 6 episodes. Wonder what's happened to the other 2.
Amazing!
In the mid 1960’s I studied at the Versailles Palace. At that time the sandstone blocks were showing surface deterioration. To correct that, each block was carefully removed one at a time. The joints were sawn out using long thin metal blades until all sides of the block were loose, except the back if course. The block was then shimmed and wiggled until it would eventually slide out leaving the empty pocket. The old stone, approximately, two feed deep, was set on a table next to a new matching piece of the same sandstone. Then young Portuguese stone cutters would hand chisel an EXACT duplicate using dividers, chisels and mauls. The only difference was that each stone was exactly a saw blade width larger than the original. The surface carving could be simple and flat or heavily carved. Whatever it was, they duplicated it. Then the new block was slid precisely back into position leaving no joint space whatsoever. It was a friction fit; no mortar was used. Then on to the next stone. The work was astonishing.
Wow! 🤯
Hand to eye precision like that is a lost art. My grandpa was a blacksmith,harness maker and a brilliant at every thing else he did. My dad was same way,but I didn’t either pay enough attention, or I’m just not as talented as they were. I get things done,but in no way with the seemingly ease that they did.
Yes... the old Stone and furniture makers were so above the constructions of today... it is sort of sad that these skills don't continue to be taught. Geez... we can't even make a well mad box.
When I see old buildings and stone barns, I think of the Europeans that brought their skills to the new world, they were very fine builders with many generations of Builders behind them.
@@karlmiller7500 the American “Master Builders” of the late 1800’s through the 1930’s were incredible. 18 months to build the Empire State Building - still an impressive feat.
One more skilled worker is the lord's cameraman.
brian554xx 😂
Roflmao yep
Hahaha
Love it!
You should be ashamed of yourself. If u can't appreciate what they're doing then keep your fingers locked together.
Everyone said I was daft to build a castle on a swamp, but I built it all the same, just to show them. It sank into the swamp. So I built a second one. And that one sank into the swamp. So I built a third. That burned down, fell over, and then sank into the swamp. But the fourth one stayed up. And that’s what you’re going to get, Son, the strongest castle in all of England.
Oh hello Monty Python, didn't expect to see you here
She has huge.... tracts of land!
With 3 castles worth of stone as your foundation id sure hope so😂😂
@@keepdancingmaria I don't want land.
This is my entertainment. I've watched like 10 of these this weekend. I'm not a nerd, you're a nerd.
Looks like we're both nerd's. Because your grammar is almost perfect, just like mine 😜. Take care, from Australia 🇦🇺 😉
Nerd power, unite!
Nerds the word jaybird that's what I heard.
So what if this is my second time through this series?! YOU have a problem! Not me!
You're in good company.
im a apprentice stone mason,24, I re watch every segment of this series to learn from the masons. im currently re bulding a old home that has not been lived in in 80 years! no power or pluming have ever touched it. i found news papers in the door frames from december 1880 so i think it was built in the summer of 1880. we just re built a 3' wall today just like they built castles! they used very big stones on the farm houses! they had there kids help them for sure.
Start a channel... post your work videos!
@@timnor4803 @goldenholden96 I post my work stuff on IG
Please post somewhere those newspapers. I’m sure they are an interesting read. Good luck to you on your journey! Important work. My grandfather was a stone mason and I still point out the houses he built every time I pass them.
My great grandfather was a stone mason who immigrated from Italy. Family lore has him working on the base of the Statue of Liberty and the Lion and Elephant Houses at the Bronx Zoo.
@@holdenkindervater454 what is your IG?
I've seen the recent pictures of the site. It looks amazing. Its scheduled to be finished in three more years. Every last person involved in this project should be proud.
Papawolfe where did you see the pictures?
Absolutely do it again lol
Wrong, 25 years more.
so they started building this thing in 1997, i just looked at its wiki and it says its still ongoing, so they havent finished it yet, but there are pictures of it there, this documentary it says is from 2014
this comment is 3 years old.. does that means it's finished :o
Wish I could be involved in a project like this.
You can be if you seek French and your willing to learn.
If u want to be a part of it, first, speaking french is important, but if it's ok check here www.guedelon.fr/fr/comment-participer-aux-travaux_40.html
Yes it would be great therapy !
The time and care presented in this series will encourage me to, in the words of Peter, "When ever I see a ruined castle, I wont be looking at the building itself. I'll be looking at the hundred craftspeople who were involved with that project. The thousands of hours of labor that went in to make it." This was truly remarkable. I feel saddened that there isn't more yet heartened that I can watch it again. I think I will always gain new insights watching this.
Many stone structures will survive when our skyscrapers are reduced to rubble. Just look at the pyramids, which may be more than 10,000 years old.
ruclips.net/video/5EuVCNwHlJ4/видео.html
Theres more on the Chronicle medieval history channel, this documentary has some of the same people too
Real castles, especially ruined ones are haunting to see up close. Thinking about everything that happened there, what they looked like in their prime, and the monumental effort it took to build them in the first place. So much is lost in the modern world of cheap trash where even expensive things are so poorly made, just so they have to be replaced more often. Once upon a time, they knew how to build things to last.
that feeling doesn't just apply to Castles either. Even just old houses with interesting architecture which is all we get here in the US no medieval castles) .
imagine after years of working on the castle, someone conquers it
SAD
Ouch 😓
Ouch
Lord Dickweed the Rich let's you get it about 95% complete before he builds a case on you and storms it just before the defenses are ready and catches you off guard ... then he decides to give it to his bratty 4th-born son to keep him entertained ... 😂
If you conquer a castle you deserve it. Castles are designed to be nigh impossible to take over with force.
People who write stories based in a Middle Ages time period should watch this show. This has been an invaluable resource for me, personally. In most fantasy and historical fiction they portray commoners as having much easier lives than in reality, and having luxuries only the wealthy possessed (like peasants burning candles and fighting with swords).
(or soap)
@@jasonbrown372soap was extremely common in the medieval period as there were entire guilds dedicated to its manufacture. Bath houses were also one of, if not the most common establishment found all over europe during these times.
I wonder if these guys will now work on Notre Dame?
Good thought
If I remember right I think Guédelon is due to finish sometime around 2025 (although the covid-19 pandemic might push it back a year), but no doubt similar skilled masons will assist the repair of Notre Dame, luckily apart from a few vaults which collapsed most of the stonework is relatively undamaged, it's mostly only the wood beam roof and the central spire which will need rebuilding.
I'm sure some of the stonemasons and capenters here would have been called over to work on Notre Dame. Would be interesting to see the actual list of laborers to find crossovers though
I must point out that as the stones grind the grain, they're also grinding each other. So along with the flour you're getting at least a small amount of stone dust, and occasionally small bits like sand. This wears the teeth of those that ate the bread.
Later fine screens were introduced to ensure the bread for the lords table used a finer flour with less sand sized grains. The peasants still made do with the rougher flour that did have sand sized bits of stone in it.
I love the vibrational feed mechanism on the mill; so similar to modern industrial machines, and using the roughness of the millstone to generate vibrations is genius!
They need to do a follow up series.
Here's a link to the castle's RUclips channel -
ruclips.net/video/sjVfkSL8TTo/видео.html