Muckhills and Public Sanitation

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That Shakespeare Life

Even William Shakespeare had to take out the garbage. In his hometown of Stratford Upon Avon, public waste was managed through a system of piles known as muck hills. In 1552, William Shakespeare’s father, John Shakespeare, was charged a fine for one of these muck hills that was kept across the street from his home on Henley Street. For a long time, scholars have thought this fine meant that John Shakespeare was keeping the dung heap illegally, or perhaps using it inappropriately, but recent research into how muck hills operate and the history of public sanitation in Stratford Upon Avon have caused us to see this record of John Shakespeare in a new light. Here today to share with us how taking out the garbage worked for Shakespeare’s lifetime is our guest, Elizabethan Tavares.   Get bonus episodes on Patreon

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You may be surprised to learn that marriage in the 16th century was not required, nor a foregone conclusion, for all women of this time period. In addition to spinsters, who were older women that had never been married, there were widows that lost their husband, women who were divorced or separated from their husbands, and still some women who our guest this week calls “never married” women. A “never-married” woman chose never to get married at all, and provided for themselves financially. While Shakespeare doesn’t use the phrase “never married” he does talk about spinsters, widows, prostitutes, and even divorce, reflecting the society of his time period. While all versions of single women in Shakespeare’s lifetime operated outside of what we generally expect for the 16th century, the reality is that being single, and even women who were independently made, occupied a much larger section of society than you may have assumed. Here today to tell us about all the single ladies of the 16th century, and what life was like for a women who never married, is our guest, Amy Froide.   Get bonus episodes on Patreon

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Atheism in Shakespeare’s England

To live in England during Shakespeare’s lifetime was to be Protestant, or at least as far as the Queen was concerned. The lack of religious freedom in early modern England doesn’t mean alternate belief systems did not exist, only that they were hidden. One powerful belief system that riled up conservative members of society and incited objection pamphlets to be written is atheism. Here today to discuss the real people from Shakespeare’s lifetime who were atheists, the punishment if your belief system were found out, and the role of playing companies in spreading atheism is our guest, Peter Herman.  

 

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Accidental Deaths

Deaths were a common occurrence on stage for Shakespeare’s characters, but the wild and often macabre deaths we see in his plays were not actually far off from the deaths that occurred in real life for the 16-17th century. From poisonings to beheadings, one person who knew a lot about how people died in Shakespeare’s lifetime was the coroner who job it was to catalog deaths and keep track of any that seemed suspicious. Our guest this week has done a great deal of research into accidental deaths for Shakespeare’s lifetime and joins us today to introduce us to the job of 16th century coroner in Shakesepare’s England, tell us about some of the more bizarre ways people died, and how all of these incidents connect to William Shakespeare. To learn all these things, and more this week, we are delighted to welcome Steven Gunn to the show today.  Get bonus episodes on Patreon

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