10 February 2023
Year 4 concluded their Tudors History topic this week with a jam-packed trip to Ufton Court. The pupils were employed as constables working under the parish’s Justice of the Peace, where they were instructed to look out for any ‘strange goings on’. We were working during the Elizabethan era, where it was illegal to practice Catholicism and so we very quickly began to learn of any signs of Catholic worship in the house, from little hints like shells and rosemary, to huge wow moments like secret wooden panels, tunnels into the house and even two priest holes. We learned the story of how the house really was raided during this era and the equivalent of £3 million was discovered hidden away and counted, whilst a priest hid in a cramped, dark roof space just above the constables!
After, we were set to work on the Tudor farm, learning how to milk cows, churn butter, grind grain, spin yarn, wattle bamboo and even begin our own fires. What a fantastic and memorable way for the pupils to conclude a topic they have been so eager and enthused by!
