Feb 25, 2019
While many of the castles and
great homes of the monarch in England already contained luxurious
bathrooms, it would be Henry VIII--in a style true to his
flamboyant reputation, that would create elaborately accessorized
bathrooms for palaces like Whitehall and Hampton Court. While these
bathrooms were used by the monarchy in Shakespeare’s life, such as
Queen Elizabeth, the average Tudor, and Shakespeare himself, had a
much simpler version of bathing, not to mention a variety of myths
and legends to accompany popular opinion of keeping clean.
Here
to walk us through a brief history of soaps, bathing, and the act
of cleanliness in Shakespeare’s lifetime is Natalie
Grueniger.
Natalie is the host of the Talking Tudors
podcast, as well as the author of the blog “On the Tudor Trail.”
I’ve asked Natalie to visit with us today to talk with us about two
excellent blog articles she wrote specifically about Tudor bathing,
examining the common practices, methods of making soap, and the
inside details about those bathrooms in Whitehall
Palace.