Rags and riches: Tudor life at Oakwell Hall

About the workshop

• Where?: Oakwell Hall
• Who?: KS2
• National curriculum area: "A local history study", "a study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils' chronological knowledge beyond 1066".
• Cost: £285 (full day visit from 10am - 2:30pm)

Let's talk about the Tudors

Tudor period

The Tudor period began in 1485, with the death of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth. This period saw England emerge from the Medieval period, into a country of wealth and culture. There were six Tudor monarchs in total, including Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Lady Jane Grey, Mary I and Elizabeth I. It was a time of great turbulence as Henry VIII broke with the Catholic Church to establish his own religion - the Church of England. Subsequent reigns would see religious upheaval.

The 'Golden Age'

The reign of Elizabeth I, from 1668 - 1603, is known as the 'Golden Age' of culture, wealth and exploration. However, by the end of Elizabeth's reign, population increases and poor harvests had led to poverty for lots of ordinary people. Rebellions occurred.

Elizabethan society was divided into a hierarchy of different groups. It was very rare for people to move up the hierarchy, and people mostly remained within the group that they had been born into.

For certain groups in society, the Elizabethan era was a time of growing wealth and riches. In Kirklees, this was due to profits from the wool trade which meant increased wealth for some. Many also found wealth abroad, attacking the ships of other countries, such as Spain, and taking the valuable goods on board.

Oakwell Hall

The present Hall was built in 1583, although there were houses on the site since the 12th century. When John Batt built Oakwell Hall it dominated the landscape and established the Batts as one of the area's leading gentry families. They gained their wealth through business in Halifax, as well as other notorious scandals such as stealing and melting church bells, and diverting money intended to build a school.

During the Civil War, the Batt family supported the Royalists, and had to pay a fine to Parliamentary forces following the King's defeat. This led to a decline in the family's fortunes, and the Hall was eventually sold and bought by Benjamin Fearnley in 1747.

Finding the financial burden too much, it eventually became a series of boarding schools until being sold in 1928 to two wealthy benefactors, who gave it to Batley Corporation.

Today Oakwell is displayed as the 1690s Batt family home. The rooms are furnished with a mixture of original and reproduction furnishings to show the lifestyle of a lesser gentry household.

What to expect on the day:

• Hall tour: Explore the hall and uncover evidence about the Batt family and their staff.
• Herbs and spices: Investigate the significance of herbs and spices in the Tudor period.
• History and mystery: Make inferences using objects to learn about the different people who lived at Oakwell Hall in the Tudor period.
• Sketching and writing: Write and draw like a Tudor with quill and sketching lessons.
• Costume analysis: Learn about what clothes can tell us about social class in the Tudor period, and have a chance to dress up in our historically accurate costumes.
• Ghost story: Learn about Oakwell Hall's famous ghost!

Learning outcomes

This full day workshop will develop students' substantive knowledge of the period. Students will compare different roles and people in the Tudor period, using contemporary artefacts, furniture and architecture to describe Tudor society. They will be able to explain the significance of trade in the period, and how this became an important indicator of wealth. Students will understand how Oakwell Hall is situated within the wider Tudor and Stuart period, and how local people, such as the Batts, were representative of 'new wealth' in the Tudor period.

This will be achieved through disciplinary skills, as students are immersed in life in a Tudor household. They will use historical artefacts and sources to deepen their own interpretations of the Tudor period. They will analyse objects to make inferences about social class in the period, whilst comparing objects to develop a deeper chronological understanding.