The Gruelling Work of A Medieval Chainmail Armor Maker | Worst Jobs In History | Timeline
1,567,601
Published 2018-04-07
Tony has a go at knitting chain mail; marvelling at the intricacies and tedium of fashioning one link, let alone a suit which used 200,000. Then there was the lance-makers' task of carving hundreds of lances for jousting tournaments or the shining of shoes for Edwardian hunting parties. Armourers, fire-workers, grooms of the chamber, hall boys and royal messengers all had their moments of misery.
But the most unpleasant job of all fell to the unfortunate lackeys who were responsible for the rich purple dye for the monarch's coronation robes. The purple maker created the royal colour by stomping up and down on rotting shellfish which had been soaking in human urine.
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All Comments (21)
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Don’t you just love it when someone edits someone talking over someone else talking at the same level and they’re both saying something important
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You know you've watched too many history documentaries when you start recognising guests on the show from other documentaries.
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The person responsible for sacking the sound engineer has been sacked.
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"On my back, keeping the entire industrial revolution moving." Next week on Worst Jobs, Tony gives Victorian prostitution a go.
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As for the whipping boy, it wasn't all bad. Because they wanted the prince to feel bad for the boy, they grew up together and became good friends. The whipping boy got the same training and education along side the prince. When the prince became King, the whipping boy was usually given a title and land.
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In medieval times a person's primary concerns were for food and shelter. An apprentice got both and also received an education that entitled them to journey and eventually set up their own shop as a master. A master had a business to run, apprentices to teach, craftsmen to supervise, and work to finish. I've made several mail shirts, and it's only boring if you find yourself bored when left alone with your own thoughts.
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I never get tired of hearing Tony Robinson's voice, or watching the documentaries he is involved in. Always fascinating material.
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Compared to a farmer, a miner or a fisherman, I believe that a chain mail maker who works indoors, warm and generally sitting, was truly privileged in those times.
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If you listen closely, you can hear Tony talking.
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There's some amount of irony in having royalty wearing clothing dyed from entrails/bowels.
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An armorer specializing in chainmail was on the crew of the Lord of the Rings movies and he had to spend an arduous eternity making shirts for EVERYBODY in those movies and, if you've seen the extended editions, you'd know that those were some LOOOOOONG movies with LOOOOOADS of characters and extras.
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"Put it in the bucking basket." "Excuse me?" "The Bucking basket. BUCKING. It's called a Bucking Basket." "Oh. My apologies, I thought you had cursed at me." "Well, we're on camera, right? I have to watch my bucking mouth."
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Very interesting but so damn annoying with the music covering the speakers's voice and when no music, it was the Narrator speaking over himself and the guest...come on.
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Tony Robinson, you are the greatest documentary presenter in this world, you are so knowledgeable and kind!
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Tony and Ruth together is so nice.
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I love the way the horse stops when the rider "Tony" falls off and is actually concerned. You've got to love animals, they fake nothing.
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Can you imagine the poor hapless knight who almost accidentally killed Henry VIII? Here's hoping the king had a good sense of humor.
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oh my god, Tony's wholesome little chuckle/excited wiggle right around 14:34 while he's watching the hawks fly around pretty much cured my depression just now🥲 seeing how genuinely overjoyed he is to just be out there in the world, getting to experience these things while discussing what he loves, that's half the reason I watch these videos!! what an amazing human being, we don't deserve him😭
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70 years old and doing this? You are godlike, Sir Tony Robinson!
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Seriously. Fire your sound mixer. The music is too much and I barely hear tony
