Schools Learning Zone
ACTIVITIES
page 1 of 3
Exploring Tudor Life in Ledbury (Tudors)
Activity 2 – Discovering the lives of the rich in Tudor Ledbury
Divide the pupils into three groups, and rotate the groups between the
three activities:
When you come out explain:
We are going to see what a very, very rich Tudor family looked like.
Tudor buildings in Ledbury;
Turn left and walk up to the churchyard.
Discovering the lives of the rich in Tudor Ledbury;
There were only about 1,000 people living in Ledbury in Tudor times.
The church was a very important part of all people’s lives. Everyone
was christened, married and buried in the church.
Discovering Wills.
All three activities should take about 2 hours in total.
Activity 2 – Discovering the lives of the rich in Tudor
Ledbury
(Visit The Painted Room in the Town Council Offices at the lower end of
Church Lane towards the market place, and then the Church of St Michael
and All Angels at the top of Church Lane).
Turn right out of the Heritage Centre down towards the Town Council
Offices at end on right.
We are going to look inside a house that fairly rich people lived in
during Tudor times.
Pre-arrange to visit the Town Council Offices; they can provide a 15
minute talk by staff there.
They were fined if they did not go to church regularly!
We are standing on the north side of the church – this was called the
‘devil’s side’ (no sunshine).
Stand in the church near the door and look around you.
The outside of the church looked much like it does now.
Walk into the church through the porch.
In Elizabethan times, we think Ledbury Church may not have been as
neat and tidy as it is now. The wooden roof was not damaged though
it would have felt cold and dark if the windows had been broken.
New glass was very expensive to buy.
Only rich families would have had their own pews to sit on at the
front – poor people had benches, or they would have to stand up.
The walls were smooth and may have had patterns or prayers
painted onto them.
www.EnglandsPastForEveryone.org.uk/Schools
© University of London
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ACTIVITIES
page 2 of 3
Exploring Tudor Life in Ledbury (Tudors)
Activity 2 – Discovering the lives of the rich in Tudor Ledbury
Walk towards the altar at the far end. Stand right in front of the Skynner
memorial on the right.
Today we are going to find out about one of the very rich families in
Tudor Ledbury – look at this memorial of the Skynner family.
Look carefully – who do you think the small people are?
The children of the man and woman above
What is the baby holding? What do you think that means?
Baby died (thought to have been eaten by the last wolf in the district)
The first girl is also holding a skull.
Are all men wearing the same clothes? What might that mean?
Different jobs when they grew up.
Who are the big people? What is around their necks? So when did
they live?
Ruffs – very fashionable in Tudor times.
Here is the inscription:
Here lies Edward Skinner of Ledbury.
Gentleman, and Elizabeth his wife.
Elizabeth died March 10 1628 aged 80.
Edward died May 3 1631 aged 87.
Edward Skynner
1548-1628
Elizabeth Skynner
Children below, from left to right:
John, Thomas, William, Edward, Richard, Mary, Susanna, Jone, Elizabeth,
no name.
This memorial in memory of their parents was placed
By their sons Richard Skynner of Cofton in the County
Of Worcester knight the eldest son, and
William Skynner LL, Doctor, Chancellor
Of the Diocese of Hereford.
Why call them Tudor people if they died after the Tudor period had
finished?
Elizabeth was born in 1548 and Edward was born in 1544, so they both
lived in Tudor times.
www.EnglandsPastForEveryone.org.uk/Schools
© University of London
You may photocopy this sheet
ACTIVITIES
Exploring Tudor Life in Ledbury (Tudors)
page 3 of 3
Activity 2 – Discovering the lives of the rich in Tudor Ledbury
There are no other big family tombs near the altar (a very important
place to be – nearer God), so the Skynners must have been very rich.
What else can we tell about them?
Had lots of children who lived to be adult (very unusual)
Rich and had beautiful clothes.
Their children were rich enough to put up this tomb to their parents
If you have time before the next activity:
Look around the corner in St Anne’s Chapel – you can take the pupils into
the area to see Edward Cooper’s image in the left corner (look at his
clothes); he was an important man at Hereford Cathedral and in charge of
St Katherine’s Hall in late Tudor times. He died in 1596.
Leave the church quietly.
Walk back to the Heritage Centre to swap activities.
www.EnglandsPastForEveryone.org.uk/Schools
© University of London
You may photocopy this sheet