{"id":44897,"date":"2026-09-09T07:46:02","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T06:46:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/footprintsoflondon.com\/live\/eventbrite-event\/walking-tour-scratching-out-a-living-the-medieval-female-proletariat\/"},"modified":"2026-09-09T07:46:02","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T06:46:02","slug":"walking-tour-scratching-out-a-living-the-medieval-female-proletariat","status":"publish","type":"eventbrite_events","link":"https:\/\/footprintsoflondon.com\/live\/eventbrite-event\/walking-tour-scratching-out-a-living-the-medieval-female-proletariat\/","title":{"rendered":"Walking Tour – Scratching out a living: The Medieval Female Proletariat"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How do we know how poor women lived in the Middle Ages when historians have ignored them? Walk the Thames and meet 6 medieval working women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Written history records only the rich and famous, because poor women do nothing interesting – right? No! Ordinary working women had interesting, varied lives in the Middle Ages, and this walk shows what they were like. You\u2019ll meet 6 women who lived and worked near the Thames in Southwark in the 14th century: scullery maid, victualler, laundress, alewife, sex worker, huckster. I’m joined by Rob Smith, longtime London guide and friend, who gives historical context: the result is a dialogue about what makes history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ll start at the south end of London Bridge and finish on the north side of the river near the Millenium Bridge. The distance is about 3 miles taking 2.5 – 3 hours depending on crowds, and we have a rest stop halfway through. We\u2019ll be walking on pavements, not the foreshore, so no special shoes are required, but there are stairs to climb up and down as well as bumpy uneven cobbles,<\/strong><\/strong> <\/strong><\/strong>so this walk isn’t recommended if you have mobility issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Afterwards I retire to a pub, where you may join if you’d like to continue the conversation and look at my medieval pictures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laura Agust\u00edn is an historian and anthropologist interested in illuminating the lives of unnamed people in history. The Naked Anthropologist<\/strong><\/strong> <\/a>is Laura’s longtime blog, now dedicated to historical walks that highlight issues of Gender, Sex and Class<\/strong><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\t
<\/div>\n\t\t