An Accidental History of Tudor England: From Daily Life to Sudden Death

by Steven Gunn, Tomasz Gromelski

A unique new window onto Tudor life, told through ordinary people's untimely deaths.

How did ordinary people live in Tudor England? This unique history unearths the ways they died to find out.

Uncovering thousands of coroners' reports, An Accidental History of Tudor England explores the history of everyday life, and everyday death, in a world far from the intrigues of Hampton Court Palace, Shakespeare's plots and the Spanish Armada. Here, farming, building and travel were dangerous. Fruit trees killed more people than guns, and sheep killed about the same number as coalmines. Men stabbed themselves playing football and women drowned in hundreds fetching water. Going to church had its dangers, especially when it came to bell-ringing, archery practice was perilous and haystacks claimed numerous victims. Restless animals roamed the roads which contained some potholes so deep men could drown, and drown they did.

From bear attacks in north Oxford to a bowls-on-ice-incident on the Thames, this book uses a remarkable trove of sources and stories to put common folk back into the big picture of Tudor England, bringing the reality of their world to life as never before.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Tudor Period

320 pages, Hardcover

Published June 19, 2025

Reviews

[Elizabeth C · Rating 2 out of 5]

People drowned, a lot. Or they fell off things. Or things fell on them. But mainly they drowned. The end.

[Angelique Simonsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started out really fascinating but it's not a book to read quickly.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Christina Marta · Rating 4 out of 5]

You have two choices: a few in-depth cases or many punchy quick verdicts. This author chose the latter, so the names and fates don't have a chance to sink in. You do wonder whether a death from a fall or a knife wound to the hand could be so lethal, especially ground-level, until you remember that antibiotics weren't available.

I do wish that the author had chosen a few cases to go into, say, a paragraph's worth though. Nobody gets more than two sentences.

As another reviewer noted, this is very like "Horrible Histories." If you're a terrible person like me, you will enjoy this "there but for the grace of god go I" book. Learn how to swim and don't carry open knives on your person.

[Rob Sedgwick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book explores how Tudor-era jury inquests into accidental deaths in Tudor times offer a guide to everyday life during that era. It works quite well; the only problem is that each chapter effectively becomes a list of dozens of accidents. Each section starts strongly, but soon devolves into a relentless catalogue of fatal mishaps—most described in just a sentence or two.

Hardly anyone can swim, yet they bathe in water, and most people carry a knife. What could go wrong?! We moan today about health and safety, but presented with the alternative, you soon see the point. Not everything has changed mind - thousands of us still die every year in traffic accidents, though.

[73pctGeek · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating account of the myriad ways to die in an accident in Tudor England. From falling off a cart, to drowning while doing laundry, the dangers of everyday life revealed.

The research done on inquests and coroner’s reports reveals a vast amount of information, and the authors make sense of it in engagingly and with compassion. If you have more than a passing interest in history or Tudor England, it’s well worth a read.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tudor times and strange deaths? Count me in.
Thank you to my long-suffering history widow of a wife who managed to get our local library to purchase this.
As always, regular people become lost amongst the pages of the past and this is a wonderful way of telling their stories along with making sure their voices are heard.
Some deaths are the usual and there are others which are just so extraordinary, you'd expect them to be on an episode of Horrible Histories.

[Vicki Barton · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars