Hi. You don't know me, and probably don't remember my dad, Tom. He got to meet you a few years ago. He portrayed the American long hunter. He passed away last week, and I just wanted to say thank you for meeting with him. He was really proud of that. So, thank you.

My grand-mamma was born in a "poorhouse" about 1890, got out, married to a fisherman, my grandfather, they had 7 offspring, one is my late father... I am 75 years old.

As one who works in a modern, inner-city, "poor-focused" hospital, I can verify that MUCH of what you describe still exists very strongly today. This video is a fascinating study.

My grandmother's mom died when she had two daughters, the day after giving birth to the third. Her widower immediately SOLD them to a local orphanage and GAVE the newborn to another family. My grandmother had a reputation for being a bit hard, but did she ever come by it. The orphanage sold the children's labor to local farms and abused the children when they weren't working. I can't even imagine what their childhood must have been like -- no kindness, no tenderness at all. They didn't reconnect with their lost sister until they were adults. My dad once overheard a conversation between his mom and aunt when they were both in their 70s saying things like, "Look at us -- so many times we thought we'd die young and no one would ever know or care, and here we are two old women with grandchildren ... "

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens is a great example of how Great Britain dealt with the poor children. The children were often sold from the poor house into indentured servitude.

My fifth great grandfather was wounded in Monmouth, he came home to find one of his sons was bonded out, kidnapped his son back, and was charged with kidnapping. What a wild time.

My family was displaced by WW2 and both sides of my grandparents had to beg and forage in the wild the first few years of their lifes to survive. This kind of destitution is not as far removed from the West as it seems nowadays. We should commend all our ancestors for their incredible fortitude and strength to make it through the worst of times, be it 80 years back or 200 years back or 1000 years back

Your editor does a great job with the subtle paralaxing of the stills - it elevates the production quite a bit

One of my ancestors came over after the Battle of Culloden as an indentured servant, worked his indenture, then kept working for his former master for wages. He saved up enough to send back to Scotland for one of his relatives, he can over, moved in with the first guy, found work, and they both started saving to send back for two more relatives. Rinse and repeat until the entire extended family was in New England and they started spreading down to Kentucky, then Illinois, where my mother was born on the old family farm.

I love your strong emphasis thought out your videos on understanding our ancestors. It’s so so important to not be so quick to pass judgement through a modern lens.

You guys as well as Tasting History with Max Miller have taught me more about history than school has taught me

The fact they made you wear a badge if you happend to be one so misfortuned feels so surreal and is incredibly saddening, shaming those that already have nothing and then taking their dignity as well... I think it is really important that history like that is shared and not forgotten so that hopefully something like that will never happen again, though i still see it now even in a comfy first world country there are still many much less fortuned then others despite all the technological marvels we invented over the years, despite all the progress me made, it is sad and i wish it was different.

America was a nation of farmers well into the 19th century and there was always, always a need for farm labor. This type of labor was considered semi-skilled. From there, one could get a job in a small factory such as glass, brick and tile or pottery. It was the unskilled, very young, widowed or unwell people that ended up in the poor house and that is the reason why administrators didn't know what to do with them.

The Surgeon General of the United States is always an Admiral because he was originally the supervising Surgeon of the Marine Hospital Service, established in 1798. This was a manditory, single payer heathcare-insurance plan for those engaged in the maritime trades, the largest domestic industry of the time. This replaced a similar institution established by Queen Elizaberh I. It collected a small fee from those covered. From it sprang all other healthcare plans, including the VA, so that by 1904, it became the National Public Health Service while retaining it's distinct program. The MHS, one of the most successfull government programs ever enacted, was active until 1982, when Ronald Reagan abolished it as "socialism" for the benefit of the commercial insurance industry.

I have someone on my Mom's side of our family, came to the US from Ireland as an indentured servant

My grandmother used to make what we called 'dishwater soup'. Dishwater soup was a pot of water, one peeled potato, a peeled onion and one beet which was cooked on the coal stove. If I was lucky I got the potato.

Here in Sweden the government still in 1920 had a system for orphaned children to be offered to the ”lowest bidder”. The one who wanted the least amount of money for taking in the children got custody. This was called ”auction of the poor”.. Of course these children were often more of less slaves. One child here in the north spent his first ten years being called ”the dog”. Had to live under the kitchen table and given scraps of food and the bottom scrape of the porridge. Eventually the postman realized what was being done and rescued the boy from that home. He grew up to become quite a succesful entreprenuer. My mom helped publish a book about his life. Doesnt seem so long ago. People really dont know how good things are today..

What I find funny back then in the time frame John does brown bread brown sugar/molasses was cheaper since less work was put into which is why white bread and white sugar was more expensive. Now a days it's the opposite white bread and white sugar is less expensive. Using now a days they make it strait to white sugar and add the molasses back in to make the grade of brown sugar they want. Back then the more the refined to white sugar then more you paid

my mother grew up on a dairy farm during the depression. She always said they never had much money but always had plenty to eat.

"any kind of health issue can immediately push a family into poverty" are we still talking about the 18th century

Nothing like going to watch a show about beggars and poverty BUT FIRST ARBYS BRISKET MANWICH commercial!

Thank you Townsends team, a very important part of our history and our present.

When the beggars feast looks better than what I eat normally.... Beef?!?! that stuff has become so expensive :(

Yes! My favorite Sunday morning activity at 0900 Eastern. A cup of coffee and Townsends latest drop. Edit: and when I hear the words Beggars & Feast together, I cannot help but think of Les Mis..the Thenardiers… (live not the movie!)

As the situation in the world gets worse and worse and my situation with it, your channel becomes more and more valuable to me EVERY DAY. I use so much of your recipes for the poor to survive. (central Europe btw)

These videos are food for the soul… 😊

‘Life was hard, people died young and were treated horribly, they lived a life of hard work, disease, crime and filth. Anyways here’s a great recipe for beef stew!’ I jest but it is eye opening to consider that these were living people and I’m trying to understand it through modern eyes I’m glad to know that although poverty is still real, there is now a better degree of support and luxury that would make our predecessors smile.

This is my first time coming across this channel. I am going to check out some more videos. Thank you for so much information broadened around the idea of food. It really isn't something people really think about too much. I had no idea that was basically how hospitals formed here in the US. Kind of dark beginnings.

My grandfather was a Bernardo child and was sent from England to Canada as an indentured farm hand. In the orphanage in England he was well looked after and well educated but the family in Canada was not good to him and he ran away.

My Grandmother was born in 1902 in IN. Not sure what was in place for the poor then but my Great-grandfather ran off and my Great grandmother had to farm out my Grandmother to help the family survive.

Always love your work, keep it up please.. these subjects are difficult for people to swallow but as someone that's spent a quarter of his life homeless in the modern age, it's easy to see how detached humanity has become from reality itself. These subjects remind me that not everyone lacks awareness and that these problems are far easier to surmount in the modern age compared to the 18th century.

If you're alone, making minimum wage in America, you're just a step or two above an indentured servant.

Being poor is subjective. I was raised with next to nothing. However everyone around us lived the same. Looking back we were poor but never poor of spirit.

Insanely well said at the end. Amazing insight. Thanks for the video!

Hello 👋 I'm a new subscriber from ontario canada and it was the same here but in history we learn about the American revolution here to and most of canada 🇨🇦 was still wild and we are taught alot about the voyagers fur traders/ explorer's thank you for everything 😀 😊

Kids at school should listen to your videos. Food is something everyone can understand, and it helps connect the mind to realities of the time. Never got that out of a text book.

Beaurifully done essay, sir. Again I'm so pleased with your behind the scenes work and your matter of fact and very humanitarian presentation... a stand out against so much that is out there. Kudoes, and thank you so much.

Absolutely fascinating. Thank you for making this video.

When you said "dirty jobs", i imagined Mike Rowe doing an 18th century 'Dirty Jobs' tv show.

Thanks Jon and Crew 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🌹

Babe wake up, new Townsends just dropped

The origin of hospitals and healthcare sounds like a great basis for future videos!

Thanks for the great video. Jon Be Safe and Keep Up the Amazing Work!

This was just wonderfully done, thank you Townsend's...

i really love this channels feeling, it has a very homely warm style its nice to just have it on in the background but i of course love watching the videos 😃

I think this is one of your best videos, or at the very least one of my favorites 🙇‍♀️

Taken from The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood (set in the 12th century): "Why," quoth the Beggar, peeping into the mouths of his bags, "I find here a goodly piece of pigeon pie, wrapped in a cabbage leaf to hold the gravy. Here I behold a dainty streaked piece of brawn, and here a fair lump of white bread. Here I find four oaten cakes and a cold knuckle of ham. Ha! In sooth, 'tis strange; but here I behold six eggs that must have come by accident from some poultry yard hereabouts. They are raw, but roasted upon the coals and spread with a piece of butter that I see-"

I always identify with the poor people you talk about. I'm not wealthy and live on my social security. I am so grateful that I am living now as opposed to the 18th century.

I really appreciate the cooking in these videos, but also the history lesson, which helps reminds me to be grateful for what I have today, which is quite helpful when I'm feeling down.

Thx for doing this, filming it and sharing it with us.

Whats crazy to me is that all these dishes from old times that were considered "Poor people food" are nowadays, some of the best food that exists. You literally just made a crockpot roast with veggies. That is some of the best and most wholesome eating you can get these days.

Thanks for the awesome content and great video!!

History of the work houses makes Foucault's connection of hospitals and prisons make more sense.

Great video. Equal parts history and cooking. Learned a lot. Keep up the great work!

There's still poor people in England, times are hard, poverty is in a different form now.

I've never been this early for a Townsends video. Truly a morning blessing. God bless, Jon.

My Wife’s grandfather escaped from a workhouse in northern England and stowed away on a ship to Canada with a friend. He’d just turned fourteen and we found out that that was the age at which schooling stopped and physical labour began.

I always enjoy your videos. Keep up the great work!

Hey just bingeing some Townsends. I love your channel. Keep up the great content!!!❤

I love the artwork that gets put into these videos. I know thats gotta be a lot of work to find

Another wonderful and well made video. I really enjoy your content and thank you for all the hard work you and your crew put into makeing them.

This type of video is my absolute favourite, thank you so much for uploading, love ur stuff :3

Thank you for discussing this!

I love this series so much, I instantly lit up when I saw it pop up. What a way to start my Monday!

This was beyond reflective. Stay gold.

Love all the content this channel produces!!!

Excellent research and storytelling!

Great content Jon, like always!

Looking forward to doing this myself. Thank you for the information.

I could keep watching these kinds of videos forever ngl

Oh dear Lord, that brotn for breakfast thing takes me back. There were a couple of times my Grandpa Larson bought two thermoses to his compass adjusting Job. One had the coffee, the other had a nice hearty broth. He used to call it the Beggar's Breakfast. Now I know why. He was a Professor of Naval History in Bellingham Washington. I got my passion for history partly from him. Thanks for the memory. 😊

You need more of these type of videos

Regarding the point about hospitals being poorhouses originally - it's worth noting that medicine didn't have a lot of the big equipment that needs a centralized care facility in those days. No heart rate monitors, oxygen tanks, let alone all the fancy diagnostic equipment. So a doctor coming out to your house could give you the best care they could possibly offer. If you were at that financial tier, you could hire someone to do the kind of monitoring that patients in hospital get today (again, minus the whole technology aspect). So if you were bedridden at home, you'd have doctors doing their best work, hired help dedicated to *your* care rather than caring for all the patients in your ward like at a hospital, and the same kind of food you'd eat normally (hospitals are *starting* to get past the terrible food thing, but that was a major problem with hospital stays for a long time, well after they started resembling more a modern medical facility than a 19th century house for the poor and sick.) All in all, you'd get better care at home than at hospital.

It is depressing how little has changed about how we treat the poor. At least we don't make them wear badges anymore...?

The world today is built on the bones of those who suffered. I have what I have for them. So many who died, destitute in squalor, surrounded by other humans but no help in sight. They must have seen their reality, no one cares for them and no one will miss them. I may not know your name, but I do care. I thank my ancestors for every day I see.

It is amazing how much "poor" food is still a common thing to this day. I have several recipes from my great-grandma who grew up during the depression and they're mostly variations of beef/potatoes/flour. To me it was just a simple meal, it took until I was older to realize it was out of necessity.

the poor you have with you always

Just want to say I appreciate your content, nothing else to add :)

I really love this series, it'd be awesome if in future vids we get to see more of the regional variations in what would make up such a feast even among equivalent class backgrounds

Well done once again, Mr. Townsend.

Henry Knox's mother had 10 sons, only 4 of whom lived. Her husband deserted her when Henry was 9. The 2 older boys had already left to become sailors, so she took Henry, a promising student, out of school and apprenticed him to a bookseller. Henry taught himself many things by reading, and eventually opened his own bookstore in Boston. For him, it worked out, since he eventually became General of the artillery in the revolutionary war. But he also worked very hard his entire life.

The plate up at the end looked great, that suet pudding looked so good. Not sure if you've done one before but I would be interested to see a video on a meal that was from foraged/hunted/fished ingredients only.

Quite possibly my favorite channel on youtube.

"Please sir more soup."

I love how you not only explain the foods people ate at different times and in different areas/roles of society, but also teach the history that goes along with it.

As a history and culinary nerd, I love this channel. Finding someone who has such a niche interest is rare, this is the only guy who can do it! Ever since I visited Sturbridge Village on a school field trip, I’ve been enamored with the way our ancestors used to live. It was a simpler time.

I just really appreciate the focus you've been putting on lives of the poor in colonial America and the early United States. It's something that is rarely focused on, especially in historical reenactment. It's like our view of that time period is as long as you're not a slave, or have graduated from indentured servitude, you've accessed the middle class. That was not the case, so I very much appreciate this series of videos elucidating that topic.

I really like end of the video with KZfaq aspects, the composition is nice. Thumbs up video creators and postprocessing guys ❤ at least on phone, idk how it looks on PC

Mr. Townsend: What is a feast to a poor beggar? Me: HE SAID THE THING 🤩

Townsends, This video is fantastic! I liked it a lot!

Love this channel

Love these "poverty series" videos, so fascinating. As you said, they are talked about very little!

It's funny, that's the exact supper I had tonight. As always, great video.

The more things change the more they stay the same. Excellent food for thought as always.

A severe illness can put someone into poverty you say..... why does that seem so familiar....

This channel is incredible

One of my favorite channels

But the Work Houses were a horrid place to end up in, right ? Didn't the Industrial Revolution create a horrendous amount of poor?

There's a channel on London History by J. Draper, she covers the entirety of London's history from its founding to present day, but she has a video dedicated to the life of servants in the Victorian era. Very insightful for those who want more on that very specific topic.

it's incredible to see how even through food you camn see how history repeats