In England, during the period we're ... Holmes: Well, by our standards, cleanliness in the Middle Ages was pretty poor. Clearly, a castle was slightly better maintained than a peasant hovel ...

Far from their dour reputation, the Middle Ages were a period of massive social ... pestilence and the outbreak of civil conflict in England. By Ian Bremner. Richard II and the Crisis of Authority ...

and cumin were very expensive in the Middle Ages because they were transported from faraway places like Asia and Africa. (Tim Gainey / Alamy Stock Photo) No! During the time of castles ...