Medieval lives : birth, marriage, death. 3/3, A good death.

Series in which Helen Castor explores the fundamental aspects of medieval lives through birth, marriage and death. In the third and final episode, 'A good death', she looks at how death was seen as the gateway to everlasting life, and the importance of religion. She considers the death of wealthy soldier, John Fastolf, of Caister Castle, who had paid for the best spiritual care he could afford for the time of his death. He was a friend of the Paston family of Norfolk (mentioned throughout the programme) and appears in their letters. When Fastolf died, there was a dispute over his will with John Paston claiming to be his heir. The legal papers from the case are in Magdalene College, Oxford, and contain statements which provide knowledge of Fastolf's last days. The Catholic Church's teachings on the last judgement were important at this time, and church walls were often painted with scenes illustrating this, for example at St. Thomas's Church, Salisbury. Church reform gave rise to the view that a person's soul would go to purgatory when they died to atone for sins committed during life. Helen Castor talks to Dr. Carl Watkins, a historian of medieval religion at the University of Cambridge, about purgatory. Henry VII's ruthlessness, and the days surrounding his death are considered, including his funeral arrangements. The sacrament of the last rites, which has changed little from medieval times, is discussed by Reverend Colin Simpson, of Peterborough. Helen Castor discusses purgatory, and the financial or practical help the living could give the dead, with archaeologist, Roberta Gilchrist of the University of Reading. They consider medical items left with corpses, including a man who was buried wearing a hernia truss. Helen Castor looks at further ways people helped the dead through purgatory, such as prayer, with wills making provision for prayers and masses to be held for the departed. Henry VII's will is mentioned as he left provision for a chantry (a funding for a college of priests to say masses) for his soul in perpetuity. These elaborate endowments increased the Church's wealth. In addition, a number of charitable institutions were established, including Norwich Great Hospital founded by Bishop Walter Suffield in 1249. Historian Carole Rawcliffe discusses how this benefitted the Bishop spiritually. She also talks about how and why ordinary people gave charitable donations. Helen Castor considers unprepared death and the patron saint, St. Christopher. She goes to the Bone Crypt in Holy Trinity Church in Rothwell, Northamptonshire, which contains the remains of 1500 people, and talks about how the large numbers of rapid deaths from plague changed society. The ghost stories from Byland Abbey, North Yorkshire, are discussed with Dr. Carl Watkins as many concern death and purgatory. The feast day, All Souls Day, is mentioned as it was a way for those in purgatory, partciularly the poor, or those with no-one left living, to be remembered. The way rich and poor helped each other financially and spiritually is also mentioned. Nevertheless, by the end of the middle ages there were many accusations of church corruption due to wealth, and the Reformation caused much of the ideology surrounding death to change. Finally, Helen Castor considers Edward VI's short time on the throne and his protestant death.