Bygone Worlds: The Fascinating History of How We Used to Live

Turnspit Dogs: The Now Extinct Breed That Worked England's Kitchens

Bygone Productions Episode 1

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 20:21

English manor houses were capable of putting on fabulous dinners of delicious food without modern conveniences — the modern equivalent of producing a fine dining meal in the middle of the woods completely from scratch. No electric appliances. No gas range. No grocery stores. The only tool at their disposal was a huge fireplace. One member of the team had to roast whatever giant piece of meat would be served, rotating it continuously as it cooked for hours. In some kitchens, this job fell to a child. Eventually, it became common practice to employ a Turnspit Dog.