Could You Survive The Brutal Life Of A Poor Victorian Family? | 1900 Island | Absolute History

this channel is part of the history hits network is it good news in the early 1900s our sailing boats traded across the globe dead ahead 80 yards and our fishing fleets fed the nation it's a time that we often look back on with nostalgia in the cubs and it comes quickly herring but what was it like for everyday communities who made their living from the sea four modern day families are heading back over a hundred years to the start of the 20th century oh gosh look to live for a month there's a small fishing community on the wild exposed coast of angles we're about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime one hand you're thinking it's pure magic it's beauty the next minute you're carrying out five kids worth of pee in a time of hand-to-mouth existence at the moment we're scared what are you looking for i want something to eat of hard physical graft i'm not gonna lie i can think of easier ways to make a living both at sea keep coming and at home i am going to make lunch i am going to wash your clothes and i am going to make some brag and then i am going to go cockling as well the families will have to come together to help each other we just wanted to extend our love to you [Music] will they fall in love with the past or will they fall apart this is our end now isn't it this is actually our end on the 1900s island i'm not giving up for a second not a chance have you smashed it the beautiful tidal island of sandwin off the coast of anglesey in north wales a remote location jutting out into the irish sea [Music] no one has lived here for the past 70 years but all that's about to change [Music] just a few miles up the coast four families with a passion for the past and a longing to escape the demands of the modern world are about to spend the next month living as a 1900 fishing [Music] community the davis family of seven are from the will near liverpool [Music] they are 39 year old mum natalie 40 year old customer services manager gavin and their five children [Music] my three times great grandfather was a laborer in a fishing community just up the coast from anglesey i think the transition from 9-5 office worker to the harsh realities of a fisherman's existence how i would cope with that i honestly don't know i always say if i could just go back in time just for a small time if i could just have a little look at what it was like what it was like to wear those clothes and things like that i think i just want to wear a corset [Music] the powers are a welsh-speaking family of five from cardiff their 40-year-old qualified accountant lydia a 36-year-old husband sports development officer and leader in their church gareth and their three children i think there'll be beauty in the simplicity of the experience of life back then [Music] from the age of 10 to 18 i lived in a little village called lansing it wasn't unusual for us to go cockling and have supper that evening of fresh cockles it is such a unique opportunity to get get back to maybe some of the the core basics and and think and reassess priorities in life history hit is like netflix just for history fans with exclusive history documentaries covering some of the most famous people and events in history just for you we work with some of the world's best historians like susanna lipscomb mary beard and tony robinson exploring everything from the jobs of tuda england to the diaries of queen victoria we're committed to bringing history fans award-winning documentaries and podcasts that you can't find anywhere else sign up now for a 14-day free trial and absolute history fans get 50 off their first three months just be sure to use the code absolute history at checkout 38 year old geography lecturer kate evans and 34 year old blacksmith arewell john are a new couple from swansea i would love to get out in the fishing boats and have a go the reality is i'm not sure that was what women were able to do in that period arwell's lived off-grid for several years i'm a practical guy so i'm more than happy to to sleep rough in the woods a lot of my friends have gone oh when the zombies come you're going to knock on your door you're going to be leading our team of survivors because you've got the skills out of it's going to be great and the final family a retired couple 70 year old clive barker and his 68 year old wife sheryl from kent people of our age don't get this sort of opportunity very often i think it's a massive thing to be able to do they've been married since 1968 and back then clive worked as a fisherman i was fishing at wichita i was there for probably nearly five years i suppose looking back on it i really enjoyed it it was just um it was a very fulfilling way of life as the family is near the island the conditions turn [Music] an atlantic weather front storm alley is sweeping in from the southwest heading for sandwich with winds gusting up to 80 miles an hour well this is a glimpse of the next four weeks isn't it [Applause] [Music] absolutely stunning it is just yeah completely speechless [Music] you walk up and have a look arlo oh gosh look welcome home davises on the end end of terrace all the winds oh these four cottages a boat shed on the beach and a community hall which doubles up as a tavern and school will be home for the next month [Music] oh my goodness the davis family are in cottage number one oh the scales it's a bit on the grim side isn't it yeah look at your birds for gavin and natalie old ruby lily 13 jude 9 evan iv and 2 year old arlo this will be a squeeze oh my goodness that's steep be careful bud please be careful in 1900 it was common for parents and children to share rooms and even beds it's going to get cold in here get wrapped up for the davises hardship isn't completely unknown the toughest period we've been through as a family i lost my job okay two hands [Music] that's it we couldn't put food on the table for the kids we were on the verge of food banks we were getting calls from our mortgage provider credit card companies and then on top of that natalie was pregnant it really was awful i feel like we're just coming out of it now but there's always that niggling doubt in the back of your mind that it you know it could happen again and it can happen to anybody we never thought it would happen to us oh wow spacious this is home next door are kate and arwell main bedroom oh yeah we've been together just over a year now nothing yeah and a half year and a half something like that something like that well do you want a cup of tea then we don't have children we don't have any ties in that respect at the moment pantry the life of a new couple in the 1900s means their cottage is sparse with few possessions well the first thing that struck me was seeing my name on top of the door the john's yeah so in a way i'm deleted out of that and so more than likely we actually probably would have had to get married just just to live together just just to live yeah in the community like this i mean it's not a big place i think it'd be interesting to see how the the freedoms i'm used to now as a 21st century woman will be different but if it's the john household then i'm the boss really though yeah [Music] in cottage number three are the powers kaijushu mangres oh my goodness oh my god an incredible register lydian gareth's children a seven-year-old phoebe five-year-old dave and griff who's just two so mahen martin griff matana minvinin sophie dave the 1900 home is a world away from their three-bed suburban semi [Music] i think for the children it's going to be a massive change a massive adjustment for them i guess they don't fully understand what it is that we're leading them into this is where you wash your hands every day what do you think about fibs there's no tap there's not any water it's basic but it's it's ensuite [Music] i would hate to go there and just be on my own in the house i'd love to say come on come over to mine or i'll come over to yours i would love for us women within that community to do things together and in cottage number four are the barkers oh it's lovely lovely this is nice isn't it pretty big isn't it yeah knitting wall oh sorry scissors yeah as the oldest family clive and shadow's home reflects a lifetime of acquiring possessions and skills if anyone's cold i can knit them ashore like a knit and i can sew if anyone needs their children looked after then i can do that as well the barker's own three children have long since flown the nest and along with their eight grandchildren are spread across the world we love them we don't see enough of them i'd like to see them more obviously but it's great when we see them it'd be really good to be as part of a bigger community yeah and to help each other i could see us sitting here at night playing cards and [Laughter] it's time to strip away the last vestiges of modern day life watch i'm assuming i'm not going to keep the watch as the families remove their 21st century clothing and put on their 1900 attire [Music] oh it's my is my knickers i just oh not only knickers these are craps and snickers free traders so i can pay you standing up but not everyone's finding it quite so amusing the clothing would have been homemade from rough wool for warmth and durability but not necessarily for comfort wow griffs women are definitely cute [Music] the men's clothes aren't that different from today from a bad boy fishermen but it's a world apart for the women they have to wear up to 13 items of clothing which can weigh well over a stone they've got jackets this is my blouse it's not a jacket i haven't got the skirt on yet really i thought that was it at the back here those buttons can be undone that's good and it makes a full dress oh that's good i like that you really love the color does it look good as a stormy dusk settles over the island the families shelter in their cottages preparing for their first night come on dad watch out never going to burn ourselves stand here for me come on go on yes the stove is the heart of the 1900 home and needs to be kept alight day and night it's their only source of heat hot water and cooking just these gentle encouragement here and there that's all it needs you just need to kind of know how these things work good god you need to do this early because i can't see now that's just what i thought and with no electricity the families will have to rely on candles and lanterns your time for bed [Laughter] agenda if you get okay [Music] [Music] it's the start of day two and storm ali is still pounding the uk coastline the waters near sandwin were once described by admiral nelson as one of the most treacherous stretches of sea in the world and with gale force conditions today fishing is out of the question with no mod cons just keeping on top of home life is work enough [Music] they have to brave the elements to use the toilets get cold and fetch water from the one standpipe serving all four cottages [Music] it's like an amazing morning one one-handed thing and it's it's pure magic it's beauty the next minute you're carrying out five kids worth of pee who wants to clean the chamber pots right are we ready to get you dressed good boy yeah we can go outside then can't we yeah the little ones just slept right through but it was it was windy it was noisy and that was scary at times wasn't it but it's so dark yeah it just really is just it's black you just couldn't see a thing the waves look really rough so i don't think the men will be venturing out on any sailboats today which i think is a really nice thing actually i think it'll be nice to have gareth around the home just as we settle in and to help settle the kids okay yes what did you want to wash these dishes in a bowl or yeah just something big enough for a bucket or a bowl or there's gonna be a better way of doing all this surely it's hands so that's you're washing up do you notice i say your i did notice that what's that all about i love you guys in 1900 women and girls were responsible for all domestic chores but not every household's following the social norms just yet oh isn't daddy good look how dad he's going to fire all right it looks brilliant as well as adjusting to male and female roles the modern families will have to live frugally in 1900 families tried to save money and stockpile provisions to survive lean times i don't know i don't know what it is each family has been given a small amount of cash and food and that's got a bone in it with rationing it should see them through the first couple of days vegetables milk apples we've got cheese they also have a small vegetable patch to supplement any fish they catch but with the storm still raging and fishing too dangerous they'll have to manage their limited supplies and cash very carefully in 1900 60 percent of the weekly budget went on food i had a look at what was in the house already and if i do this today i can top it up and keep it going tomorrow and then we can just add stuff to it it's lovely looking out and seeing the children running back so nice for 70 year old clive life's less carefree he's developed a case of gout burning it's a recurring illness he's had for years this is where the problem is on the ball of the foot here if you touch it it's very hot the big toe here is very swollen and it's now spreading to those two you can't put your foot on the ground it's so tender i can't really get a shoe on at the moment with modern medicine clive's gout can be managed but at the start of the 20th century minor illnesses could easily become fatal life expectancy was shockingly low 48 years for men and 52 for women it's extremely painful and you really need to be sitting with his foot up but he won't so yes i do worry about it it's bad timing for the backers in 1900 there was no formal social support until clive's condition improves he won't be able to fish to eat or sell look at these waves [Music] whoa kids don't go too far [Music] when the fishing families of 1900 were storm bound the men would take whatever manual labor was available while their wives often had second jobs to supplement the family income there's a flower and there's large in there as well keen homeback and natalie will run the village bakery i haven't got a clue what i'm doing this is different to any bread i've sort of made before i just don't really have a clue what i'm doing [Music] as a qualified accountant lydia's bookkeeping skills will help her run the small shop cheryl potatoes be getting pears okay that's great the barkers will use the community hall to run a tavern in the evenings can you work out how many tots in a bottle yeah 25 tots i expect if you're really mean and for arwell who grew up on a farm and his partner kate there's a flock of chickens apart from fish eggs are one of the only other sources of protein readily available on the island [Music] oh loads one two three four five six seven eight nine eggs at a penny each in 1900 prices eggs were a valuable commodity we're made we're fine i think the people who've got the best deal here would be iron and kate with all the eggs because the the thing is the level of profit isn't massive in the shop i'm getting 10 profit which is tiny they get 100 profit i think everybody's money may end up funneling their direction even if we're hungry even if we're tired we've got to maintain the unity of the community because that's our that's key yeah that's key to us all flourishing here eggs there are eggs oh you me as a community or as a team you know if we start to fragment then we're in yeah as day three dawns the sea is still too rough to fish the families are down to their last three meals but that doesn't seem to bother cheryl we're having porridge followed by bacon eggs and fried bread [Music] in the davis house with seven mouths to feed the mood is very different who's hungry everything worries me everything worries me and everything keeps me awake at night how much food we have you know are their bellies full enough going to bed so you give the kids the best that we just pick up the scraps and we'll like fry up the fat the rind and we'll eat the rind yeah can you make sure you're eating please i will do yeah i'll just tighten my corset i feel a bit hungry just tighten it a bit and that gets rid of it hello hello oh hello who's this my name's joe i'm your shipwright joe ormond has over 20 years experience as a boat builder and he'll be working in the boat shed on the beach for the next four weeks so you're going to be working on your own down there we've got some help i'll be on my own most of the time i think but i will there will be days where i'll need another set of hands throughout this era shipwrights were to be found in most of the fishing villages dotted around the coast i guess you guys will all be out trying to find food and fishing predominantly yeah not today though right no not today if the weather's like this we can't get out to see them he said there might be a bit of work for us to do so we get down there then a few bob i suppose hopefully he pays well above the minimum wage don't do a lot of uh iron work are you the blacksmith i'm a blacksmith yes okay that might be handy our well's skills could be just what joe needs is this all the stuff you've got i'm gonna hand carrying it down no oh you give me a hand car in the back down that'd be nice yeah i'm sure we can work something out between us yeah that would be good office workers gareth and gavin have missed out on an opportunity it's great fetch and everything and i like keeping the stove going and all that but i'm itching to go on a boat now i feel like i need to contribute something other than fetching water and keeping things hot when you've got the weather against you at home it doesn't make any difference just hop in the car and go the shops here it's so much stops you our main income is going to be gab fishing that in this weather is just not going to happen i need i need to back it you see you you only put it close to the nail so it just takes the bounce out of it oh okay right gotcha so if i if i nip along there drill those okay i mean have you been out in this this kind of weather or um no would you go out there i probably would but would you not not far something you'd last long out there when will i know when it's safe when it's nice and flat and there's no wind the look at the raw power that nature is unbelievable but at the same time it's so frustrating because we can't get out there as fellas and provide for our families we know that all our money is out there and we're stuck on sure unable to get anywhere near it and it is a little bit starting to do my editing today was the last of the meat i've got just over half a dozen eggs i've just got to wait for the men to go out in the boat the kids had a little bit of a while but before they fell asleep and phoebe started crying and said mommy say let's go baby i don't like it i want to go home it's a new day and overnight the storm has finally blown itself out [Music] after three days of no fishing and food supplies running desperately low at last there's a welcome sight on the horizon i can see a boat and it is heading this way it's getting bigger which means it's getting closer so i can only assume that's ours george can you tell your dad the boats uh on the way in a fishing vessel's been spotted off the coast and is heading for sandwin it's calm everywhere i can see even out in the in the rough part yesterday that's looking pretty flat so i'm just getting quite excited now gonna go fishing first time it's gonna be good i am feeling like it's first day of school so the nerves are starting to kick in you know it's a little bit strange because i have no experience at all of fishing whatsoever just please anything today if there's anything you can i don't want any like i don't care how much you're actually how much you're sick please bring home fish yeah yeah i'm gonna i'm really gonna go for it i'm gonna go for it he better come back with a decent catch because those kids are hungry really really hungry they're really struggling now one of the fishing boat crew is on his way to pick up the men it's time to say goodbye good boy daddy yeah can i touch the two groups good job of course i'll be safe i'll be absolutely fine you're now more worried than i am fishing was a dangerous job in 1901 alone more than two and a half thousand people drowned in uk waters and almost every british fishing community contained families who'd lost loved ones [Music] is i just hope they can go on there and be heroic you know pulling out fish after fish rather than slipping around and falling on me [Music] backside i am excited i'm looking forward to it but it is a step in the unknown and i think i am going to be very far outside of my comfort zone the men are going out to sea in a knobby a type of fishing boat first used in the early 1800s and one that was found along the west coast of britain from cardigan bay up to the scottish border yeah and you can use these lines now push the two boats together as you stand up and then you can step up into here nobodies like this didn't have engines they relied on sail power and fishermen had to be as good at sailing as they were at fishing if they were to survive hi so we've got gavin yeah well gareth ah gareth nice to meet you goodbye gareth gavin and arwell have no real sailing knowledge so stewart gibson a sailor with over 30 years of experience is skipper nice and calm bit of breeze good to learn and more importantly i think good to go fishing and mickey beaches in charge of fishing the fishing industry is probably the most or one of the most dangerous industries you can you can be involved in mickey's been fishing along the welsh coast since he was eight and is now a professional fisherman that's why he's telling these boys they're gonna concentrate on what they're doing okay it's a tough industry it doesn't matter what dealer you're in in 1900 life jackets were virtually unheard of and many fishermen couldn't swim those that fell overboard often drowned if we ever someone overboard we do actually need to put out a distress the men are wearing modern life jackets on top of their traditional clothing as the only concession to the 21st century that was amazing [Music] the men are heading out into deeper water where mackerel tend to feed at this time of year okay the stacel is still pushing us around now you can let the spacer go on this one keep it straight now and we want to be heading towards the far land okay [Music] three miles out and it's time to start fishing have any of you boys seen anything like this these before only little kits for crabbing you've seen the seaside shops right okay today the men will be using a very simple hand line so basically you've got your frame that obviously as as you can see you've got a leaded weight at the end and then you've got to see these hooks as you can see they're tied up with a feather right once in the water the feathers look like small sun deals tempting bait for mackerel and herring i put the line out first now so you can see what's happening traditionally a net would have been used alongside the hand lines but mickey's decided to take the training one step at a time you just feed in your line up slowly like that give it a tug because you might hit back straight away finding fish is a mix of hard graft and good luck they hope to hit a shoal which could be near the surface or deeper down when you catch something this is what you're going to feel [Music] okay okay yeah happy with that gifts giving world i will be watching them closely to see that they're doing it right hopefully by the end of four weeks they will all be able to cope on their own and when they get that first cut she'll be like oh that christmas is commitments but first they have to learn to cope with the swell i'm fishing and holding me breakfast in untangled multitasking particularly gareth those are fine let the line go again let's get some fish in there in 1900 mackerel was in plentiful supply tight lines boys is what they say and it wasn't uncommon to land a thousand fish in a day is this it on there we'll persevere for that one just keep going nowadays fishermen still rely on trial and error but with much reduced fish stocks they also have modern tools like sonar to increase their chance of catching but living as 1900 fishermen means that mickey and the men have to rely on their wits and experience alone we've now reached the point where this is the real handsome of existence so it's pride really don't want to go back empty-handed come on must be something in here seeing the kids having full plates and full bellies and and sleeping without that that rumbling going on so yeah it's it's of huge importance whoa there's nothing else there's just nothing i know i know i know i know i know should we have some carrots so we keep having bits of raw carrot [Music] i don't know whether he's gonna be back for tea i don't know whether he's gonna be back before the kids go to bed tonight no idea gav came back with a real big catch that'd be amazing i think that would boost his confidence and make him feel better because he hasn't really been able to do anything like that yet and we we really need it we really need it to eat as the weather takes a turn for the worse the men are relying on traditional oil skins to keep them dry this is what i get this is proper fishing what are we doing ah a little bit rough to be honest never queasy and now the swell is increasing focus on that horizon that's what i'm trying to do it's already working let's have a bloody look let's see if there's any bloody fish [Music] after four hours out at sea they still haven't caught a single fish research shows that uk fish stocks have fallen by 94 since 1889. back in 1900 you wouldn't have had the the the big sort of factory trawlers that suck up shows them acrylic and go with all sorts of technology to a system that they've got these days it's the sign of the titans we've read ah there we go this is the library incredibly frustrating at the moment i think we had visions of um dragging a load of fish in so we can make some money but right now doesn't see the looks with us it only goes to show how precarious the life of a fisherman can be [Music] okay boys we're going to get the lines in unfortunately we haven't caught anything so bear in mind the bad weather coming towards us so we'll try and move ahead of it and make our way in it's a shame it is but what i'm most not looking forward to is going back to the village now empty-handed i'm disappointed i'm calling fish i i'm liking the thought of going home [Music] the whole community will rise and fall on how we do on the boats [Music] we're all in this together we've all got to work together to make this work so that our community back home can thrive and be well [Music] oh my fed they look amazing [Music] i just made up my made up deceiver i hope it's good news i hope they've got loads of fish with them excited i'm so excited see what fishy's got apprehensive i mean they're late back that may be a good sign are you hungry yes oh it's staying that way is it not one fish really nothing all day nothing at all [Music] [Music] with no catch the families will have to make their remaining supplies stretch even further i'm just i'm just so sorry i've not been able to bring anything back we're all dreading coming back because we've been talking about having fish to sell fish to eat to come back with absolutely nothing after putting in so much effort is a killer i think back in modern day life we're very much paid for our time you know we're paid for a sick day we're paid for holidays we've now got no earnings for what has been a lot of effort so the the contrast between then and and now is huge he's massively proud of you know providing for his family so yeah this all this will hit them hard so it's got to be just it's fine it's moved over [Music] another day and with the sea once again too rough to use the boat the women decide to try their luck on shore instead they're going cockling it's lovely to get out actually i haven't seen the island yet so it's really nice to see around the cockle beds on the mainland near sandwin have been worked since pre-roman times the nearest is just over a mile away and while the tides out [Music] they can walk there you're looking for the wet sand where the tide's gone right out and there's a tiny bit of water left i think let's walk around there and see if the sand's different over there no idea what i'm doing i'm following the lead completely [Music] cockles live in the sand filtering sea water for nutrients they were particularly popular in the early 1900s and fetched a good price at market what's the new clues that came out to us the amber fighting well a spurt oh look a smith look look look look oh there's loads of spits you've got to get in quickly as the cockles burrow down they often spit out sand a telltale sign of their location some of them would check it all in traditionally they raked up and passed through sieves that allow the small ones to drop back onto the beach this is nothing you could say no nothing i just feel like we're wasting time here we are this bubble's here a rich cockle bed can contain more than a million cockles per acre [Music] as long as you know where to look nothing oh man it's really hard i'm letting you your face says it all yeah cold wet are you cold yeah you know when i think of my village it was a half a mile walk down to the beach we all knew where the cockles were well they all knew and that information was handed down generation to generation so you knew where to go and it was a matter of just scooping up bags and bags full of cockles and it didn't take it didn't take all day [Music] the women have been out for hours and it's in danger of being another fruitless journey lydia it's a muscle bed huh muscles muscles here yeah muscles weren't worth as much as cockles in 1900. what you think i reckon we can almost fill your basket with these don't you yeah but could be sold as bait to fishermen so they're very dirty but they'll clean off so yes [Music] we were all starting to feel a little bit dejected we just sort of thought another wasted trip but um we're going home with something i think they should be pretty impressed yeah yeah [Music] coming in fast it is coming in okay let's get down with a good haul of muscles now word can be sent to the local fishmonger we went to the limit today really but we kept going and we found and now i need a cup of tea and a pea i'm afraid [Music] day six and there's lots of work to be done if the community is to make the most of the fishmonger's visit this afternoon oh you women are amazing i know they're horribly messy they're going to take a hell of a lot of cleaning but we can do that yeah it's a personal challenge for us all [Music] gathered in the davis house all but one of the families are hard at work preparing the muscles it's a labor-intensive job but the cleaner the muscles the higher their value while the rest of the community work on the muscles arewell has his own plans for the past few days he's been assisting joe the shipwright hoping to earn some extra wages hey a joke hello okay good job for breakfast though an egg just an egg and eggs there's something you might want to have with your eggs tomorrow morning straight out of my garden dug last night in the rain they taste really good oh thank you very much and i got you some some apples oh just to say thanks for the help well thanks joe that's really good one last thing some peppercorn yes that is amazing so enjoy nice joke cheers thanks for your help excellent [Music] it's a great boost for the john's good news oh amazing cooking apples i said they're good for stewing yeah but best of all [Music] this is what i think this looks like christmas oh it's oh pepper i even gave a hug in the 1900s pepper was a highly valued spice and would have been a luxury for the working classes it was often referred to as black gold good job mr john die yeah they were excellent really pleased with that [Music] [Music] um i've got a few jobs i want to get done down the boat yeah i'll come back up as soon as i can then okay um what job what did you do down the backyard there man um well yesterday we stuck all the ribs uh into the boat how was he paying yeah [Music] so dr pepper this morning yeah which has made my day i'm i'm really chef today do you have enough to share a nickel uh check with kate i don't i mean i'm not being funny here but you're down at the boat y'all getting something we're here preparing these and you're going to benefit from this so we all need to benefit you know we need to share everything don't we you will share what you got when you are yeah i'm happy to show you yeah you have no idea how much we've got i do feel a little bit bad that i've got all the pepper i'm such a good movie that i mentioned reverend basically everyone that i've seen and i think a lot of people are getting a little bit jealous about that you can't have one person taking everything and the others sort of starving at their feet you know that you'll have to share i could share it i could just sell it i could just keep it all to myself we all chip in we all give whatever we're not using it might be a good battering tool and if i can calm someone down we're going here isn't he's a corn and pepper shut up it might be a bit useful i'll check with kate first because she's looking after all the food but it would be nice to share some of that wealth around if possible [Music] after six days of rough weather finally the sun's out and it looks as though the better weather has boosted community morale kate and narwell have decided to give some of their food to their neighbors we're sharing that's the whole point i mean we are all trying to share without being unkind they just needed a little knowledge that was all so and i said and i felt awful afterwards having said it i did feel terrible but there we are it's done it's cleared the air it's um and we've got the apples that's the main thing [Music] so the fishmonger is on his way and i'm really hoping he gives us a good price for the muscles we collected yesterday because that was that was hard work we're all cut to ribbons with uh scraping all the barnacles off and everything it's a very big moment it'd be our first first earnings outside income we can suck up a few basics again a bit of bacon pay my tab in the shop as well mike heard the fishmonger comes from the nearby town of carnarvon he's the fourth generation of his family to run the business hey are they any good they're delicious fresh fresh the best fresh when when did you pick them yesterday yesterday alongside running the household finances it was traditional for the women also known as fish wives to deal with the fishmonger we've we've cleaned the mama all up ready for you and lydia's been nominated by the families to be chief negotiator so there's no barnacles on them and we've we've picked out all the small ones so they should all be a good size for you full of meat totally absolutely the nicest muscles i've ever tasted what do you think you haven't put stones in the bottom to make the weight up not at all not at all you can pour them out into another bucket whatever well we'll tip them into a circle with diameters in the side okay yes what would they call that third of a sec well you've got to tie the top off i can't do that half there half half half a sack definitely i'd say third no it's much more than a third well for this time because it's your first time we'll pay half a sack can we do just over no no no no no are we happy are we all happier i usually pay five you know what as the sun is out and you're clearly impressed with our first catch we'll go for six a sack and we'll take the three of you today [Laughter] and it's lovely it's lovely doing business with him for the families it's finally paidy but after two days of hard graft they've only managed to earn nine pennies per household the equivalent in modern day money of just three pounds thank you bye [Music] although after a week of nothing it's a sweet success that is a great income from those muscles i think the children are after getting some bon bons from the power shop um i think gav has already spent it in the pub tonight seven eight nine this will get every clive open that bar up quickly while they're holding cash for me what's the best thing for us to spend it on you know yeast and things like that so i can carry on bacon bread 90 each 90 each yeah great thank you it's good to have the in our hands it was worth it yeah great next time god boys in the man hit the seas again well there's someone on that and get their first taste of success but tension surfaces in the community could be our bigger and they'll be good but i'd rather i would rather it was our bigger yeah yeah there needs to be a spirit of generosity amongst the community what are you looking for oh because you cannot have children going hungry and life on the 1900 island gets the better of gavin half a cheese sandwich in 24 hours just can't feed ourselves simple as that the four families were living as a 1900 fishing community on the tidal island of sandwin off the coast of anglesey have made it through their first week [Music] plagued by storms so far the men have failed to catch a single fish and only a last-minute hole of shellfish by the women brought in some much-needed cash but it was far from enough and food rations are once again running low we can always buy some more raisins to put raisins on chocolate picks from plaque i know but things are quite pricey until your dad brings in a decent catch of fish i want to just wait so i don't know how long that money is we've got what 15 p left so i am i don't really want to be spending yeah mother of five natalie and her husband office worker gavin davis have struggled to feed their family since they arrived on the island as a fisherman not catching anything first of all losing a lot of pride over that because i want to go out and have a successful day and provide for everybody and be on my own family and secondly just need that sense of achievement [Music] for retirees cheryl i've been out since about 6 15 to collect some mushrooms and clive barker keeping a tight rein on their purse strings has been a challenge i've had to do it because my skin i've over spent i've been really bad with my budgeting and overspent on everything just living the high life you know we're used to gourmet meals that's what it is you know it's happy we can't break if things are too austere and too hard you get very downhearted and it's quite easy to do that especially if you're not eating well life for the barkers hasn't been helped by a flare-up of gout in clive's left foot it stopped him heading out to sea and earning an income in 1900 i suppose if you were ill you just take to your bed and hope for the best we wouldn't be around at our age i doubt in 1990 no i think we will pass ourselves by date for 1900 [Music] as well as coping with the day-to-day details the families are also grappling with the bigger questions about how the community should function the thing i miss the most is hot running water and sports development officer and leader in their church gareth power hope they can use their christian values to help keep the community together we've got i mean united no matter what no matter what differences in personalities you know we've just got to get on and we've got to be there for one another and that that is vital to our success but not everyone shares the same vision we should be a good day for today though nice and calm slight breeze blacksmith arwell john and university lecturer kate evans have a different view of communal living especially arwell who spent many years living off-grid back in the 21st century i'm familiar with this way of living and i suppose i went through that naivety when i first moved into an off-grid community and the one thing that concerned me early on was the amount of sharing and community spirit going on because you still have to make sure you're healthy and well fed if you can't look after yourself then how are you expected to look after other people [Music] it's mid-morning and offshore the fishing boat is waiting to take the men out to sea all the families have been finding it hard but garvin and natalie with their five children have the most at stake natalie i think she's struggling quite a bit i'm a bit worried i don't think she's eating terribly well at all i think she's so worried that the children aren't getting enough that she's going without food the need for fish is greater than ever food now is getting a little bit scarce well more than scarce there's literally nothing in it's just a big day it's got to be done today really has gone we need fish [Music] we're at the bottom so we're earning the same as the other houses but if there's only two of you to feed then you can be eating like kings [Music] daddy get some fish get some fish the men are wearing modern life jackets as the only 21st century concession and they're back under the watchful eye of skipper stuart gibson morning morning are you ready to do battle again once more and professional fisherman miki beachy last bit of exercise in the morning he's been fishing since he was eight the reality is they're actually living on what they catch or what they forage and uh it's a struggle for them gareth was seasick on their first fishing trip i'm hoping i'm going to fare a bit better this time otherwise it could be a long eight hours i think rf god bless him he's such a lovely chap and he mild man ned but he just needs to up the ante a bit where do you got it guys are well on the other hand tends to want to do things his own way i'm constantly checking the uh direction of the breeze he's a bit bit alarmed to himself for types because if the breeze is right we can get the power in the sailor we can move forward but he's very practical seriously this is so far out my comfort zone it's stupid but garvin at the moment is my number one so you're not going to pull you're up on the floor deck he doesn't backchat so you're going to be doing other things he wants to do well for the family and the community and really busts a gut there's a great feeling amongst the fellas on this boat it's time for us to step up and provide for last week they attempted simple hand lining mickey's teaching them to use the more challenging long line the glass boys are what they would have used back in the day so i'm hoping they last otherwise we're going to lose a long length the long line sits just above the seabed and will hopefully catch bottom feeders like skate and dogfish right keep your hands up there they won't know if the line has caught anything until they pick it up at the end of the day they'll be hand lining for mackerel and herring until then i'm always a superstitious so i never say yeah we're gonna get a good haul until we get out there and actually do it so see how we got on back on dry land the women are once again hard at work it's been non-stop since they arrived on the island and today is no exception for the working classes of 1900 every monday is laundry day this is their white laundry soap can i help you great the women each have a manual to help them we've got a great the soap into here which includes instructions for making their own washing soap and then add hot water washing powder as we know it wasn't invented until 1907. this is when i made elia and it's become like um [Music] slime slime it is like slime isn't it every garment must be washed individually and in a strict order i wouldn't want to do my washing every single week on one of these is hard going just look at the color of that isn't that lovely adwords pants and some socks kate's getting to grips with a traditional washing dolly along with a bucket and mangle it was the 1900 equivalent of a modern washing machine [Music] want to give her a laundry even just a simple little washing machine in that corner that's my washing machine a pot i have cooked food not this week and wash dishes in it and now i'm washing clothes in it [Music] that's worked well isn't it look how lovely and white and shiny that is [Music] checking that line and dropping them down here keep moving that line that the men have been handling for over two hours check this in see what we got but they've yet to get a bite come on boys the pressure's mounting [Music] one of the big motivations for me coming out here was for my kids to see me doing something meaningful after being made redundant in 2013 gavin spent three years struggling to provide for his family i want them to see me come off the boat with a catch suddenly the dad's achieving something vicky hello i think there's something on here yeah she's really hot the water with seven sets of clothes to wash natalie's still up to her elbows in laundry look it's not even dirty and things just get put do you know how hard it is to wash well it's like this not this week not this week they're not shoving it in the wash you're wearing it till it crawls up here to add to natalie's frustration her two daughters fifteen-year-old ruby and thirteen-year-old lily still aren't pulling their weight they seem to have i'm not watching me and nobody helping me something that natalie is all too familiar with in their modern life i happily do it on the washing machine just you have to show me how to do it but you won't because you've got so many other things to do so i don't want to bother you when you're doing stuff it is written on the machine what to do it doesn't that's a spoiled generation that complain about turning on a washing machine i am gonna give you a drink i am gonna make lunch i am gonna give you a drink i am gonna wash your clothes and i am gonna make some brag how disheartening is that it's got all the rust on it from the mangle oh good god look at that it is actually a lot more work than the men really i mean it's a bit of a toddler fishing and then think about it clive who worked as a fisherman in the 1970s is also having a challenging day he's bedridden with gout clive is desperate to get out in the boats which is his main passion i'm sure it'll happen if he can just be patient it's meant he's missed yet another fishing trip the toes still very swollen and it's tender it's been a long time now so big relief when it does go living in 1900 is proving a massive challenge for all the families and out at sea the men are still empty-handed i've been fishing for a long time and you know you go out there some days and you spend hours and hours on end fishing and you don't catch anything it's a world away from the bountiful catches at the start of the 20th century when in just one day in 1907 90 million herring were landed near grade yarmouth fish aren't so plentiful these days as they were back then i think the biggest challenges are factory trawlers or whatever that actually you know suck up tons of fish at the time [Music] that's the difference between then and now and as a massive contributor to lack of fish spin in the ocean us as a species you know have ruined the seas [Music] it's a sobering reality for all modern fishermen and one that isn't helping the novices were relying on century-old fishing techniques [Applause] well there's someone on that good morning i haven't felt that before hey but i think he's a bit small we'll imagine him another one he is actually in size i think we've got another few yeah hey [Applause] boys finally they've hit a shoal of mackerel loads of fish here and can land any over 20 centimeters a modern-day regulation what do you do when you dispatch the back girl is this finger in the mouth yeah thumb at the back you stop shaking oh that's what i like there we go it's not pleasant to do it's got to be done under the circumstances i've got somebody i reckon good lad that's a that's a winner that's a thrill that that's amazing i told you they have that beats anything i've achieved in the last 20 years in an office tell you that much yes god [Music] along with the hall of mackerel the long line has also caught some dogfish we're gonna need a bigger boat not only is it a great catch but for gareth who spent most of last week's fishing trip being sick he's finally found his sea legs i'm looking forward to going back and and uh giving them the good news that we've uh we've got a of fish it's been a superb day today i'm chuffed to bits go back head held high have you smashed it can you see the boat okay i'm coming is it good news [Music] they look happier they look more energetic yeah oh please please please please since they arrived on the island storms and inexperience have hampered their progress but at last they've got something they can be proud of [Music] they've caught 44 mackerel and three dogfish [Music] um never seen um dog fish before no me neither i don't think the dog fish will fetch much money clive can deal with them very easily i know you don't like look them now by the time clown's finished with them no bone just cartilage so the children can eat them and i think we could all do with it actually we'll do with some protein i think so i think the kids need the protein both in 1900 and today dogfish aren't regarded as a high-value species but the families are banking on the mackerel fetching a good price from the fishmonger up to everybody else lily is negotiating i trust the negotiator absolutely whatever decision you take libya mike heard a fourth generation fishmonger from nearby carnervon has arrived to see what's on offer tell us the prices that you'd normally well we'd have to sort them out small and large that's small that it's the small metal yeah would you do you buy the small ones not the smaller ones but not the same price as the big ones obviously okay and what kind of price are we looking at 3p for the small ones okay three pence each for the small macro okay maybe six six medium six six the medium and the large then i can't see any lives can you right who's going to get her hands dirty save counting and we're messing about should we say four and a half i think everybody's happy with that yeah that sounds good to me okay you've got yourself a deal [Music] well i'm thrilled with that yeah i'm thrilled with that it's definitely lifted the spirits now of the community of the whole community it's lifted the spirits of them all feel elated everybody's smiling everyone feels good it's just the best feeling [Music] all right so this one as was traditional the money is being divided between everyone on the boat including mickey and stuart who gets an extra share for providing the fishing vessel so basically stuart you get 55 doubler so 110 and 55 for the other four men 55 pennies was the average daily wage for a fisherman in 1900. it's up to them what to do with it then and whether to share with uh clive and sharrow okay fantastic michael's gone and here's our tea okay clive who missed out on the fishing today because of his gout isn't entitled to a share of the earnings most people catch them bring them down and give them to me because they don't want to do them so but as a former professional fisherman he still has much to offer get the things off first don't need the tail i have no idea how to do this whatsoever but um that's the benefit of having clive here he wasn't here we'd probably still be going hungry there's a bit of meat there if you want to bother with it we could do that's called the belly flap that bit there if you take that out if you can get the skin off of that you've got a bit more meat which is quite nice see this is exactly the kind of knowledge we need and this is the reason why we want to give you a share of the take today oh it's very kind of yes i know yeah well we all know that you're incapacitated at the moment but all you need to know clive is that we wouldn't have got through this without you and cheryl most definitely so from me and my family would like to give you a share all right um very kind of take much appreciated yeah i'm gonna leave it up for us and i'm gonna shake your hands oh thank you very much and you've got dog fish tonight dog fish don't see you again have you prepared that dog fish tonight for you cheers clive thank you gary kind of you very kind of your god we're we're on a roll here yeah oh they gave us give given a sorry sure giving us a very nice yeah as the sun sets the families all tuck into their first fish supper since arriving on the island what do you think of the fish i'm pleasantly surprised more meaty and hard here's a bit more meaty than cod [Music] my name seeing them walk up there with a basket full of fish yeah they all did really well today i'm getting a sense that the 1900 man it was feast off hamming with those guys if they went out and had a good catch they got this feeling today [Music] but we've experienced the down times as well where we didn't catch anything and i'm sure there's testing times ahead [Music] as a new day dawns the sun's out but the wind is blowing and the swell is increasing fishing is off the cards once again fortunately all the families have a secondary income i don't think they talk to me arewell's checking his chickens to ensure they're healthy and happy they're making all the right noises and behaving as i'd expect getting on average 11 11 eggs a day at the moment at three pennies for four eggs it's a good earner do you have any eggs for sale four would be lovely yeah and as one of the few sources of protein on the island when there's no fish they're doing a healthy trade there's only two mouths to feed so we haven't got to feed the whole family but we are doing quite well on money [Music] for lydia earning a small profit from the shop in her front room is a welcome boost and today she's received a grocery delivery oh brilliant what's in here in addition to the basics there are a few luxury items cadburys cocoa essence pure cocoa the early 1900s saw a boom in consumerism manufacturers began to expand their product ranges and improved transport links brought remote communities within reach i hope people are ready to spend their pennies oh that's nice i don't know what that is [Music] luxury items didn't come cheap the tin of cocoa was the equivalent of just over half of a fisherman's daily wage [Music] that smells that smells pretty good what do we make with cocoa powder chocolate yeah oh my gosh right that's probably like going dust right sunny lasagna [Music] griff was having a little play with the tin and pull the lid off and spill it this is going top shelf straight away the new products are worth nothing unless lydia can sell them i have in some cold cream oh that smells nice for the working classes in 1900 it just smells so clean smelling nice was a luxury few could afford yeah that's one chilling two pennies no sorry that is okay well out of my price range it's hard because you have to just sort of look and then walk away and think no i don't need any of that i need meat and sort of like the staples butter sugar lard maybe if we have two days of really good catch then it's a maybe at the moment no [Music] for the davis family natalie is earning extra cash baking bread getting quicker getting better but with the most mouths to feed and at a meager pannier loaf it's not going very far [Music] the 1899 education act of england and wales stated that all children between the ages of 5 and 12 had to go to school david i'm not very happy with that shirt check it in please but truancy was still very common as children were often needed to work and contribute to the family income so children i want you to have a look at my blackboard here and tell me what is on it a map of what the world the world so for your title could you please write on the top of your boards the world in 1905 almost three quarters of primary school teachers in england and wales were women modern-day teacher carrie morgan barley comes to teach the children every weekday from 9 till 3 30. what do we get from the west indies sugar and nutmeg excellent and what do we get from china david t t weldon sugar it was only a select minority of women that could get work as a teacher the majority went into domestic service s u g a response as working class teenagers ruby and lily's education is over i was thinking to maybe help get a little bit of money in um maybe you could do the neighbors washing after you saw me doing it wasn't you do it oh my god weren't you really paying attention while boys over 12 often worked in dangerous manual jobs like fishing ruby and lily would have been sent to work for wealthier households you're off that age you can't just be sat outside watching the children play you need to be actively working yeah okay all right see you later all right see you back bye i love you love you i think she does need to understand that that is what you know what girls her age we're doing doesn't matter what you like you're going to do you know chores that's it i like you always just washing you know i didn't have to do it [Music] hello [Music] hello girls what can i do for you do you have any jobs for us to do what's your ironing like wow as the wealthiest household of the moment the johns are happy to help the girls out there you get them guys okay go crazy that's my head scarf come on a century ago domestic service was britain's number one employer it's quite heavy it was normal for young working-class girls to do a large household's laundry ironing and cleaning as well as helping in the kitchens [Music] i find it an under quite sexist because i can't do the things that the men get to do so it's quite unfair to be honest it's annoying it's taking forever just to do this on a shirt i'm not even like half done yet ugh that's the only word you can use to describe it ugh i'd really want to play outside right now wonder what they're playing we got threatened well sir well done well done girls well done all of you for two hours work kate's paid the girls three pennies about 50p each in today's money was that from the owning you did rio yeah yeah it's a far cry from back home we're lucky if we can get ruby out of the bedroom [Laughter] i don't do anything at home but here i'm doing a lot i'm shattered probably is the man of the house i'd be actually pushing ruby out the door so there's one less mouth to feed telling them to go work tell them to find a man that's quite a sobering thought when you when you think about it all you were good for was cleaning and looking after the kids that was your role in society i think it's completely stupid i think it's just make everything equal for everyone and everyone will be happy and that's why i'm proud of you because that's the attitude you would have needed to fight for your position in the world back then in the early 1900s british society was far from equal women's rights were limited and it wasn't until 1918 that women won the right to vote dav do you want to score one [Music] oh he's away remember not too close [Music] it's another day on sanduin and the wind and swell are still putting fishing on hold you're hungry yep okay the davises are once again tightening their belts that's my t for seven seven people because we've been averaging about 10 eggs a day yeah it's been about 10 days about 9 or 10 eggs a day with less money coming into the community kate and arwell's egg business is starting to suffer we could if we're not careful end up with a glut of eggs they're trying to work out a new marketing plan in the shop the eggs would retail for a penny each so the plan is if we sold them all to lydia buy all of the eggs as we get them at happy each and then you can sell them for a penny each and you get the profit and we won't try and sell them on the side or anything like that this offer would pass all the risk to lydia and her shop but arwell's in two mines it's a big markup though it is a big market it could be their big owner it could be ours are bigger and they'd be good but i'd rather i'd rather it was our bigger owner well there we are so that's the that's the alternative option is that we keep them ourselves and we just sell them yeah kate and adword are brilliant and at the end of the day they're running a business um and you know they need income themselves everyone is just surprised at the price of eggs and that is the same price as a loaf of bread where natalie has to put hours of work in to make the bread whereas an egg you just walk outside pick it up pretty much pure profit food in 1900 was relatively more expensive with no 21st century intensive farming techniques bread cost up to three times as much as today while eggs cost 10 times more as long as there's a real spirit of generosity amongst us then i think the community can continue to succeed because you cannot have children going hungry aware that there's a growing inequality between the families lydia's using her position as shopkeeper to ensure that the orders are fairly distributed kate has got both beef and bacon and rather than tell you your bacon isn't right i can tell kate tobago hasn't arrived because i'm sure because she's all right because she's already got beef anyway okay so they're living they've got loads of meat next door never like kings oh i know don't worry about it no we've got bloody 12 eggs a day around next door as well i know what we're giving our kids absolutely nothing i know but we're a big family that's not the point though she's charging a fortune what did we have for lunch today i had an apple car she had an apple car for lunch are you worried about them not having enough meat next door i know i know it's just the way it is i just think it's overpriced and being held to ransom that's all i know but it's it's their prerogative it's their business i have to respect that that's what they want to charge that's what they want to charge i just need to find a way of getting protein into five children's bellies and eggs are a perfect way of getting that but those prices we just have to find a different way of doing it as the family's second week on the island nears its end there's only one household having eggs for breakfast yeah so where's daddy's bacon it's gone it's completely gone doesn't bacon yo i'm having flat breads with butter oh there's no fried breads there's no flatbreads you know what i'm having butter not everything's going kate and arwell's way either one of their chickens has developed a life-threatening infection in its foot it's not good news really the best thing for a chicken is to uh to end our days unfortunately uh it's for their own happiness really i'd rather should go out a happy chicken rather than live a rest of the days out of miseries but on the flip side uh it's an early sunday so i think someone might have a nice roast dinner on sunday so i'm gonna go finish her off peacefully and as quickly as i and cleanly as i can grew up on a farm in west wales so is familiar with the most humane way to dispatch the chicken [Music] what the problem is oh too much [Music] it's never a pleasant task and i'm i'm quite happy that that went very well first time [Music] [Applause] the chicken will be hung overnight before being gutted and plucked ready for the table tomorrow [Music] and with a sea much calmer the chance to go fishing is once again on the cards just to clean it up a bit but does the rest of the community prepare for the next trip not flying a flag part of any nation a large sailing boat spotted heading their way intrigued to know where she's come from in the 1900s thousands of boats transported goods around our coast and across the world by 1905 wales was exporting 45 million tons of coal a year [Music] it wasn't uncommon for cargo boats to sail into small fishing harbors at high tide and beached themselves as the tide went out so that local men could be paid to unload them i've had over the skipper and he's looking for some uh some boys to to unload the cargo you're interested in some labour yeah yeah yeah okay paid labor pay labor count me in yeah yeah it's coal and flower it's the perfect opportunity for both men and women to earn some extra income [Music] and unlike fishing it's guaranteed the men are unloading the boat while the women are scrubbing the boats hull okay okay this hand is my biggest worry well it's not a what is just a bit of a pain because it just slows you down that much more moving your own weight through the sound is hard enough let alone carrying two big sacks of coal so i think i've probably got about 60 pounds in my shoulder it's quite physical i'm not quite sure i'm uh built for such laborious tasks for fishermen and women in the 1900s hard physical graft was all in a day's work but for our modern day families it's proving a shock he's got his angry face on and i don't know why i don't know whether it's because it's just so heavy he just looks he looks really gross when i don't get a smile i know he's ready across of all the men in the village with a household of seven gavin's calorie intake has taken the biggest hit how many of these are oh nowhere half a cheese sandwich in 24 hours and and two forks full of uh corned beef giving everything to the kids because the bloody eggs are too expensive but surviving on so little foods absolutely killing me i just can't feed ourselves simple as that just enough get past this be fine just sometimes in this environment it's it's harder than it looks to live in just the basic necessity of food alone not having that feeding your kids first leaves you with very little to operate on but if you've got a load of eggs you're fine [Music] i mean having the chickens has been a bit of a blessing in disguise really and so some of you've heard the odd whisper like oh but it's just pure profit yeah all you're doing is collecting eggs and selling them but no i mean i'm cleaning the chickens out i'm checking their health they do take work in themselves i'm not just waiting there for the morning like come on where's the egg buff there's another there's another penny lovely but our whale's eggs aren't the only bone of contention the chicken's uh i know it's been killed all right we don't know where it is now well i asked that well what he's going to do with it i asked him if he was going to eat it and he said no it's worth too much money to eat so i said i don't think there's enough money in the village to buy it so he said he'd probably eat it right is he sharing no that's a question for him no that's a question for him well okay hope it chokes him but all of the families have their own income as not just the fish i mean the davises they bake you have the shop with the powers that's an income for them and the barkers they've got the tavern that's an income for them so i mean we all have our own little ways of bringing in the sideline i think i've just got to put a lid on it i think everything's just magnified in this environment yeah you know you're tired hungry sometimes you are running on empty and it's very hard it must have been tough on them the reality is nothing here comes easy no there's effort be it financial outlay or time nothing here is easy [Music] i think for most of the families on the island the honeymoon has now finished thanks for your help got some money here for you first of all ladies despite their differences for everyone it's paydays thank you but in 1900 women were nearly always paid less than men so the men are getting two shillings sixpence each and the women are only receiving one shillings at the start of the 20th century for the working classes saturday night was bath night not sure i'm just making it dirty [Music] most families could only afford to wash once a week sharing the same water just pour it all over not fast just bit by bit oh my goodness look at the dirt is that off my hands or your face my face [Music] it was customary for the man of the house to go first i'm the youngest child lust let's get you into your bed with cash in their pockets the families and the crew of the cargo boat celebrate a hard day's work the tavern which historically would have been men only has relaxed its rules and tonight everyone's welcome [Music] [Applause] hello guys um hi hi hi my name is yannick are you what's your name uh gareth gary nice to meet you the events have probably said hello properly yeah you have it yeah you're right mate nice good to see you yeah yeah actually um i'm i've got no place to stay tonight does anyone have any like uh spare bed or something i'm willing to pay by the way so but actually i think we could accommodate there we have a special competition one of the cargo boat crew 21 year old yannick martinez has decided to jump ship a relatively common occurrence you got a bed we have a bed in the 28 1900s of merchant seamen were foreign born she's an excellent cook as well oh wow that adds to it good porridge in the morning yeah lunch what sort of money were you thinking of two shillings and six months a week i think i can do that yeah okay okay then we have a deal we have a deal and if you're eating too much it'll have to go up oh okay welcome to the village yannick okay thank you welcome to the village thank you very much the cargo boat's been a great boost to the community it's brought in cash and a lodger for the barkers we are a bit short of cash so yes it would be a big help hopefully it will improve our finances not sure how to cope with the intrusion on the privacy we won't be able to walk around naked to use the chamber part in the middle of the night [Music] it's sunday the sabbath and in 1900 it's a day of worship and rest [Music] a houseguest yannick is a very nice young man he's a little bit off the wall and he reminds us a little bit of our son janik's modern life as a computer science student at bangor university is about as far removed from 1900 life as you can get yesterday i went to sleep and i was pretty excited about waking up as well because i i didn't know what to expect this day and i still don't know janek was born in spain and has lived in several different countries but is currently settled in the uk i'm at a stage in my life where i'm sort of trying to figure out okay what do i want to do and i realize i want to do pretty much everything really i want to go to the edge of the world as far as i can go as a hub of global sea travel by the start of the 20th century the uk was seeing a steady influx of overseas sailors there is a knife okay thank you the 1905 aliens act introduced new controls for the first time immigrants had to register on arrival at british shores potato potatoes yannick will need to find a job if he wants to stay [Laughter] they're all pretty welcoming so far i wonder who this is my man [Music] in 1900 working-class children often begged for food and within less than two weeks the davis's youngest child has picked up the habit are you still hungry your belly belly's hungry is it yeah when i came in yesterday uh i heard some stories i heard someone say that they had to go without eating just so that they could feed the little ones and there's lack of food and things for the kids everyone becomes grumpy and they're hungry my fear would be that people turn on each other if we all sort of work as a team and understand this then it should be should be okay with a community spirit still fragile lydia's trying to bring everyone back together hi carrick okay hello i did just to let you know we're gonna hold the service in our house okay so would you like to come along it's gonna be just a little thing in our house yeah okay fab we're aiming for about 10 fishing communities were often deeply religious and it provided much needed spiritual support [Music] with only a ruined chapel on the island the families are coming together in the powers front room well you'll scrub up pretty well good-looking audience i'm going to read a little passage now from from the bible it contains fish and fishing so i thought we'd probably relate to this in a different way [Music] they went forth and entered into a ship immediately and that night they caught nothing but when the morning was now come jesus stood on the shore we're all trying to survive the challenge and overcome it and i think this is where we've all got to pull together they answered him no and he said support one another be generous with one another be there for one another they cast therefore and if we can make our priority being united and helping meet the needs of those around us then i think everyone's a winner in those situations all right come on then it was a lovely service gareth was just fabulous he really was um he did he did a he did a really good job harwell's chicken is gutted and ready for roasting but instead of taking it home for himself another quick word no more dad outside yeah yeah come in not a lot of meat on where's it sunday that's really really generous of you you're pretty serious we've just had a load of bacon with cash in their pockets from yesterday's work the davis family have eaten well today and gavin's decided not to accept the chicken all right thanks very kind of you to think of us darwil's offer seems to have made all the difference how bad do i feel he just offered me the chicken no i said he's very very kind he has restored my faith in humanity [Music] next time truth is you're not eating enough i am you're not i know you're not the powers come up with a plan to help the davises we were thinking of putting together a food hamper but not everyone's on side i don't i don't give charity like that i don't like that personally i cannot stand back and let friends stop and the men head out on their toughest fishing trip yet [Music] right i know i know really good stuff right it's early morning in the village's third week on the tidal island of sandwin off the west coast of angles [Music] that's it we need quite a bit of stones in there boys professional fisherman with over 40 years experience miki beachy is teaching the man a new technique preparing lobster pots to be set out at sea i need six good pieces of bait from the shed that's in the barrel it's quite a strong smell going on that's because we've got rotting fish the men are using traditional hand woven lobster pots a piece of fish bait is fixed inside and the pots placed out at sea hopefully the lobsters will smell the bait and climb in through the top becoming trapped inside there's no supermarket on the corner they're selling their produce with the catching we've had dribs and drubs of fish or whatever so it's very important for them to catch some lobsters so that they can sell it get a few more bit more money in their pockets to be able to feed the families [Music] just like today lobsters were a highly prized catch at the beginning of the 20th century proving popular with the upper classes oh that's perfect put weight in there yeah see what if we make a success of this over the next few days we're going to go into that last week we've got a bit of money on our hip with five young children to feed out of all the families the success of the lobster putting is most important for gavin davis i want this to be really good because if we have a good catch we could eat really really well you can get by being hungry but it'd be nice just to have that big lift in the community and have a successful couple of days [Music] have a seat nanny oh thank you student janik martinez has moved in with clive and cheryl barker as a lodger it's working really well he's very very easy company very helpful does a lot of collecting of the water yes it's good all good and the extra money is really useful but to cover his costs yannick needs to work morning morning morning morning joe thank you see you later he's managed to secure a job as an apprentice with joe ormond the island shipwright come on in yannick thank you where abouts we're born i was born in spain my father's uganda okay my mother is spanish most of my life i've been in england so i'm kind of more used to the people and the way they are where would you ultimately settle do you think i think anywhere close to the sea would be here because yeah this place is beautiful so ancient as long as the weather stays warm and i can jump into the sea as an apprentice in 1900 yannick's work and even his personal life would have been strictly controlled by the contract between him and his employer joe the said apprentice will serve his master and obey his lawful commands he will not embezzle or waste the goods of his master nor frequent taverns or ale houses can we read the terms and conditions one more time apprenticeships go back to medieval times by the late 19th century there were over 340 000 apprentices across britain so the cut happens as it as it comes towards you not away from me yannick will be helping joe to build a new dinghy for the community make it look really easy if he can make a good impression with potentially high earnings at stake mickey would rather not rely on a novice when it comes to the difficult job of setting the lobster pots at sea clive barker from kent used to fish for a living in his early thirties we're rigging the pots with obviously a boy and a lion they're weighted they're going to be put over the side of the boat all you'll see is the boy floating and then you just sit on there baited waiting for a big beetle to crawl in since clive arrived on the island he's been unable to sail and earn money because of a bad case of gout it's been a testing time for him and his wife cheryl is this you struggling that's all right that's okay but today has seen an improvement in his mobility [Music] he's been chomping at the bit found it very difficult having to stay shore bound while everyone else goes and that's why he really needs to get out there okay here we go [Music] i was getting a bit disappointed by not being able to get out on the water excited i'm going fishing and now i looked at it looking forward to it very much [Applause] clive and mickey are wearing modern life jackets alongside traditional oil skins made from waxed cotton protecting them from the elements you're going to end up on the boat yesterday no the baited lobster pots need to be dropped close to the rocks around the island i'm struggling around a tricky job as the swells picking up okay you can drop that puck he's gone lovely to be out on the sea don't mind the rough water at all [Music] in the boat shed joe's got the annex started on a set of ores for the new boat never playing off the edge like that because that will just split now you've always got to go into it okay yeah small remote communities like this relied on their own skills to make and repair all their fishing equipment i'm on this island constantly thinking about surviving and what i'm gonna eat on the next meal but here when i'm when i'm sort of working on the wood and on the horse i sort of forget about everything else it's like a meditation yeah it's like i'm diving into a little world where only i and the ore exist so it's nice [Music] natalie davis is also adjusting to life on the island sounds weird to say but it seems enjoyable today just sort of outside it's gorgeous where there like everybody else is doing this you can chat everyone's milling around it's lovely oh come on down jump in you're gonna get your feet wet in the sea there get it damn there's a shark am i going to do like this can you do what i'm doing and go i would definitely say we're learning as the weeks go by getting to grips with the routine of things it has very quickly become like our normal life [Music] for lydia power life back home in cardiff seems far away got so much to be grateful for modern day but if a lady from this era came into the 21st century i think they'd be completely overwhelmed by the pace expectations modern society [Music] it's hard to beat the simplicity of life that we have here [Music] with all the pot set it's a waiting game to find out if they've caught anything until then they've no choice but to eke out what's left in their store cupboards come i want to see clear plates none more so than family of seven the davises you got anything for after mum uh apple give my apple to these yeah that was excluding me and you the truth is you're not eating enough i am you're not i know you're not you've had breakfast today and that's it how is that enough [Music] you know they're not complaining they're just like i love another bowl of porridge you can't have porridge three times a day there's just like nothing worse than that feeling of not being able to feed your kids [Music] two doors down lydia and her husband gareth run the village shop from their front room 12 through 6 18. i'm in the position i suppose with the shop where i can see what people are buying how well people are eating um cheryl and clive are fine keaton ladwell are fine um but i am a bit concerned about the davises the greatest need right now is is food [Music] as devout christians the powers are a charity-minded family when you think of well the bible said they shared everything in common especially in small communities like this on the island yeah and at the moment i just feel there's need in our community yeah and i think this is where as a community we need to pull together with no social security safety net it was down to local charities institutions and individuals to help those in need we're thinking you know the davises are struggling a bit financially um and struggling to put food quite literally on the table we were thinking of putting together um like a food hamper essentially and that we can just present to them just if you give us some idea of what you'd like us to contribute we are more than happy thinking cheryl's home cooking it'd be lovely for you to cook yeah so if you do a meal and a pudding yeah i think that'd be amazing i've really we've both really felt for them i can't imagine the feeling looking in the pot and there's nothing there no that's fine i consider it dark hello hello [Music] next stop kate evans and her partner arwell john from swansea i was going to ask could we put some eggs in the hamper but i'd be happy to donate four eggs i'm just thinking as a family of seven um could i push you to seven eggs [Music] too much for you guys yeah questions [Music] thank you so much [Music] [Music] [Music] next day and gavin's off with mickey to check on the lobster pots the potential gold at the bottom of the sea [Music] i'm going for the off-white neutral look not getting out onto the water is proving a challenge for experienced rower kate in the 1900s there are very few examples of women becoming part of a sailboat's crew i would love to get out in the fishing boats and have a go i started rome when i was about 14 in the bristol channel i'm then when i was in my 20s started rowing for wales but what i've found in the last three weeks is that women were tied to the home and you know cut off from the workplace yeah i was finding a bit drudgery really the fight for women's suffrage was becoming increasingly intense at the beginning of the 20th century with meetings and marches in many towns and cities but it wasn't until 1918 that women finally got the vote i don't think there's any limitations to abilities according to your sex because really if you're capable of doing the work just do the work [Music] as a man in the 1900 community for our well island living has proved more satisfying she has been really missing going out in the boats like she's a little bit jealous to be honest with you [Applause] i'm going for muscling this instead [Music] i [Music] that's very disappointing i'm not i'm not giving up for a second not a chance [Music] adwell and i were up both of us independently last night overnight kate's been having second thoughts about lydia's charity hamper neither of us felt particularly easy afterwards with the idea of giving just such a demonstrative obvious thing um and in our heads gavin would be pretty crestfallen that he'd not been able to provide and i know it's meant well but i just i just think we can do things on the quiet that aren't going to make them feel such a needy case i think is a bit of a slap in the face personally if that's how you both feel then you know you're at liberty to do whatever makes you feel comfortable if you'd rather give something small and if you'd rather do it yourself go ahead i've done the meals that's that's it really i can't do a lot i mean you didn't ask me to do any more did you no because i think this is using your gifts that's right i was also a little bit bristled by being slightly or the feeling that we were slightly strong-armed into oh can't you give this much can't you give this much i don't like that i don't i don't give charity like that let me start then by just saying i'm really sorry that you felt um pushed to give no was that what it is yeah no i'm sorry you felt that way i like i say if you don't want to be a part of it you really don't i personally i cannot stand back and let friends stop give me a show please okay sure okay do you don't want to cut off tape i have the kettle on no i'm fine okay i hope i didn't upset her i hope i didn't upset her but i think i made it [Music] kate can be a bit confrontational i'm sure she doesn't mean to be but come across as a little bit confrontational we've gone to bed so chuffed a bit that we were all coming together to meet this need to do something whilst the hump is a lovely idea you're giving people a care package that'll last a day it's not about giving people handouts it's about giving them the means to maintain self-respect and dignity and work their own way out of those problems there's two there's two sources of meat that have protein now with the corn beef and the bacon [Music] we tried to do something that would gather the community so yeah i was really disappointed [Music] the way we try and do that is by giving our time giving what we can with our skills teaching i spent yesterday teaching the kids to sew so yeah it's just a different way of doing it so i'm going to get this just like come on this there we are perfect bloody perfect good boy spot on me let me get it right all right keep it keep it coming across the back of the boat and there's nothing in it [Music] it's another disappointment for the families as of about an hour ago we ran out of money it's all been spent [Music] careful keeps knock knock hello oh my goodness what is this these are a few little gifts and we just wanted to extend our love to you and make sure that you and all the kids have gotten food in the house [Music] oh my god it's really overwhelming thank you so much so show us donald cookie oh my goodness it's really overwhelming it really is but it's just so so thoughtful i feel so loved they're just the best people i don't think i've ever been more excited to see a leak you know it oh oh my goodness thank you so so much no you're welcome i'm so so thoughtful we all went along thank you so much you're welcome so so special quite nice actually because we're eating it she's [Music] a little bit speechless here you know isn't that so so kind it's a big step for gavin he's turned down previous attempts at charity within the community [Music] we will eat tonight including mommy i'm not very good at this i'm just going to give you a hug thank you very much thanks scott and you is that all right yeah i'm i'm i'm holding it together so i'm just going to do this i'll even give you a kiss as well mate there's really no really there's no need you've got very generous parents you're very lucky love you love you too [Music] [Music] head of the house and you want to provide for your kids and you don't want people to think that you're struggling but i've not my pride hasn't taken a knock with this because i think it's come from such genuine loving people it's not felt like charity it's just nice to be part of a community isn't it [Music] with the lobster pots unproductive so far and food supplies and savings running low mickey's got a new plan we've got a golden opportunity to go on a bigger boat we're going to try that thing we're doing long lining and we're doing hand lining that's the good part of it the bad part of it is maybe a couple of nights overnight on the boat he's arranged for them to go fishing for further and longer than ever before it's a big challenge for the novice fishermen and also a greater risk as they head into unknown waters using yet more new equipment it's probably one of the most dangerous occupations you could have it doesn't matter what dealer you're in in the 1900s around 1 in 10 apprentice fishermen were lost at sea ten percent doesn't sound an awful lot but if that ten percent is your flesh and blood and your child your brother your son you know it's a it's it doesn't matter does it the percentages it's your own flesh of blood that's gone [Music] how you doing hello you okay yeah well have you got that face on you're going away going away [Music] don't worry we'll be fine [Music] i've never really left my family for more than a few nights at a time and even then it's very very rare so being away for two or three nights is a massive deal i think because we've got five kids and we've got a busy life that natalie and i hugely rely on each other so not being around means that everything's going to fall unnaturally [Music] you're all right yeah yeah yeah i can see honestly you're fine it's gonna be amazing okay yeah promise you be brilliant [Music] as gavin's eldest son it's falling on nine-year-old jew to step up as the man of the house you know i'd be going away for a couple of days doesn't worry or anything just make sure you're a good boy for your mum okay just make sure you help out as much as you can i'll show you away i'm going to try and add some money as well okay come here i think it's a hug the fishing trip has implications for kate too while the men are away the lobster pots will still need checking i've got a proposition here how do you fancy a little bit of ruin yeah yeah good lovely good okay although women very rarely went far out to sea they were often to be found fishing inshore from rowing boats yay get on water been killing me just looking at it in all honesty it's a bit of a game changer for me actually because to have something that takes me from this strip of houses would actually be pretty special for me personally [Music] [Music] it's the next morning and the men are heading down to board their new vessel at 65 foot she's a bigger boat than they used to allowing them to go out further and for longer hopefully catching more fish [Music] of course i'm worried about him it's quite old now to be going fishing no communication won't know how they're doing won't know anything so yeah this is a big worry big worry [Music] [Music] how many fish do you want me to get yeah nine okay [Music] look after each other yeah [Music] daddy griffin [Music] it will be the longest the men and women have been apart since they arrived on the island and the stakes are high we just need some bloody fish you know i think it's got to the point now where i'm not too concerned what kind of fish we catch let's just catch loads of them the men will be using every technique they've learned so far but crucially mickey is also going to teach them to use a net their best chance of getting a big catch while the men are away kate and cheryl are checking the lobster pots feels nice doing what i know i can do but i haven't been able to thus far and the truth is villages like this lost a lot of guys someone has to keep bringing stuff in many women in these coastal communities were often as skilled at in-show fishing as the men nearly there nearly there here we come here she comes she comes she comes she comes comes oh hello that was this resounding plop got it one two three nothing in the first one disappointing right that one next [Music] you get that way up there mickey wants the men to cast a net for the first time oh just rotated of it yeah roll it around a bit get that knot out of the way right hold on all the time hold it hold it ideally if i was going to shoot the net it'd be right by those rocks in a channel the gill net works by snagging fish as they swim into it it's anchored with a chain at both ends and boys are used to keep it upright in the water it's key not to tangle it leave check your bar yo come on in ready to go yeah you've got it over the side yeah guys but at 300 yards long it's unwieldy and could easily pull an unsuspecting man overboard it's a bit of a mission actually because we're competing against the wind and the size of the boat there's more dangers involved if anybody's feet are in the way there's only one way to go that's over the side that's it that's it good boys easy easy easy feet feet feet and hands and buttons what do you do it down around a bit feet it's getting heavy now boys so keep it away from your body [Music] the nets now anchored to the seabed and as the 80-ton boat drifts away from it the men are struggling as the net pulls against them so i'll take attention here [Music] with the net at full stretch finally the second anchor is dropped to the seabed okay training chaining nicely easy easy easy nothing nice hold on boys [Music] yeah it's quite intense it catches the water catches the wind and it's pulling and pulling all five of us at the same time it was dangerous i was both telling you no they won't know if they've caught anything until tomorrow oops daisy just lean on to me i'm embraced here you're okay these clothes are so cumbersome kate and cheryl are hauling in the last of the lobster pots oh there's a lobster oh my god we got one oh we've got big daddy that's a big bugger oh my god look at that we've got two how's that i'm a little nervous of picking it up but i have got gloves oh my god look at the size of that he's feisty look at him go for it two lobsters are worth a full day's pay oh hang on no i can see eggs she's a lady she's a girl oh she is a lady yeah definitely both ladies are they oh no in order to protect lobster numbers egg laden females are generally no longer taken in uk waters look at how beautiful she is she's loving she would have eaten beautifully yeah sorry lovely so both lobsters are returned back you go but they're still a positive we beat the boys that's why through my head not that we're competitive or anything so [Music] tomorrow's another day boys bed early tonight now and let's see what tomorrow brings [Music] what can you see evan i'm trying to see if the dad's about oh i wonder how they're getting on i hope for their sake they'll get fish they'll feel good coming back being able to tell the wives and the kids look what we've got it'll be nice for them be nice for us too minded [Music] [Music] after 24 hours at sea the men are about to find out if their hard work has paid off first they're preparing to bring in a long line that they set yesterday have you still got him grav come on fourth side gavin is spotting for the small boys that mark its position just report side we've lost them behind the sail now i've got it 80 yards yeah yeah bottom straight go ahead [Music] dead ahead 100 yards i got it i got it you got them yet yeah mickey's pulling up the boy that marks one end of the 200-yard long line with a hundred hooks along its length it's been suspended just above the seabed overnight okay this is the one boys two fish and every hook easy okay i think it comes in boys looks coming up books coming up [Music] oh yep [Music] using a single blow between the eyes goodbye to quickly and humanely kill the fish right feel those right these are thornback ray commonly known by fishermen as skate beautiful aren't they really despite their excitement at catching a new species the hundred hook long line has only delivered three fish let's call it half time our time the cup final it's not over here we'll take both if something's happening on the island the women have decided to supplement their dwindling supplies with what they can forage from the land go there ladies let's go they're heading for the mainland across the tidal causeway we don't have skirts to go at [Music] which way auntie cher down here as an experienced forager charles leading the women and will help identify what's safe to eat if they can find anything not the best way to get down the sand dune wasn't it but quite fun [Music] it is lovely to be out the house away from the stove sounds awful but away from the kids as well just to have that little bit of freedom to be able to have a laugh with the girls it's lovely yannick's been left in the village making sure the stoves don't go out well twelve-year-old lily is looking after the younger children [Applause] in 1900 all the children were often called upon to care for their younger siblings i'm just going to do the washing so then when my mum comes back from a hot day of work she will need to [Music] [Applause] the men are getting ready to pull in the net expectations are high i don't think we're gonna have enough time to like get all the fish out yeah so we're just gonna be a bloody good massive haul pulling it in as fast as we can what we're trying to do is not snag under the boat we don't want the boat to drift over the neck that's the that's the idea good shot okay i've got the i will pull it in this way now okay boys on to the deck brother we go wind against this again right are well yeah pull that line what i've got yeah they've got to move fast the boat's drifting the wind's blowing and the nets dragging through the water but hopefully it's full of fish you can get that fish out we've got titan quickly feed it through feed it through at the start of the 20th century fishermen all along the welsh coast regularly pulled in hundreds of fish in a single catch okay leave it and keep pulling keep pulling keep pulling it quick quick go watch your feet lads a lot of net down here oh well you're in it come on nice and steady nice and steady getting close now but as they pull the net in it's not looking good keep coming keep coming let's go feed wrong to make matters worse the nets now tangled around the bow if they don't release it quickly and the net tangles in the rudder then the out-of-control boat could smash onto the nearby rocks a member of the boat crew clambers overboard to try and free the net now quick i've got you sorry about it just get it off there mickey has no choice but to call it they have cut the net to free it the men haul in both halves of the damaged nets bring that side in front decided that's it it's all in it's a disaster ah hell one bloody fish is that it yeah that's what we call an anti-climax we put our 300 yard net and had one fish in it that feels like a right kick in the teeth after two days at sea the men have only caught a handful of fish not best please not enough for four hungry families don't worry we all understand your frustration [Music] really not happy at the moment i'm disappointed for myself and i'm more disappointment for the boys because they really wanted that to work and i wanted to work for them [Music] so what are we looking for sure you might find puff balls or you might find shaggy ink caps i'm looking for shaggy ink caps apparently oh look [Music] one mouthful that'll feed an army picking and eating wild mushrooms is potentially very dangerous but cheryl knows what she's looking for [Music] yeah look at this one oh my goodness this smells mushroomy i'm sure it's edible foraging for mushrooms and other wild food has been practiced for millennia and would have been a key part of the diet in 1900 what was this shagging cap it's an ink cap absolutely well done pop it in good job let's go to the beach [Laughter] on the way back the women stop off at the causeway to pick seaweed this is lava seaweed traditionally in wales this is the seaweed that we eat so in welsh we call it bara lao i've never found it wild before myself and there's plenty here and it's free girls i think the tide's coming in yeah [Music] back at home lydia's busy making a traditional welsh recipe of lava bread the seaweed's been boiled for hours and now she's frying it in bacon fat with a sprinkling of oats but it's not to everyone's taste i've added just a little bit of porridge [Music] i'm sorry lydia i really saw it it's seaweed aloe vera it's tasty it's on your cheek it's on your cheeks there you can try that it's called lava bread i don't really like it lily do you want to try [Music] as the light starts to fade the men have one last chance to put out a long line on their remaining net okay let's go with it out she goes nice and easy right nice and steady is it going out the right yeah grab it punching up there in a minute yeah i want it you got it does that feed it out [Music] right keep the tension on the ball you keep the tension on the boy that's it that's better boys that's it okay yeah that's brilliant let's go down hold it hold it and bite your weight that looks a bit better than it there you go look at that magic [Music] well jesus i want to thank you at the end of the day the weather turned and the conditions changed in our favor i asked now in the name of jesus that when we wake there we fish on those lines they'll be fishing those nets and we'd better go home with fish and a good report for our families in jesus name amen amen [Music] as dawn breaks there's a flurry of activity on board got it good clothes english cookies you can all right here comes the line who's coming to you yeah first the men are bringing in the long line down the deck right down the deck empty hook fingers wow wow yeah nice fish a member of the dogfish family look at all the fish with one swift humane blow the bull house is dead all right laying in but one fish isn't going to feed the families for long all the men's hopes are now resting on the net i said goodbye got it goodbye guys head in in the cubs and it comes quickly we've got a neck full of heading boys [Music] there we go there we go that's all we like to say brilliant boys well done yes [Music] this this is what i call sweet relief this just proves if you put the effort in you keep persisting no matter your ability sheer determination will win out in the end [Music] that's what it's all about absolutely ecstatic putting steam on the table as they say but we can live without a bit of the pressure of catching those finally success 91 82 83 it's a new record 84 85 85. that will feed us for the week good effort perfect at the very last minute the men have pulled it off they've caught 85 herring three mackerel three thornback rays and one bullhus they can return home with their heads held high [Music] [Music] i'm gonna get out and give him a huge [Music] [Laughter] [Music] that's the kind of welcome you want after three days and two nights at sea [Music] it's a hero's welcome i can't tell you how glad i am to have my feet on ground that's not moving i've missed you so much [Music] all right so glad to see you nice to be back how many fish did you get oh i pulled out the bag last minute [Music] yeah it's only a little bit a little bit where are you yeah it went very well did you please be out there yeah i bet you were done what you wanted to do you've been out in that vote yeah it's lovely show us the money then rice so there's 85 herring mackerel in there and pulled out to see it what was it six o'clock this morning o'clock six yeah so what's that that's the thorn rate thought film about rain good touch i think we've come a really really long way starting to feel like a fisherman of sorts now wow isn't that beautiful we'll have a good last week it'll be good well we'll be smashing good effort well done [Music] next time the modern industrial age beckons threatening their traditional [Music] with that livelihoods stop progress can you the community are forced to adapt to stay afloat cow yes squire look at the size of my muscle i'm not sure how much of a good idea this is but it all proves too much for one family this is our end now isn't it this is actually our end same way yeah i need a bit of water on here really respect yeah this bit i'm glad you i'm glad you do this man go ahead he wants a good soap in the stone the four families who are living on the tidal island of sanduin off the coast of anglesey have settled into life of a traditional 1900 fishing community [Music] clive who was a professional fisherman over 40 years ago is working with fish wives lydia and natalie i'm gonna have to have a go preparing the skate the men caught to the end of last week through the bone so you just cut that bone right a bit of bone lift the wings a bit spiky but you have to be careful to get all of it and then just run that right along there just like that wow got a wing there okay just dip there okay take as much meat off as you can and then down close in there with the knife once the three skates and the 89 other fish are ready for sale the families are hoping for the best earnings yet from the fishmonger we've got one last part to pick up here out at sea professional fisherman mickey who's worked the welsh coast since he was eight and arwell are checking on the lobster pots they're both keen to add to the recent big catch this is gonna be a bit dodgy this is a bit close to the rock as you are left hand down left and down right and down right right and down sharp fish that's it's a good boy good boy [Music] is this in there with the pots empty they try handling one of the oldest and simplest fishing techniques that uses a reel of hooks to catch the fish down in the boat shed under the guidance of shipwright joe apprentice yannick is putting the finishing touches to the community's new dinghy they'll use it to fish in the shallows around the island okay so what we're going to do so we keep we'll keep the stitch all on the top surface here up and down so you go down once janik joined the community two weeks ago when he jumped ship from a cargo boat replicating many other mariners who settled in the uk during the first decade of the 20th century they want to look the same i know that's what i mean but it's good that they don't look the same you know why why they have some character yeah handmade handmade spatulas yep by yannick the apprentice yes master it's a master that sounds good i like i like master that's my first ore pretty much complete but yeah i'm really i'm really pleased with with how they look and the work i've put into it and seeing the final result and yeah tomorrow we will try them out and hopefully they don't snap mickey and darwell are having some success hand lining oh fish on oh dude treat me boy every extra fish is more food and money for the community another three macro laying out so i've got four today just four more than the pro something i'm saying much well i've been doing mustard well to be fair to him was quite good he was good but um he is a quite competitive chap and what i you know when you're the two of you in the boat there's no competition you need to work as a team really obviously listen to what i was saying i felt that he it was on the tip of his tongue that he wanted to do it some other way you know his way six nine ten eleven despite a reasonable catch of five herring and eleven pollock fishing isn't living up to arewell's expectations in terms of time spent and effort you know put out i would argue that it isn't really worth it uh and i will be honest i'm still not convinced on fishing it's a lot of effort with very little gain jury's out it might not be what he wanted but every fish adds to the hall for the fishmonger's visit can i help yeah you wanna have a go and that means more work for the women right then so i'm going in [Music] oh i'm sorry fish they know that once gutted the pollock will be worth more money come on girls [Music] you're a proud [Music] with the days fishing over arewell's working on a new project so what i'm making here is a love spoon uh pretty traditional gift of love in wales he's carving a present for his partner kate i bet she thinks i'm just mucking about doing my own thing but little does she know that this is a gift for her i think i'll be a nice surpriser actually after three weeks gavin's also settled into life on the island when you're done that you're going to come in for a cup of tea yep have a break yep even if the work of a 1900 fisherman is unrelenting there's always something always something and even if i'm going fishing or just knocking about outside even though my shoes are in bits i've got to find time to polish my boots there's just always something to do we'll be able to say won't we back in the day we had it hard we'll do that when we lived in 1900 that's proper draft there's no rest for the wicked next door in the john's house our wells finished his love spoon there oh my lovely [Music] the welsh have been giving love spoons for over 350 years and traditionally they represent a contract of marriage lydia's had a busy day but the shop she runs from her front room is still open for business a leak and a cat rat you can have them okay for the half okay all right yeah if it's more i can drink some more no no no that's fine it's fine you take them for two-year-old griff his day is definitely done okay this shop is never shut is it love it doesn't feel like it first thing in the morning last thing at night open all hours shop is open all ours [Music] it's a beautiful dawn over sandwin island this afternoon the fishmonger's coming to buy the latest catch and fill the family's coffers but first there's a cause for celebration how are you well my morning very good the families are all gathering in the boat shed to help launch the new dinghy the shipwright joe and janik have been building over the past weeks perfect day for the maiden voyage i'm really excited and hopefully we're going to be able to sail off into the sunrise we just have to throw kids out yeah yeah that's yannick's yannick's work that all these are yannick's work she's got lovely lines i always say [Music] [Music] the dinghy will give the families more opportunity to catch and earn [Music] okay guys who's coming with me joe's taking the children for a spin [Music] it's a chance for the next generation to start learning the ropes stop just hold on tight okay [Music] are we leaking we're not leaking guys she looks really nice in the water the ears are still holding out that's good but yeah it looks really nice we're gonna go around a few circles well we can't just keep on going out to sea okay ladies and it's not just the youngest members of the community who are getting their first boat trip natalie and lydia are heading out with mickey this could be quite entertaining for centuries women weren't generally allowed to work on sailing boats but there's evidence that they did fish close to shore from dinghies are you off now mickey well we're going to check some lobster pots on it i'm feeling a bit queasy already oh don't don't be sick please don't be sick with spirits running high yannick and gavin want to see how the new dinghy fares as a fishing boat i've got the back if you go on the back yeah who's the heaviest this is my first time is it yeah down the course that's lovely we're fishing for sharks today hopefully get a big one i don't want any blood on this boat can't guarantee that there's a big one in the middle here all right because they need to catch up with this end okay as the families row out around the island another new boat looms on the horizon a huge steam-powered troller wow wow the first steam fishing boats appeared in the 1870s and from the start of the 20th century they began to dominate the seas gareth have you seen this come and have a look in the welsh port of milford haven 60 steam trollers were built between 1905 and 1912. can't stop progress canyon it meant the beginning of the end for traditional sail powered working boats and for small fishing communities around the british coastline the big man squeezing that little man basically imagine you want to spell us out here doing this and that turns up you know your days are numbered how do you compete with that i mean you can as the demand for fish from growing urban populations grew rapidly at the start of the 20th century powerful steam trollers quickly took over our fishing fleets i can go three four days at a time carry ice scoop everything out of the seas they've got to worry about the state of the wind the direction of the wind they just go the steam ship did come in really close and it's just absolutely massive there's no way you compete with that it's sad because this is just a gorgeous way of life it's lovely so when that turned up just felt i felt so small no competition our smaller fishing communities started to die out families had to move on often heading to larger harbours or into new occupations altogether i mean even for us here now today it felt like an intruder yeah so you can imagine for the people back in the day when that's the first time they set eyes on a on a big steam-powered boat would have felt very threatening yeah i think so it definitely feels like the the death of the small timer which i think is is sad to lose that way of life although the future's looking less certain the families are optimistic that their biggest catch to date will bring in the valuable cash injection thank you hello griff what's in your mouth oh no that's my sandwich can i have it we're going to do today we're going to sell all those fish and we're going to have lots of money and then we're going to get sausages sausages like sausages yeah mike the fishmonger from the nearby town of carnarvon has arrived to see what's for sale thank you thank you so much for coming out this afternoon yeah it's a great place it's the man who had a good catch oh good good as usual the women are in charge of the negotiation we've got 85 herring we've got 10 macro we've got one large house here the house isn't worth anything this isn't the thing really so you don't bother with that at all no okay and we've got six uh skate wings how much now for these skate rings so plenty of wing yeah a pen your wing it looks like the sale isn't going their way despite all the days of hard work and effort the communities put into the catch so there's lovely lovely size macro 10 of those well there's some small ones there's a couple of small mainly mainly good size though and then look lovely size on the hair ring so five attempts yeah and there's six for them then each like last time four and a half prices falling in yeah fish prices have always fluctuated making fishermen's lives precarious but at the start of the 20th century as steam power and mechanization took over the fishing industry prices began to drop massively so we've got 34 pennies for the mackerel 34 pence for the 34 pounds for the macro yeah 85 pennies for the 85 despite it being their largest catch to date they've only made 9 shillings and 11 pennies the lowest price yet it represents a shocking 30 percent drop in value can i ask you how is the price of muscles at the moment well if values you would go for the cockles more than the muscles really okay really interesting we'll give you penny pound for them as they are penny pounds yeah would you prefer us to cook them you can cook them if you like the price will go up but i don't know you know the price goes it's going up every day the cockles are going up and the um and the fish are going down are they yeah all right the average wage for a fisherman at the start of the 20th century was 55 pennies per day but after splitting the cash that's allowing three shares two for the boat one for mickey the fisherman and one share for each family they've only made a poultry 17 pennies each the equivalent of five pounds 50 in today's money i thought we might have got more yeah i think i would have got more for the fair it's a bitter blow the price of the fish has obviously come down yeah a bit disappointing and the last thing the 1900 families were expecting it does make you think that hey as women it's going to fall more and more and less with cockles i was always heartbroken by it because we've got so much effort into it but it feels very much like we've lost control of our own destinies we're being dictated to by the rest of the world we were massively shocked with the price of fish we thought oh we're in for a brilliant week this week we'll be able to order you know plenty of food we won't struggle at all this week and it's just it's gone like that there's just nothing it's it's not worth it everything you do here already is hard work and to just get paid a pittance for it it's just it's just heartbreaking it really is [Music] and how much have we brought in from that catch which was three days of fishing barely two shillings hmm yeah it was very disappointing especially considering the work we put into it all the families have relied on secondary incomes to get them through lean times for kate and arwell it's been selling eggs which has often proved more reliable than fishing [Music] the other disadvantage of the fishing is that however much you take it gets split between a greater number of people the boat and the skipper take a share each but yeah but honestly i mean from day one i've i've been worried that whether fishing is sustainable yeah well not sustainable in terms of number of fish but is it the amount of time and effort involved in prepping the the gear to go out when uh that cargo vessel came in a couple of weeks ago and saw the amount of money flying around was more than we've had today was it yep what are you proposing giving up fishing finding something else to do as a business and a way of life it's not paying for itself no [Music] a new day dawns over sunwin [Music] yesterday's crash in fish prices has hit home and they've decided to heed the fishmonger's advice hey guys ready the men are breaking with tradition to help their wives collect shellfish [Music] can i just get my uh while fish prices are plummeting the value of cockles is soaring ready yeah set off all right kind of dubbing after the exertion of last week's three-day fishing trip clive's gout has fled up again he's staying behind to keep the home fires burning [Music] the neighbours sorted [Music] the group are heading out on a 10 mile round trip off the tidal island and along the coast [Music] [Music] okay after two hours they're nearly there i'm going that way right later okay call us yeah give us a shout if you guys have finished it okay have fun man hopefully as well the men are heading off to harvest mussels while the women are hoping for success in one of the area's largest cockle beds [Applause] kate natalie lydia and cheryl have been cockling before but with mixed results well perhaps we'll do better on this edge you never know this time they've got to deliver you've got a few good sayings in welsh one of them is amsterdam it's time to get your sleeves dirty [Music] one cockle they're looking for the small shellfish that live in the sand filtering nutrients from the sea water they've been a rich source of food for coastal dwellers since pre-roman times now these are all spent nothing but with nearly one square mile of cocklebed to dig in finding them is a skill oh oh no that's empty that one's a good one one whoa pull the seaweed away you'll find loads more all right okay they're not on the surface most of them are just under like maybe slightly submerged in the sand as well okay just along the coast our well seems to have got the hung of collecting mussels it's easy pickings once you know what to look for and the muscles tend to have this little i think it's called a beard it's a little thing they're sticking out which they use to cling on to other rocks and seaweed and bits of bobs so i've been here for 10 or so minutes so far and i've already got that much so yeah it's fairly fairly straightforward really and i should imagine i'll fill this hack in in certainly less than an hour if not sooner but harvesting muscles this is like litter picking isn't for everyone first time since i've been here it's the first time i'm going to say i'd rather be somewhere else the most boring tedious thing i've done since i've arrived there's a million other things i'd rather be doing on top of that list is fishing from going from being that sort of heroic fisherman figure to having to scrape around doing what was to them rightly or wrongly a woman's work must have been demoralizing and then from there on in they're probably living in fear that their livelihoods gone or their lives are going to change forever most of all your pride takes a kicking and you're living in fear i just don't know how long a working fisherman would have done this for before he cracked and went to work on some docks or on part of a bigger boat [Music] i ain't doing this i'm completely the other way around this is the first time in days that i've actually felt useful and productive that i'm doing something not just waiting around with the weather to change the eyes another sack over here fill your boots no happily he's not happy at all though is he he could just tell from his posture he's not enjoying this it's not the same adrenaline rush in wrestling is it but no this really is it's hard work the women are having to head further out onto the mud-covered flats in search of cockles it's muddy it stinks it's getting harder and i deeper like this sludge i think we might sink i'm not sure how how much of a good idea this is i can't get my foot out don't don't don't pull me don't bother me do you know me i gotta go to the phone i can't get out hang on i'm sorry natalie i really shouldn't [Music] girls yeah i think it's a good spot yeah there are some just resting on top yeah there are patches where when you hit them you get some really nice big juicy cockles like that one finally after an hour of scraping around the women have hit the jackpot they're not gonna lie i can think of easier ways to make a living how's it here good in the 1900s a rich cockle bed like this one would have delivered high earnings for the cockle pickers today due to overfishing there's a strict quota of five kilos per person per day i wonder how long we've got before the tide comes in what do you think video i reckon maybe at least another hour oh really yeah okay let's get on with it then [Music] gav yes squire look at the size of my muscle wow that's that's the biggest one of the day back at the muscle bed gavin's spirits are lifting i think what's great is we've just hit on a magic patch of really big muscles so we're literally just picking them up and chucking them in so while it felt boring and tedious before and i'll start to get a little bit excited at how much money we could make from this venture i just feel like i'm getting into the swing of it yeah do you want to be out here in the dark no no then come home please yes ma come on mommy's telling you now yes jesus how the hell are we going to carry that there [Music] bloody hell you got it yeah you sure i think the girl's on the way back okay wet feet cold hands heavy backpack but we got a good haul it will be another two days hard preparation before the shellfish are ready for sale that's a lot of cockles [Music] the next day and while the younger children are practicing their singing in school ruby whose education would have been over by the age of 12 is having a more practical lesson have you ever used a sewing machine like this before no okay modern day university lecturer kate is showing ruby how to sew a scale all working-class girls would have been expected to know so back here there's a little lever that lifts that foot up and down in the 1900s a young woman such as ruby would have had virtually no chance of pursuing a career like kate's whatever punch that's it and keep that turning at a nice steady constant pace so boom boom boom boom good you got it what sort of career opportunities do you think we're available to women and girls well it depends like if we were in a city or something there was work for women but it wasn't necessarily great you know it was 16 hours in a factory for you know nothing yeah one thing i have got here which you might be interested in is the human woman by lady grove and it's an exciting book for women i think for your generation a lot of what she says is really important the human woman was a collection of essays that highlighted the many inequalities suffered by women from pay differences to the lack of the vote it helped fuel the suffrage movement at the beginning of the 20th century [Music] yeah finally i got something to read you've got like household guides and everything at home and like how a woman should do things i'm like well i want really interested yeah well this is pretty radical yeah compared to that material like this often found its way into even the smallest and most remote communities through local campaigners [Music] two doors up cheryl and lydia are cooking the cleaned cockles ready for shelling when they're cooked they sell by the pint which i'm measuring here into a pint mug they'll fetch a higher price when they're sold ready to eat six or seven points we got now we're on six this is number seven oh well it's good enough cockles have been a popular street food since pre-victorian times typically served with vinegar it might not be a good idea for me to help you know because i might just eat them off this is how i like them just fresh nice and sweet i'd better test that one okay now i'm clean as well oh i better touch that one too i'm sure i'm sure these are the ones i picked oh yeah [Music] me and kate had a lot of discussion and she gave him this book by lady grove called the human woman right it's a book about the differences between men and women from the differences of pace she even complains about how women aren't allowed to go and work in the mines just facts as it was so the difference in the wages of a teacher the master's salary was 135 pounds a year but the mistresses same work same amount of time 90. for no reason we're nearly 120 years on from what third life that we're living at the moment and we're it's still topic conversation it's still something that women are fighting for that's just ludicrous that why does he get paid more and i want them to list all the reasons why instead of just going okay you're a woman you get less i want them to explain to me why i should get there that's the horrible thing is that in your position coming from this kind of community being really the working class and on the poverty line that they would just laugh at you as a woman they wouldn't even entertain the thought of explaining it to you yeah you'd just be getting above your station they'd probably just suck here i prefer to lose my job then work for someone like that was the trap though because you lost your job and then you might have had a participation as well bad reputation no money could end up in a workhouse it's a vicious circle to be in it was really pathetic to be honest and it's still like today like equal pay really gets on my nerves why like ah you know it's been over 100 years that women have actually had the vote and still certain things aren't equal [Music] yeah look at those the cockle preparation is finished and lydia's keen to share her tasty treat gaff try one no no are you serious come on just give it don't even try one look if i if you dip it in vinegar you'll just if you taste sweet with vinegar they're sweet because they're nice and fresh i tell you cockles are still a popular snack in parts of wales especially along the coast but gavin isn't convinced don't look at it just eat it no look at it what's that crunch oh you've got to do it today our once thriving uk cockle industry is now mainly selling to overseas markets but it's still worth an estimated 20 million pounds a year he won't starve kate and arwell have been living as a traditional 1900s fisherman and fish wife for over three weeks now fishing hasn't grabbed me at all to be honest though it seems like a lot of work for very little reward to rely on something that's out of my control i'm finding quite difficult to deal with really why am i you know stretching my guts on the beach preparing nets preparing long lines baiting waiting for the weather check the nets check the pots waiting for the weather waiting for the weather go out set then set the nets out and get one fish what's the point it's not for me not for me at all it's always the small guy that's pushed out a smaller coastal community started to break up people moved to where the work was in towns and cities but also abroad to commonwealth countries like australia and canada there were lots of people who went from wales and pursued those opportunities in my family and in adwords as well it's difficult to see the future here knowing as we do that industrialization of the fishing fleets is coming in shame and a sad time for communities like this [Music] arlo have a look in there there's a bowl for you to lick just on the side there's cake mix how's that arlo is it good yeah yeah with the cockles done the mussels which have been soaking for the past 36 hours need preparing for the fishmonger's visit tomorrow i like it when we do something all together because you're gonna sit down and kind of relax yeah just chat despite it being a slow process we've got to clean them all first haven't we it's worth it for the extra money the fishmonger will pay everybody thing isn't it because we all need the money so we're all having to do them it's a special little community ardwell and i have got some news for all of you actually oh boy this is actually our last day we're going to be leaving the island before high tide today [Music] industrial mechanization is starting to impact mirroring the fracturing of small coastal communities at the time kate and arwell who are child free and the most mobile have decided to leave sandwin it was a real shock hearing that and owler leaving i just wasn't expecting it at all it's a real shame makes you think how fragile a community is if it starts to break up and then just disappears so you leave tonight tonight yeah before the time well the tide cuts us off yeah it's the beginning of the end it's sad news yeah and the community will feel different especially waking up in the morning and not seeing them walking out their door with regards to the takings on the muscles i mean we would appreciate if we could send our share on yeah no problem such a horrible feeling and it like just rocks you doesn't it and that's how it would have been you know they would have all grown up together and all of a sudden that's just it's going it feels like telling your family you're moving home you know and leaving home it's really odd in in 1900s being the first people to do this would have felt a bit a little bit like the people pulling the plug on something far greater than themselves as well you know it's not a big community here and one family moving has a significant effect such a shame that people had to make these decisions their whole world views were lived in this little square mile and and to turn you back on that is um i still still can't quite comprehend that to be honest it feels very strange doesn't it does it feel like we're leaving something behind that we've been part of for longer than a month it's quite odd in that sense [Music] i said garnet [Music] it wasn't just fishing communities that were affected by the far-reaching sweep of progress by 1910 the global boom and industrialization and mass production was affecting many small businesses my family on my mother's side the darnells they were shoemakers and even at a factory in london darnell shoes right in the city center of london and just because everything took off industry-wise new technologies they were pushed out and then they all moved out of shoemaking completely moved to liverpool to the docks so the shoe business which was a way of life for generations my family collapsed because of industry and they moved to liverpool and in about 19. about 1901 1902 [Music] oh yeah oh [Music] that feels really odd it feels me wrong if i'm honest it makes you think you know this will come to an end for all of us now i don't really want to face that thought yet and i don't want it to i want it to stay the same i like it how it is [Laughter] okay take care of yourself [Music] good luck [Music] saying goodbye to cheryl felt like saying goodbye to my mum it really did [Music] in their modern lives kate and narwell are planning on moving from kate's house in swansea to take over arwell's family farm in pembrokeshire and as we were walking away i said this is our end now isn't it this is actually our end [Music] by 1914 many small communities are on the british coast had disappeared as our nation's fishing fleets changed forever [Music] it's a new day for the three remaining families on sandwind for ruby and natalie stepping into kate and arwell's empty house [Music] it's a glimpse into the future for their own house you know it feels really big now yeah it's really weird it's like that homeliness is gone isn't it now that yeah it didn't feel like it was caved in otherwise home it it feels like the heart has gone out of it yeah it's like that warmth that's in it and it's just a shell now it feels just cold it's fine we'll just come back here i think it just seeing all this empty this is how all our houses are going to be at the moment they're like they're full of life the kids are running in and out of every house and they're lived in they're lifted and they're loved you know and in a couple of days this is how ours is going to be imagine living here your entire life and then having to go it's like ghosts and like memories and it's just gonna be silent for one last time mike the fishmonger is coming to buy their catch hello fishmonger hello how are you very well thank you good good yes jolly good these really are oh they're nice quality look how plump there would you like to try one yes i'll try a couple of them very tasty good aren't they they're very nice they're really good aren't they really plump yep the community have muscles we've got three large sacks and two the slightly smaller ones and eight pints of cooked cockles to sell six pennies of pints what do you think girls let's go to seven today seven seven okay the cockles have sold for 56 pennies but how much for the muscles make it 28 we've got a deal 28. 28. call it 28. the little man they've made 32 shillings and eight pennies the equivalent of pounds in today's money it's their best sale ever and none of it from actual fishing once again cheryl pleasure to do business with you mr house very honest gentleman thank you very much thank you thank you very much thank you four and a half but gathering shellfish was not a sustainable sole income for many coastal communities and with steam trawlers starting to take over the future was bleak for our modern day families and their helpers this is their last night on the island tomorrow they'll be heading back to the modern world oh wow [Music] look at this tonight they can enjoy their final few hours coming together in the boat shed to celebrate their experience as a fishing community at the onset of the 20th century all the families came to thandwin island with hopes and dreams for their 1900 lives for the davis family it's been about proving that they can get through tough times i'm doing bread for everyone so we can do bacon and sausage buddies when we get back be nice we'll all have a little drink for the powers it was to create a sense of community [Music] hey it's been a funny old day oh it has been a pretty old day real mixed emotions and for the barkers it's been a chance to share their years of knowledge and skills [Music] [Applause] i have a few words to say this evening no matter what walk of life you come from no matter your age or your beliefs people can come together and build loving communities and we've found our greatest here also i'd like to mention mickey mickey gave us courage to be fishermen but most of all he became our leader thank you very much okay we also have our fishmonger you titled [Laughter] and most importantly i'd like to remember the fishing communities who we represented may their courage and their bravery and their history never be forgotten so for one last time tight lines uh [Music] [Music] it's the final morning for the remaining three families who have spent the past month living on the wild tidal island of shanwyn yeah now is the time to say goodbye isn't it it is sad and we certainly will miss the children running around um and when we see other families won't we yeah yeah there is sadness it's um yeah the lovely children oh [Music] ah at the time of our life here we live yeah because it really it feels like we're leaving our home and i know that sounds silly we never did sell any of those brushes did we we've done nothing more really than scratched the surface of the lives that these families led has been a huge privilege whatever happens we will always be this fishing family yeah whatever happens this will always this will always be us i don't want to go i don't want to go i don't want to go anywhere i want to carry on fishing when the families arrived four weeks ago storm alley ushered them onto this remote island now as they leave another autumn storm storm callum is chasing them home again one last look it was really sad really sorry okay off we go then yeah oh dear goodbye bye okay however standing [Music] well never forget all this okay we won't goodbye davis house [Music] this has become normality in a very short space of time yeah i've worked harder here than i think anywhere i've ever worked um it's been really really tough [Music] but it's far more rewarding than anything i've ever done work-wise there is so much to do just to basically to survive so yeah they had it very very tough and for really for pittance having experienced a taste of that i think um it does give me a great appreciation of the life that i have yeah in the 21st century yeah and the safety nets that we have as well i i think the hopes and dreams for the working man and his sons are whatever they wanted them to be for natalie my daughters that didn't exist that's that blunt yeah yes that is a liberty of 21st century you can achieve anything you want from this experience i will take make me appreciate what we've got today modern day what they had in 1900 and it's a world of worlds and worlds apart really i think above all there's been real peace here a piece that's almost i'm not to say unobtainable in the modern world but in the modern world you've got to fight for that piece [Music] along the way my confidence has grown made me realise that i'm an okay person and i can get through tricky times i think i did lose natalie along the way sorry were you backing up kid i keep thinking about the lights will grow dim in the house the candles will go out and the stove will grow cold this is my house i feel like i'm leaving a little part of my heart here [Music] be sad [Music] okay for the record i still hate fish [Music]

Channel: Absolute History

Views: 1,302,543

Keywords: 1900s history, Absolute History, Victorian life, Victorian society, cultural experience, daily struggles, extreme living, harsh realities, historical authenticity, historical families, historical investigation, historical life, historical realism, history enthusiasts, immersive journey, living history event, living museums, small island living, societal norms

Id: uwlK0nF0L94

Length: 228min 57sec (13737 seconds)

Published: Tue Sep 20 2022