Episoder
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Emma has returned! And this week to ease her back into cohosting duties we are becoming paranormal investigators to discuss a potential haunting that took place in South London in 1938.
Alma Fielding had it all, a new three bed house, a husband on a good wage and (potentially) a lover that she kept in the shed at the bottom of the garden... though this last one might have been cobblers.
But following a bout of kidney trouble she suddenly found herself under poltergeist attack!
Luckily for her a paranormal investigator called Nandor Fodor was on hand to help. Prepare for a wild tale of ever escalating paranormal problems, with appearances from Harry Houdini, Bela Lugosi and Sigmund Freud.
Guest Host: Emma Heathcote
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week we conclude our search for the last battle on English soil with a trio of conflicts that all centre around the Stuart Dynasty, specifically James II. With Urban warfare, Irish Panic and artful men from Somerset all making an appearance it is also an unintentional summary of the downfall of the house of Stuart...
...Which we cover in reverse order to ensure that you are paying attention. And by the end we do promise that we will confirm which fight was in fact the last battle to ever be fought on English soil (to this point at least).
Guest Host: Ollie Green
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Mangler du episoder?
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Prior to recording the second part of our 'Last Battle on English Soil' episodes, Ollie announced that he would only take part on one condition...
....that Joe try Marmite again.
It turned out that Ollie was deadly serious, so in order to ensure that the episode would be released on time Joe gave in to the demand. This allowed an opportunity to discuss the historical significance of Marmite (amazingly it turns out to have been quite important during the 20th century) and to chat about various other foods, before the conversation deteriorated into the tangental randomness that dominates all the conversations within the team when a script is not involved.
So if you want a bit of an insight into how we warm up for recording, or if you just want another opportunity to hear our lovely voices please enjoy...
.... and sorry for the swearing.
Diva of a Co-host making demands: Ollie Green
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This week we are beginning a search for the last battle to be fought in England which, due to some disagreement about what actually constitutes a battle, could be one of at least six separate events which span the course of four separate centuries.
In this first episode we are covering an accidental WWII mini-invasion, a mental health crisis that went way too far, and the many ramblings of Bonnie Prince Charlie. But were any of these actually battles? Tune in to find out if we will even need a part two!
Guest Host: Ollie Green
*Disclaimer - the host's views on Marmite are their own and should not be considered representative of Consistently Eccentric History.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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The Georgians sure knew how to sensationalise a story. So when a rich mother and daughter went on trial for the murder of their orphaned 13 year old servant girl many a pamphlet was written.
This week we are discussing the content of those pamphlets, how reliable they might be, and trying to understand why a person would admit to eating their own poop while giving evidence in a court of law.
Guest Host: Ollie Green
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week we are discussing the life of a lawyer, poet and inventor from the Tudor era called John Harington.
When banished from the court of his godmother Queen Elizabeth for saucy translations John had five years to contemplate life, and he came to the conclusion that his life could be made measurably better if he was able to poo in comfort.
So he set about trying to come up with an improved defecation system, one that he would eventually present to the Queen herself.
Would she like it? Would John be allowed to return to court? And what exactly is a 'Gong Farmer'?
Join us to find out. Now with 30% more conversations about poo!
Guest Host: Evie Heathcote
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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It's holiday time!
This week we are off to New Zealand to discuss how a misunderstanding in a quickly translated treaty led to all out war between the British and the Maori (despite that fact that they had been united by a hatred of the French).
What started out as a mutually beneficial arrangement was quickly ruined by the British insisting on introducing tariffs and otherwise messing with the sovereignty of the Maori people of the North Island. But while in other countries the British were able to bully their way to absolute power over the locals, the Maori were not going to take it lying down.
They decided to make their frustrations known via the medium of flags, leading to one of the more unique wars the British Empire was ever involved in.
Guest Host: Ollie Green
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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In honour of the Open Championship (albeit a week late) we are discussing the life of a man considered to be the grandfather of modern golf.
A native of St. Andrews, born a short chip shot from the famous old course, Tom Morris was exposed to golf from the time he could walk.
However golf-related fallings out would lead to an extended exile from his home town, one that could only be ended by proving himself to be the best golfer in the British Isles....
How hard could that be?
Guest Host: Ollie Green
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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We are heading stateside this week to discuss the founder of the State of Georgia.
James Oglethorpe was a member of the upper classes, soldier, MP and murderer (though he didn't often put this last one on his CV). Despite coming from extreme privilege, James decided to dedicate his career in Parliament to trying to reform the conditions of the common man, both in the Royal Navy and in the prison system.
It was only when his attempts to work within the parliamentary system hit a brick wall that James began thinking that things would be much easier if he was able to set up a society of his own. Where he could make the rules and ensure equality for all...
...and it just so happened that there was a space between Carolina and Florida that hadn't yet been settled.
Guest Host: Pam Lotterle
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week we are talking about the incredible afterlife of a woman called Hannah Beswick. After witnessing her brother almost being buried alive, Hannah developed a bit of a complex about it. So much so that she decided to entrust the care of her body to her family doctor, insisting that he only allow her to be buried when he was certain that she was dead.
Unfortunately the doctor in question enjoyed collecting interesting medical oddities... and he had just come up with a new method of embalming that he was keen to try out.
So join us for a tale of phobias, specialised coffins, legal muddles and ghosts.
Guest Host: Ollie Green
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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When you think of the bombing raids of WWII most people instantly picture the East End of London. But this week we are talking about a lesser known, and much shorter blitz that took place on the other side of the Irish Sea.
Consisting of only four nights over the course of less than a month, the people of Belfast could not have imagined the amount of horror that could be caused in such a short span of time. But when your government assumed that they would never need to defend themselves, they tend to be slightly under prepared.
So join us for a tale of how misplaced confidence can result in terrible consequences of historic proportions.
Guest Host: Ollie Green
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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As everyone is settling in for another big summer of sport, we have decided to discuss one of the first big summer events hosted in the UK, the 1908 Olympic games.
Originally due to be held in Italy, a last minute change was required due to an unfortunately timed natural disaster. This allowed London to sneak in and put together a very British games in practically no time. From the eccentric stadium, to the selection of events, and even the rules, the 1908 games were designed for one purpose only; to put Britain at the top of the medal table.
But would the organisers succeed? Would swimmers become accidentally impaled, and what exactly are the differences between 'British Athletics Rules' and the rules that the rest of the world follow?
Guest Host: Evie Heathcote
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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We are back to conclude our breakdown of the eight attempts on the life of Queen Victoria during her reign. This time the motives for regicide range from Irish Nationalism to underappreciated poetry and we finally get some variation from simply trying to shoot her... which is nice.
If you have not listened to part one yet, I would strongly suggest that you do so, otherwise there will be quite a few references and callbacks that will likely not make sense. Though I can appreciate it may be hard to tell if the episode seems any more chaotic than usual.
Guest Host: Emma Heathcote
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week we are discussing the first four attempts on the life of Queen Victoria, which all took place during a two year span from 1840-42.
While most of her subjects seemed to love the young Queen, the inequality in Britain meant that there were plenty of people who felt that life was rigged against them and at least three of these subjects had access to guns.
So join us for a tale of poor marksmanship, even poorer assessments of mental health, and weird historical quirks in the first of a two part series on the people who wanted to show the establishment that they were very, very frustrated with their position in Victorian Britain.
Gust Host: Emma Heathcote
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It has been a long time, but we are back to the world of true crime this week with the tale of Catherine Hayes, a disgruntled wife who saw a convenient solution to all of her marital problems.... Murder.
Hatching a plot alongside not one, but two lovers, Catherine figured that the bustle of London would allow her to get away with bumping off her husband. Just as long as they could quickly get rid of the evidence. After all, no body no crime, right?
But even without a formal police force, would Catherine's plan succeed, would she finally get to enjoy her husband's money in the thruple of her dreams? And how exactly do you figure out who a head belongs to before photographs were a thing?
Guest Host: Ollie Green
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week we are talking about one of the longest lived of all royals as part of our ongoing series focused on queen consorts of England and the UK. When little Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was born at the dawning of the 20th century it would have seemed practically impossible to her family that she would also see the beginning of the 21st, while being one of the most recognisable people in the entire country.
It is a story of not following conventions and updating the image of the royal family into the recognisable state it is today, and is one of the few stories we cover where my lifetime overlaps with the subject (which amazed Evie no end.)
Guest Host: Evie Heathcote
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week we are meeting Mary Willcocks, a young woman from a poor family who didn't want to accept her lot as a future housewife scraping an existence in a tiny rural village.
Armed only with her own sense of self importance and a gift for making up stories, she left for London, determined to make her fortune. Free to reinvent her past she began presenting herself first as a globetrotter and then as a foreigner with a persona that drifted further and further from Britain as time passed.
The end result was Princess Caraboo, member of a Javanese royal family who excited the nobility of the small village of Almondsbury.
Would Mary be able to keep up her deception? What was her end game? And did she finally get to travel the world as she always wanted? We answer these questions and more.
Guest Host: Emma Heathcote
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week we are heading Stateside with a young Welshman who was determined to prove that the continent had been discovered by a Welsh Prince.
Convinced that somewhere in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains was a Tribe of Welsh native Americans, John Smith headed out into the wilds with only the clothes on his back and less than two dollars in his pocket. Did he find the tribe? Did he even survive? And what legacy did his adventures leave. Join us to find out.
Guest Host: Pamela Lotterle (who you can find on instagram: @porters_rest) a fellow history buff.
# Apologies for the sound quality on the episode, we hope the story more than makes up for it #
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Deciding what to do with your retirement is always difficult. But for Arthur English an advertisement from Canada provided him with a chance to fulfil a lifelong dream at the age of 48.
That lifelong dream was to become an executioner.
Donning a fake name and a sharp suit he became the go to guy for hanging prisoners throughout the 1910s and roaring 20s. But would even a former soldier be able to cope with such a stressful job into his old age?
It was all likely to be fine, just so long as his wife didn't find out what he was actually doing on his trips away...
Guest host: Ollie Green
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This week we are discussing a woman who broke multiple glass ceilings in the world of Victorian Science.
The daughter of a Jewish Watchmaker, Phoebe Marks couldn't have expected to climb too far socially, however her intelligence, tenacity (and the fact that her aunts just so happened to run a school) allowed her to pursue her love of science and mathematics all the way to Cambridge university.
An inventor, a suffragette, and a woman responsible for saving countless thousands of lives on the front lines of WWI. Hertha was a force to be reckoned with no matter what she turned her mind to.
Guest Host: Evie Heathcote
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Se mer