The English Eccentric

'Mad'' Jack Mytton, hailed from a long line of Shropshire squires stretching back more than 500 years. When his father died, at the age of two, he inherited his family estate, including Halston Hall and an annual income equivalent to over £1.7 million. Raised by his “amiably weak and indulgent” widowed mother, Mytton’s education was entrusted to his rather ineffectual uncle, William Ow...

William Buckland was born in Axminster in 1784, only a few miles away from the fossil-rich coasts of Dorset and East Devon. Buckland was elected to the Royal Society in 1818, and the same year managed to convince the Prince Regent to endow an additional Readership upon him. This time, in what he termed ‘undergroundology’ – later renamed ‘geology’. He was the first holder of the new appointment. To...

Donald Sinclair was the unwitting inspiration for Basil Fawlty – the irascible protagonist of the hugely-successful BBC comedy series Fawlty Towers. Before the Second World War rolled around, Sinclair was an officer in the Royal Naval Reserve. Consequently, in 1939, he was called up for military service. His naval career was dramatic – and he was torpedoed several times. Which probably didn’t do m...

In 1927, an enigmatic, anarchic group of well-heeled women – calling themselves ‘Ferguson’s Gang’­ – got together in secret with the aim of protecting historic buildings in the UK from demolition and conserving landscapes and views of outstanding natural beauty. Though being a bit silly was also factored in for good measure. The inner circle of gang members included ­– Right Bloody Lord beer shop...

Oliver Reed (1938 - 1999) was an English actor best known for his edgy screen performances, ‘hellraiser’ lifestyle, and ‘orange juice’-fuelled chat show inebriation. Towards the end of his life, the British Film Institute pronounced him the UK’s ‘thirstiest actor’. Reed’s breakthrough role came as Bill Sikes in Oliver! – the 1968 musical version of Dickens’ Oliver Twist. Directed by his uncle, Ree...

Goo goo ga-joob! Sir George Reresby Sitwell (1860 – 1943) was a Conservative politician, writer, inventor, and largely unsuccessful husband and father. Despite urging his – much more successful – children to abandon their literary ambitions on the grounds that writing is ruinous to the health, Sir George penned several intriguing works of his own. Titles of his unpublished books include Wool-Gathe...

This human form, Where I was born, I now repent... Caraboo! On an April morning in 1817, a cobbler in Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, encountered an exotically attired – and apparently disoriented – woman, who spoke at him in a way that was both urgent and entirely incomprehensible. The woman was subsequently placed into the care of Samuel Worrall, the local magistrate, who determined that she refer...

Lieutenant Commander Bill Boaks (1904 - 1986) was a bluff old seaman, decorated war hero, and frequent – though never successful – political campaigner. An officer in the British Royal Navy, he took part in the sinking of the German battleship, Bismarck ; and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his part in the Dunkirk evacuation. Returning to London after the war, Boaks took his fight...

In this special Halloween episode of The English Eccentric , we’re going into darkness… Introducing Aleister Crowley, (1875 – 1947), English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, mountaineer, and occasional haggis hunter. After a university career spent writing wanky teenage poetry, in 1898 Crowley was inducted into London’s secret occult society The Hermetic Order of the Golden...

The first patron-inspired episode of The English Eccentric . This episode was requested by the excellent Claire Rowe. William John Cavendish-Scott-Bentinck (1800-1879), the 5th Duke of Portland, was born in London, the second son of William Bentinck – and known by his middle name ‘John’. In fact, all the males in his family were Christened ‘William’ – and, thus, it was customary for them to take t...

Lieutenant Colonel A. D. Wintle (1897 - 1966) was a British military officer in the Royal Dragoons, who served in both World Wars. Never without his trademark monocle, service revolver, and trusty umbrella, Wintle wasn’t the master of disguise he thought he was – but he certainly wasn’t going to let that stop him from having a go. A decorated war hero, Wintle also saw the inside of a surprisingly...

Phyllis Pechey – better known as Fanny Cradock ­– was an English television chef and writer. Her popular BBC TV show, Kitchen Magic , saw her providing cookery demonstrations in company with (sometimes) husband Major Johnnie Cradock – who played the part of a dull-eyed, swaying, junior partner – whilst she snapped her fingers at her terrified assistants.  After a successful stint as British t...

The Reverend Frederick Densham was Rector of St. Bartholomew Church in Warleggan, Cornwall, from 1931 until his death in 1953. A cleric with unusual ideas in interior design. That thought – possibly correctly – that organ music was the work of the Devil. And who spent most of his time railing about the ills of humanity to small pieces of cardboard. In an unusual move, upon becoming the vicar at th...

The 1970s were the heyday of the ‘character footballers’ – the likes of Georgie Best and Charlie George. With popstar haircuts and dangerous playing styles, they were famed for their womanising and hard living. Yet, there’s a footballer that was head and shoulders above them all – and though you’ve probably never heard of him, he really wouldn’t have cared. A man of many parts, Robin Friday could’...

In 1792, Joanna Southcott joined the Wesleyan Church in Devon – and announced to the congregation that she was ‘The Woman of the Apocalypse’, as described in the Book of Revelation. When many of her baffling visions proved accurate, Southcott then decamped to London and picked up more than 100,000 disciples. She later prophesied that in her 64th year, she would give birth to the new messiah. When...

In 1931, a former police detective named Anthony William Hall sent a letter to King George V stating that he was claiming the throne – and demanding that the monarch immediately abdicate or face transportation. Hall went on to hold several rallies across the UK at which he claimed to be the nation's true sovereign – and set out his plan to have the ‘imposter’ George V beheaded. Despite routinely b...

Colonel Charles Sibthorp (1783 –1855), MP for Lincoln between 1826 and 1855. Punch designated the notorious ultra-Tory: 'the MP against everything'. Sibthorp’s happy childhood, hunting unfortunate wildlife in rural Lincolnshire, informed his entire political outlook – and, consequently, he divined malevolent motives to any kind of progress whatsoever. Imagine then, the poor man’s upset at living t...

The trailer for the new comedy history podcast The English Eccentric by E O Higgins. Featuring historical characters with corkscrew minds, peculiar obsessions, and largely incomprehensible outlooks... Subscribe now – and join me on a journey of historical whimsy! @fogsbeefandbeer @eohiggins