Consistently Eccentric History

The world of court intrigue is no place for the unprepared, and definitely no place for a mild mannered lawyer. This week we follow the short career of Thomas Overbury and his friendship/ partnership with Robert Carr, a man over incredible charisma and absolutely no intellect whatsoever. With Thomas as the brains and Robert as the face it seemed like the sky was the limit in a bromance for the age...

This week we are talking about a young woman who was expected to give up everything for the good of her family. Which may have seemed quite hypocritical considering how narcissistic and selfish literally every member of her family was. We follow Sophia Dorothea's attempts to find some crumb of happiness, however small, though if you have ever listened to our podcast before you probably already kno...

The third in our triptych of Scottish episodes sees a return to Edinburgh to share the story of the most famous criminal the city has ever produced; Deacon (William) Brodie. Born into a privileged position William was a man who always wanted more, and wasn't particularly fussed about how he got it. He had no limits, no impulse control and (apparently) no real clue how to commit a robbery. But does...

This week we will be covering a football pioneer who literally stumbled across the game in a Glasgow park. Andrew Watson may have been born in Demerara but he proved that he was more Scottish than a haggis soaked in Irn Bru, quickly rising to become (arguably) the best player in the world. Join us as we chart his meteoric rise and his heartbreaking fall, all the while questioning why this amazing...

This week we are delving into the life of Scottish doctor Elsie Inglis, a woman for whom the word no simply didn't exist. From her origins in India to her work both in Scotland and on the continent Elsie deserves to be as well known as Florence Nightingale because, to be quite frank, her story is much more interesting... ...even if it takes a while to get into top gear. About 50 years to be precis...

This week we are going back to the time of the Stuarts to meet a revolutionary lawyer who was the only man principled enough to take on the job of prosecuting a king. A Puritan who was idealistic to a fault John Cooke wanted justice for all and was prepared to always practice what he preached. It should come as no surprise to regular listeners that things were destined to not end well. Guest Host:...

For the first episode of year 2 we decided to do a story about a story based on a story! Join us as we discuss the origins of the terms 'Albion' and 'Britannia' as understood by the average person from the middle ages. It may be questionable in terms of historical accuracy but when you have giants, daemons and classical Greek heroes in the mix do facts really matter.* Guest Host: Emma Heathcote *Y...

It is a bumper hour and a half episode this week as we celebrate our first anniversary by talking about an event that is truly unique in British history. Join us as we talk about two men and their single fateful meeting. The first, Spencer Perceval, was a lawyer turned prime minister with conservative values and a mission from god. The second, John Bellingham, was a merchant who seemed to be compl...

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu was left to her own devices as a child. She responded by teaching herself to read and write before cataloguing her entire life via a constant stream of letters to anyone and everyone in high society. We can't say she always made the best choices, but her constant desire for new experiences led her to save the lives of potentially hundreds of thousands of British people......

We here at Consistently Eccentric believe that you should always chase your dreams, even if those dreams are a bit morbid and disturbing. With that in mind meet James Billington who, as a child, dreamed of being able to hang fellow humans from the neck until dead. This week we will follow his struggles to land his dream job and the subsequent career he forged as a hangman without equal. We even ha...

We return to the depressing world of Asylums this week, only this time in Yorkshire. Following an unexplained death one York Quaker will challenge the system by setting up his own version of a hospital for the mentally ill, one without restraints and where you aren't even purged regularly. I mean can you even call it healthcare? I bet he doesn't even embezzle. Guest Hosts: Jack and Harry Heathcote...

This week we are finally going to talk about the battle of Flodden Field, the biggest scrap between England and Scotland that has ever occurred (apart from Wembley 1977 obviously). And for the fans of our random snippets of unrelated conversations, we have added it to the end of this episode. Also, you are weird and we like you. Guest Host: Matt Hare Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...

We are heading into uncharted waters this week as we present the first part of a two part episode on the history of England and Scotland beating ten bells out of each other. In this episode we chart the beginnings of the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France. Special guest appearance from a plucky Wales! Guest Host: Matt Hare Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet William Williams, son of a Cornish miner of limited imagination. This week we will be following him as he chases his dreams across the ocean to the New World. Unfortunately those dreams are questionable and lead directly to his morbid claim to fame. Guest Host: Jack Heathcote Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Golden Age of Alpine climbing (meaning the bit where the British were suddenly doing rather well at it) and the race for the last great unconquered summit; the Matterhorn. Join us as we follow a young Brit called Edward Whymper attempting to make a name for himself in the crowded field of Victorian adventurers and explorers by reaching the summit of a mountain thought by many to be...

Lewes is a little town is Sussex that happens to have many claims to historical fame. Today we try to cover a few of these, culminating in a macabre record that was set in 1836 during the Christmas Holidays. It also happens to have been only 7 miles from where my Guest Host lived for 3 years... There is a chance he might actually guess this one. Guest Host: Jack Heathcote Hosted on Acast. See acas...

Today we look at the globetrotting life of Freya Stark, a woman who overcame a traumatic childhood only to willingly place herself in danger to explore the most remote regions of the middle east. This episode was written over a year ago so it was just as much a journey of discovery for me as Freya's travels were for her! Guest Host: Emma Heathcote Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more in...

Join us as we take you on a brief tour of the British relationship to slavery, from Pre-Roman times to the colonisation of the New World. We will cover all the different re-branding and moral arguments that were used to justify the ownership of others before reaching our final destination of Virginia. There will be some laughs along the way, I promise. Guest Host: Jack Heathcote Hosted on Acast. S...

This week we engage in a whistle stop tour of prostitution through the centuries in England, culminating in the pinnacle of saucy Georgian erotica; The Harris List. A collaboration between a drunk poet from Dublin and the self-proclaimed 'Pimp Master General of All England' This little leather book proved to be a Christmas bestseller and a high tide mark for the sex trade in the country. Guest Hos...

Meet sensitive young Francis Galton; a polymath from Birmingham who wanted to travel the world and do all of the things. Expect international sexual misadventures, a gumption reviving machine and lots and lots of statistical analysis. And that is just his average Tuesday... Guest Host: Jack Heathcote Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"Odin be praised! These Christians don't seem to want to put up a fight!" After over half a century of raiding with practically no consequences, Ivar and his brothers decided that they might as well stay a while longer. Join us this week as we tell the tale of the time that the vikings almost conquered England. Featuring a special guest appearance by Alfred (not yet great), who's reaction to the t...

Mary Ann, the daughter of a Colliery Sinker, lived a quiet life in the Northeast of England. But when tragedy strikes she will gain the superpower of complete disregard for other human lives! This is the kind of woman you definitely wouldn't want to bring home to your parents (as they might not survive the experience.) Guest Host: Jack Heathcote Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more info...

People from Yorkshire are as tough as they come, however no one is tough enough to stand up to an onrushing wall of water. Join us this week as we talk about how two of the biggest dam related disasters in British history are linked by a single family. Guest Host: Matt Hare Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After civilising (read 'exploiting and ruining') the Gujarat region of India the British you can imagine their indignation when the locals suggested that maybe they could do a better job on their own. Enter Dadabhai Nasroji, a man who held a mirror up to the hypocrisy of Britain's administration of India, kick-starting the push for home rule and taking his mission all the way to Parliament. He is...

Join us this week as we learn about how black magic informed laws that are still in force in England to this day! We talk through two important cases of attempted regicide from two of the worst named magicians in history; John and Roger. Learning how the paranoia of Kings can have unforeseen consequences for centuries. Guest Host: Matt Hare Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informati...