Consistently Eccentric History

This week we finish our dive into British Wrestling with the story of the Crabtree brothers and how they inadvertently contributed to the decline of the wrestling industry. It is a story of office politics, nepotism and at least one death. Guest Host: Emma Heathcote Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is time to lace up your boots and get ready to rumble as we dive into the history of British Wrestling. From an Edwardian fad for Greco Roman wrestling we follow the highs and lows of grappling in the UK through seven decades, to the institution that was World Of Sport on a Saturday afternoon. It is a story of adaptation, exploitation and features a memorable cameo by a polar explorer that answ...

This week we are heading into the bowels of Yorkshire to talk about Robert Maudsley, a man who holds one of the most unwanted records in human history. After an abusive upbringing and decent into drug addiction, Robert made some choices that landed him in Broadmoor Hospital for the Criminally insane, but when you prove to be too much for an insane asylum to handle there is only one place to go......

This week we are discussing the weather in Ireland. Specifically the evening of January 6th 1839, when 'Women's Christmas' was interrupted by one of the worst storms in Irish history. We discuss the loss of life, livestock and (tree) limbs, and explore how the lack of support following the disaster helped to further cement the view that being governed from London was not necessarily in the interes...

This week both Emma and Ollie are joining in for the story of the worst aviation accident in Britain during WWII, which just so happened to take place a stones throw from where Emma grew up. The unassuming village of Freckleton was more than willing to do its part for the war effort, welcoming around 10,000 American servicemen into the local area, and trying their best to make them feel at home. B...

This week we are lucky enough to have an extra bonus episode written and presented by friend of the show Pamela Loetterle, who has been delving into the rather naughty history of the Nuns of Elstow Abbey. A tale of longstanding religious insubordination, illicit meals in the buttery and questionable worship in the choir, you may end up asking the question; "Was Henry VIII onto something with the d...

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This week we are heading to my hometown of Southport to discuss Dr Robert Clements. A man who saw marriage as a means of improving his bank balance, and who was willing to 'divest' himself of his wife as soon as the money ran out. While you would think that this would arouse suspicion, Dr Clements was able to point to the death certificates, which stated that his wives just kept dying of obscure m...

This week we are getting spooky in Scotland, with the tale of how a volcanic eruption may have contributed to the country's last mass witchcraft trial. When little Christian Shaw began experiencing fits, she was soon able to convince her parents that the cause was infernal, leading to every odd character in the area falling under suspicion of working for the devil. But surely no one was actually g...

Get ready for another extra special episode from friend of the show Pam Loetterle! This time she is bringing us the tale of John St. John Long, a handsome Irishman who decided that actually studying medicine should not be a requirement for becoming a doctor. Instead he swapped a promising career illustrating medical books for one as a top medical professional in London. Though to be fair he did st...

This week (on the hottest day of the year) we are talking about Joseph Pocklington. A man with a dream to become an architect, and who was fortunate enough to have enough money to make that dream a reality despite a complete lack of skill. Creating a series of questionable buildings across Nottinghamshire, Joseph then set his sights on the Lake District. However, he found that the locals were a bi...

As we end our series on Robert Clive we discuss his second attempt to break into UK politics and the results of his governorship of Bengal... It turns out that trying to reform corrupt business practices is much harder if everyone knows that those practices are precisely how you made your fortune. But as the EIC responsibilities in India grew way beyond what they were capable of managing and profi...

Strap in for the first ever Consistently Eccentric episode written and hosted by Evie! We are heading back to the Georgian era to discuss the life and achievements of Anna Atkins, a botanist with a passion for reproducing what she saw in the natural world, first as illustrations and then with chemicals. Just be careful not to tire yourself out, as apparently that can be rather dangerous. Guest Pre...

This week we are taking a quick break from Robert Clive to mark the beginning of Wimbledon by talking about the most interesting of the early champions, Charlotte 'Lottie' Dod. Due to the success of her father's cotton business Lottie knew that she would never have to work a day in her life, and didn't particularly need a husband. With the freedom to do whatever she chose, Lottie decided to focus...

We are returning to our tale of Robert Clive, picking back up with his return to England as a celebrity and the way he managed to blow through a fortune in only two years. Luckily the East India Company were more than happy to welcome him back with open arms, provided he agree to settle down into the life of an administrator in Madras... ...so naturally part two features pirates, political coups a...

We are heading back to the Georgian era this week to begin the tale of a man who is arguably the single person most responsible for the British taking control of the Indian subcontinent for nearly 200 years. But how did the son of a minor country gentleman end up wielding such enormous power and influence? In this first part of the story of Robert Clive we will reflect on the trauma of his childho...

We are making our way across the Atlantic this week to discuss one of the shortest lived, but undeniably most fun settlements on the New England Coast. When Lawyer, Thomas Morton, was left in temporary charge of a small group of indentured servants, he decided to try setting up his own communal utopia. Offering to free his charges (which he had no authority to do) he suggested they live as equals,...

This week we are heading back to the 15th century to discuss the life of a middle class housewife who just so happened to also regularly speak to Jesus Christ. Following the traumatic birth of her first child, Margery Kempe began experiencing religious visions which would last for the rest of her life, and would eventually (after a misstep into the world of brewing) lead her to become a profession...

This week we are heading back to the middle ages to discuss the life of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester. A man who became a Prince at age 9, but somehow still managed to make life unnecessarily hard for himself. Determined to expand his territory onto the continent Humphrey came up with what he thought to be a foolproof plan... ...even if his older brother has explained to him in detail exactly why i...

This week we are heading back to the turn of the 20th century to discuss the life of Margaret Damer Dawson, a one woman campaigning machine who had a strong sense of justice, and enough money to ensure that her voice was heard. After seeing the way that women in the 1910s were experiencing the criminal justice system, Margaret decided that the only way to improve things would be to have women on t...

Happy 200th Episode This week we are looking into the biggest disaster in the history of Glasgow shipbuilding, when a relatively small ship designed to ferry people and cargo to Northern Ireland instead became a sunken tomb for over 100 people. Even worse it was a disaster that occurred in front of a large audience, and only a biscuit throw from shore. A tale of cutting corners and entirely predic...

We are heading into the skies this week to talk about Sir Thomas Sopwith, a man who had a natural talent for two things. Engines and business. Luckily for him he was born just in time for the dawning of powered flight. Slightly less luckily he was also in prime position to influence he development of British fighter planes during both world wars. So join us as we shamelessly name drop some of the...

This week we are delving into the brief period when Britain was a republic, and when anything seemed possible... At least it did to Gerrard Winstanley, a failed businessman who took the promise of more equality to the extreme when he founded a commune in Surrey with the belief that God had told him to prove to the people of England that private property was against the teachings of Jesus. Regardle...

We are treading the boards this week as we investigate a series of theatre disasters that took place across Britain, but always in a building named the Theatre Royal. Starting with the most famous theatre fire in 1613 we discuss how, over the next 400 or so years, theatre owners never seemed to learn the lesson that basic safety precautions are never too expensive in the long run (also, buildings...

This week we are are dipping our toes into medical history, discussing the life and times of the fastest surgeon (possibly) ever. A native Scotsman, Robert Liston was already an accomplished surgeon while still in his teens. But while his talent was great, his ego appeared to be even greater. After annoying his colleagues in Edinburgh for over a decade, Robert found himself being passed over for p...