Consistently Eccentric History

What happens if you take a hypochondriac with masses of cash and give him unlimited access to whatever medicines / drugs / potions he fancies? Well you might end up with a man like James Maybrick who became obsessed with patent medicines to an apparently deadly degree. A successful Liverpool Cotton Merchant, James married a young American woman called Florence, however he neglected to mention that...

Like all primary school children in Britain, Evie will be studying the Ancient Egyptians at some point. So we have decided to give her a head start by talking about one of the most famous events of the 20th Century, the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun. With quick explainers of why Pharaoh's started being buried in the Vally of the Kings, and how Tutankhamun came to die at the age of only 19 (...

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 follow...

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....

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 (amazi...

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...

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...

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 def...

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 so...

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 provi...

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 s...

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 enjo...

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 spa...

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 stadi...

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 fe...

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 marks...

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...

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...

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...

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?...

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...

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...

Science! This week we are discussing the life and times of one of the most influential scientists of the Georgian era. Henry Cavendish was a man who liked playing with acid much more than spending time with people, and was fortunately rich enough to dedicate his entire life to scientific discovery. Pausing only for his weekly dinner with the Royal Society Henry spent over half a decade dedicating...

All aboard! This week we are going to be sailing with one of the lesser known of Queen Elizabeth's sea dogs. Sir George Somers, a boyhood friend of Sir Walter Raleigh, was a man with almost obscene amounts of luck. Everything he tried his hand at seemed to go well and by his 50s he was a rich and successful landowner, MP and Mayor. However when his old buddy Walter needed someone to lead a fleet t...

No more cats! This week we are discussing an inventor/adventurer from Devon whose large family meant he had to get experimental to find ways of feeding them. Originally a wool trader, and probably aware of just how many ships were sinking as global trade increased, John Lethbridge realised that the sea floor was now awash with free money. If only there was a way of getting to it. With a simple pla...