Consistently Eccentric History

This week we are going to Hull to follow the romantic career of trawlerman William Burkitt. Forced to support his mother and eight siblings from the age of 14, William never had the chance to let his hair down and sow his wild oats at the time that most young men do. However after a (very) brief jaunt in the Navy William finally found time for love. Join us as we see how this worked out for Willia...

On this week's episode we switch allegiances to talk about a woman who was a spy for the Axis powers in WWII. But mainly, she was a hairdresser. Born in Scotland, Jessie Jordan was a woman on a lifelong mission to find a place to belong. Burdened with a family curse forbidding her to be able to find a satisfying romantic relationship she was more than willing to seek a sense of family in more clan...

This week we will be going further back than we ever have before (by at least 3 billion years) to try and answer the question 'why did anyone ever want to settle on this rainy little rock that we call Britain in the first place?' In order to answer that question we have to discuss the origin of Humans, the rise of the Homo Sapiens and, of course, bears. With special appearances by: Diprotodon! Gig...

This week we are looking into the origin of a piece of Naval Slang from the Victorian Era. An origin that has nothing to do with sailors, boats or the sea. So join us in the Market Town of Alton to see how a little girl called Fanny Adams became famous in the worst possible way, with a legacy that endures to this day, Guest Host: Ollie Green *WARNING - This episode does contain graphic description...

Join us this week to meet a man who wanted nothing more than to be famous. Aubrey Beardsley was a truly modern artist, a man who curated his persona and artistic output to create the most drama possible in pursuit of his goal to be more notorious than any one else in 1890s Britain (Oscar Wilde included) With a bold style and liberal use of nipples and penises he quickly rocketed to the top of the...

This week we are heading back to the Georgian era to meet what may be the only example of a dishonest Quaker. John Tawell was a man who only wanted to do two things in his life; join a strict religious organisation and lie, cheat and steal his way to fabulous wealth... ... and no, he didn't see the inherent problem in wanting these two diametrically opposed things at all. As you can imagine his li...

This week we are heading across the channel to Flanders for the story of a very special hill. A focal point for some key conflicts in WWI, Hill 60 became a hot potato that was occupied multiple times by both sides until the British finally decided they were going to settle the question of who got the high ground once and for all. Their decision, interestingly, turned out to be no one... Guest Host...

This week we are talking about a little boy from Wales who wanted to live a life of adventure on the high seas. Unfortunately with no actual sailing skill he was forced to resort to nefarious means. Meet Perce Blackborow, a man who managed to pick the absolute worst way to try and live his dreams. But don't worry, at least he didn't lose any body parts... ...probably. Guest Host: Jack Heathcote Ho...

This week we take a whirlwind tour of the most famous sexual deviants of the 17th and 18th centuries. A motley collection of perverts who for some reason wanted to take their frustrations out exclusively on buttocks. Guest Host: Ollie Green Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we are following the daughter of a Protestant Landowner in Western Ireland. Countess Constance Markievicz was born into the rarefied air of Victorian Nobility but had an innate sense of justice that could not be denied. Always ready to pick a side in the major issues of the day, once her mind was made up Constance was all in and would accept no compromises. Also she was pretty handy with...

Today it is the promise of free healthcare that tempts Americans to move north to Canada, but in the 1800s for slaves toiling in the plantations of Virginia it was the promise of freedom in general that drew them to the great white north. Unfortunately for Madison Washington it was only once he had made it safely to Canada that he realised he had forgotten his wife. Returning to rescue her proved...

To start the new year we are heading to the classic English resort of Blackpool to talk about a woman who just wanted to retire to a nice bungalow in the sunshine. Never mind that Louisa Merrifield was only 46 and had no savings and a drinking problem when she made this decision. She was the kind of person who believed that where there was a will their was a way... ...in this case the will of a 79...

A shorter but still very sweet episode this week so as not to interrupt your New Year's Eve merrymaking too much. We are covering the tale of a Scottish noblewoman who was singularly unimpressed with the English having another bash at conquering her homeland and who decided that she was not going to just let them into her castle. Despite the presence of siege weapons and being outnumbered by well...

This Christmas Eve why not get snuggly in front of a roaring fire and join us to listen to the tale of Thomas Wyatt Bagshawe. Despite his Antarctic scientific mission falling apart almost immediately he was young and naive enough to think he would have no problems spending a winter in one of the coldest places on earth with only one friend, a handful of tools and barely any condiments at all. A fe...

This week it is a Mutiny Episode with Emma telling the story and Joe being completely clueless to what is going on. We are going to the tip of Cornwall and the 16th century to discuss the legend that is a fisherman called Tom, who may or may not have saved an entire village from resorting to cannibalism. We discuss the cultural impact of his heroism that persists to this day, and the modern additi...

This week we travel to Burton to reflect on the strange tale of Thomas Darling, a young boy who found himself plagued by witches and demons. Was he really cursed? Was he just trying to get out of chores? You can be the judge, but either way you will hopefully learn a valuable lesson about farting on your elders. Featuring guest appearances from a Puritan Exorcist and Beelzebub, the lord of the fli...

This week we are covering a man who definitely lived his life in two distinct phases with three different names. An Englishman who wanted to see the world, Edward Muggeridge risked it all to emigrate to America. He was living the dream until a horrific accident would change the course of his life forever. A study in the pros and cons of acquired brain injury, join us as we cover the two sides of E...

Everyone knows that the British were ruthless in maintaining order in the Empire and today we will be talking about possibly the most egregious example, the Anglo-Zanzibar war. A standoff between a wannabe sultan and the forces of the British protectorate. The entire conflict hinged on the calculation that the British would want to disrupt trade less than they wanted to handpick the next ruler (as...

This week we are taking a 400 year trip through the phenomena of spontaneous human combustion. Focusing on some of the more famous British cases we will see how scientists slowly refined their hypotheses of what the hell is going on when bodies suddenly become roaring fires. Of course I have also managed to shoehorn in a murder or two for good measure (you've got to give the people what they want)...

We are back with the Quakers this week as we delve into the medical career of Joseph Lister, a surgeon who had the gall to care about his patients even after he had sewn them up. With a cameo from Queen Victoria's armpit and a short detour into American capitalism, this is a story that goes to show that innovation will always be challenged and that ultimately it is the opinion of the coming genera...

This week we are following the fortunes of a French-Roman noble who kept getting posted to a depressing little island right at the edge of the Empire. Most others would have actively avoided the thankless and near impossible task of subjugating Britain, however Agricola possessed a number of skills that helped him rise above the petty infighting and power plays of the Senate and Emperors (He saw q...

This week we are covering the life of a man who can lay claim to being the most successful pirate ever, despite spending less time as a pirate than most people spend at college. Join us as we chart Henry Every's rise from relative obscurity, using only his drive, his ambition, his possible sociopathy and his definite disregard for any sort of long-term thinking to become the most notorious man on...

This week we are talking about a poor country peasant from the early 1700s who managed to get the attention on the King himself and lead to the humiliation of several prominent doctors. Although it did involve the contents of her knickers and she did spend time living in a brothel, it is nothing like you are thinking, you dirty minded person... Guest Hosts: Jack Heathcote and special bonus guest K...

This week we are covering what was almost the most famous true-crime event of the 1800's (until Jack The Ripper came along late in the day to steal the crown.) Set in the idyllic village of Polstead this story not only created a brand new genre of play, but could also be considered the spiritual grandfather of 'Midsomer Murders'. There will be jilted lovers, there will be family betrayals and doub...

A perfect example of life beginning at thirty William Calcraft was a man who only realised what he wanted to do with his life at the age of 29. And that thing was hanging other people on behalf of the British Crown. Despite starting his third decade he still managed to spend 45 years sending unfortunate souls on a short drop to meet their maker, negotiating the transition from Georgian to Victoria...