Ruth is Stranger Than Fiction

The second part of our exploration of the Panacea Society is here! In part 1 we learned about the lives of Mabel Barltrop and Joanna Southcott, and now it’s time to hear all about the lives of the Panaceans in their community in Albany Road, Bedford. Their somewhat unorthodox beliefs included the conviction that Mabel’s breath could cure all disease, that their gardens were in fact the location of...

Have you heard about the Panacea Society, the end of days and the transformation of society? No? Well my friends, now is your chance. Part 1 introduces two rather unusual women: Mabel Barltrop, middle class and middle aged, with a life marred by tragedy, and Joanna Southcott, stout visionary and proud owner of both a fine bonnet and a mysterious box of prophecies. Listen to discover what connects...

This time we’re tackling one of the big boys of East Anglian lore - perhaps the biggest boy there is! It’s the legend of Tom Hickathrift, the giant of Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. Known for his amazing feats of strength and bravery (and possibly his drinking ability), Tom has stomped his way through the oral history and folklore of the region for many a year. Katy brings a giant sized breakfast dri...

This episode introduces us to mysterious Victorian writer M.H. James, author of Bogie Tales of East Anglia. A bit of background about this early tome of folklore is followed by one of it’s most unusual stories - that of Mary Chegriff, witch’s daughter. It features charms and potions, imps and mischief, and a rogueish fiddler called Lucky Chance. Plus, more unpleasantly, Mick Hucknall’s Pink Pancak...

The town of Dunwich on the Suffolk coast is predominantly known, I’m afraid to say, for going in the sea. The sad and inexorable fate of this lost city of England has inspired cultural icons from H.P. Lovecraft to Brian Eno; W.G. Sebald to Lovejoy. Ruth and Chris explore how Dunwich went from a thriving and prosperous harbour town to a mournful collection of masonry beneath the cold waves of the N...

What a story we have for you this time! Our new episode recounts the life of Margaret Catchpole - farm girl, heroine, criminal, and pioneer. Born in Suffolk in 1762, Margaret’s life was a rollercoaster of dramatic events, encompassing daring rescues, even more daring escapes, and an ill fated love affair with a smuggler named William Laud. Her story offers a rare insight into the life of an unorth...

Wrestingworth, Bedfordshire. 1841. Something is amiss in the Dazley household! Join us for the tale of Sarah and William Dazley, and some mysterious goings on involving past husbands and a dead pig. As the story twists and turns we learn about the Marsh Test and developments in forensic toxicology, plus, perhaps surprisingly, the embalming of Abraham Lincoln. Delightful!

Tune in for a special Mini Stranger exploring some of the May Day traditions of Cambridgeshire and East Anglia. First, Ruth and Chris drink a locally sourced sloe gin fizz while learning about the significance of hawthorn, blackthorn, elder, and nettles in the old customs of Waterbeach. Then, a romp about the villages with Jack in the Green and the May Ladies. And finally, hear the rules of the st...

The county of Norfolk has its fair share of glacial erratics: rocks deposited by the movements of ice many thousands of years ago. These stones now stand, aliens to the landscape around them, and magnets for mysterious legends and strange folklore. In this mini episode, we hear about three such boulders and their sometimes surprising stories: the great stone of Lyng (St Edmund!), the Stockton stan...

We’re going to Essex! Not in real life of course, but via the medium of podcasting (with a little help from Google Street View). It’s time for a visit to Boote House in Felsted to see the rather unusual carving that adorns its walls - it’s the Felsted hag! But who or what does this grotesque figure represent? In our quest to find out, we come across shipyards and witch trials, and cast aspersions...

It’s 27th July, 1921, and King Street in the centre of Cambridge is bustling with the crowds of the Wednesday market. But something terrible is about to unfold at Alice Lawn’s general store… join Ruth and Chris for the story of one of the most violent and shocking murders in the history of the city. Where will the investigations of Constable Alfred Flint lead? What is the significance of a morning...

For this mini episode we delve into the murky world of grindylows and water hags - bogeymen (or perhaps more accurately, bogeywomen) from folklore that serve to warn children away from the watery danger of rivers, lakes, wells, and resevoirs. Starting with Mother Lumpkin’s hole on the Minsmere River in Suffolk, a quick exploration of these straggle-haired, sharp-toothed creatures whisks us from Ea...

In the local history books of Suffolk, one name is particularly associated with witchcraft and wizardry - that of old Winter. According to tales handed down from generation to generation, Winter the cunning man used his skills for good, helping the people of rural Suffolk to deter criminals and fight back against malevolent curses and bedevilment. In this mini episode we hear several stories of Wi...

Get those sleighbells ready, oh lovely listeners, and grab yourself a large serving of eggnog… our first Christmas episode is here. The esteemed M.R. James is our companion tonight. Renowned scholar, one time director of The Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, and perhaps most importantly, finest purveyor of the festive tradition of stories of the supernatural. It may be a mini episode but it’s stuff...

It’s time for another mini Stranger! Recorded during lockdown, Ruth and Chris investigate the most peculiar tale of the green children of Woolpit, Suffolk. The sudden and unexplained appearance of two mysterious and verdant siblings in the 12th century has subsequently given rise to folklore and speculation, with theories spanning from fairy folk to, gasp, ALIENS! Join us for a brief romp through...

Ruth is Stranger than Fiction makes a rare foray into the 20th century with the bizarre story of Harold Davidson, the rector of the Norfolk parish of Stiffkey from 1906 - 1932. We are joined by old favourite Jake Dyer and a delightful new guest, Ed Ramage, to explore the unusual escapades of this unlikely figure, from a career on the London stage to his self-proclaimed role as ‘the prostitute’s pa...

Happy Hallowe’en to you all! We’ve got some spooky stories for you this episode with further investigations into ghostly goings on through the history of Cambridge. Our special guest is Justin Crane, who recounts some tales of the macabre and mysterious and offers a rather alarming box of wine. We also cover Abbey House, said to be the most haunted building in the city and home to an unlikely sele...

Welcome back to our exploration of the sordid trade of the resurrectionists of 19th Century Britain. In this second episode, recovered from the hysteria inspired by Nelson the clown and his unlikely goose chariot (see Part 1), we finally get to the particular case of the body snatchers of Great Yarmouth. What brought them to this town on the Norfolk coast, so far from the medical schools of the ci...

Join Ruth, Katy, Jo, and Chris (and Vinnie the cat) as we travel back to the 1820s and the dank world of body snatching. Gangs of resurrectionists roam the graveyards of the country, digging up the corpses of the recently deceased and selling them to top surgeons and eager medical students. Grim stuff, for sure! But was this a necessary horror in the service of medical advancement? Let’s see what...

Town meets gown as Ruth and Chris encounter some of the many ghosts that haunt the cloistered corridors and courtyards of the University of Cambridge. So numerous and ghastly are the spectres of the 31 Cambridge colleges that we may well have to revisit this topic in a future episode… but for now, listen for supernatural tales of exorcisms at Peterhouse, foul smells at Sidney Sussex, and an unfort...

Recovery continues apace in the Ruth is Stranger studio and for this episode we have the lovely Jo McPhee and Jake Dyer back with us to discuss some very mysterious archaeological discoveries, made in the early 1800s in the village of Whittlesford, Cambridgeshire. The Chronicle Hills reveal their secrets and a ghostly tale unfolds. Perhaps more unpleasant still, the drinks take an unusual turn wit...

Oh heck everyone! Katy is back! Yes, we have a visitor to the Ruth is Stranger than Fiction studio and we’re back with a full length episode. Prepare for overexcitement and giddiness, only partially caused by the alcohol. We’re going a bit Agatha Christie for this one… it’s a dark November night at Stanfield Hall in Norfolk, and some horrific events are about to unfold. Disputed inheritances, conv...

We’re going back to the fens my lovely listeners… back to the fens for tales of mysterious lights in the darkness and strange phantoms whose only desire is to lead decent folks astray… it’s the ghost lights, the lantern men, the corpse candles and the will o’ the wisps! Classic marshland folklore lies within.

Get ready for doom, lovely listeners! No, not that kind of doom… for our fifth mini Stranger we’ll be back in Suffolk (with a little detour via Italy) having a look at some Last Judgement paintings and in particular some hellish scenes of fire and brimstone. As lockdown tentatively begins to lift in the outside world, Ruth and Chris are holed up drinking brandy and beer and discussing Satan’s inte...