logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2023
30m 50s

Hate Mail: A Scandalous History

History Hit
About this episode

From tip-off letters about the gun powder plot to village quarrels that lead to jail time - today we’re going Betwixt the Sheets to find out about the history of hate mail. 


Joining Kate is Dr. Emily Cockayne, author of Penning Poison and consultant on the forthcoming film Wicked Little Letters, starring Olivia Coleman, based on a famous case of anonymous letters from the early 20th century. 


This episode was edited by Stuart Beckwith and produced by Charlotte Long.


Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Kate Lister, Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Mary Beard and more.


Get 50% off your first 3 months with code BETWIXT. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up at historyhit.com/subscribe.


You can take part in our listener survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/6FFT7MK


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
The Truth about Adam & Eve
What really went down in the Garden of Eden? Was there an apple? Was there a snake? Was the 'original sin' all that bad?To answer these questions and more, Kate is joined by Dr Dylan Johnson, biblical scholar and historian of the Ancient Near East at Cardiff University. His most ... Show More
43m 50s
Jun 5
Supersluts of History: Roman Empress Theodora
In this new mini-series, we're exploring and celebrating women whose sexuality was used to define them.First up is Roman Empress Theodora. How did "Theodora from the brothels", as she was known, rise to be the most powerful woman across the Roman Empire?Joining Kate today is auth ... Show More
39m 46s
Jun 2
Sex & Pleasure in the Ancient World
Sex in the distant past is often thought about with all the fun taken out of it.Pleasure must have been a part of the sex lives of women and men in the past, so what evidence do we have to back this up? What evidence of queer sex and attraction is there? And how did the Victorian ... Show More
45m 15s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2023
Mary, Queen of Scots
<p>This is the story of the incredible rise and fall of Mary, Queen of Scots. She was queen of Scotland, she was queen of France, and she could have been queen of England. She led armies, lived as a fugitive, became embroiled in love affairs and spent nearly two decades in jail.< ... Show More
41m 55s
May 2024
History Behind the Headlines: student protests down the centuries
In the latest episode of our monthly series charting the past behind the present, Hannah Skoda and Rana Mitter chronicle the history of student protests, explore the story of a remarkable medieval astrolabe and discuss some new discoveries about Jane Austen. The HistoryExtra po ... Show More
41m 13s
Sep 2023
Sabotage & Secret Weapons: The WW2 Dirty Tricks Department
<p>What is a bat bomb? Why would you cover a fox in radioactive paint? And who are the masterminds behind the Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to the CIA?</p><br><p>In this episode, Don is joined by John Lisle to discuss the creations of the Research and Development br ... Show More
36m 1s
May 2024
The real Lady Whistledown & the golden age of gossip
Smash-hit historical romance Bridgerton returns this week. One of the series' key characters is the elusive Lady Whistledown – a savvy wordsmith with a penchant for causing mayhem among the Regency elite. But did an anonymous gossipmonger like Whistledown really exist in the Rege ... Show More
35m 30s
Aug 2023
The Magna Carta in America
<p>What does a document written in 1215 in England have to do with the United States? The Magna Carta has supposedly influenced foundational documents like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.</p><br><p>In this episode, Don is joined by Eleanor Janega, the new co ... Show More
29m 39s
Jul 2017
Introducing Tides of History
<p>History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme, said Mark Twain.&nbsp;From the fall of the Roman Empire to the rise of the modern world: history ebbs and flows over the centuries, driven by great tides of economic, social, political, religious, and cultural change that shap ... Show More
1m 49s
Jun 2023
The Picts
<p>Emerging around the 3rd century CE and later designated official adversaries of the Roman Empire, the Picts wreaked havoc across the northern fringes of Roman Britain. But due to their limited presence in the archaeological record and the complexities of multiple kings, kingdo ... Show More
43m 10s