In the late 1500s, Britain was, spiritually speaking, in something of a confusing place for the average citizen. With the protestant reform in full swing, many old traditions were being unceremoniously cast aside by the officials, whilst still being clung to by the public, leading to a thriving underground trade in charms and trinkets and the quiet trade of ... Show More
Aug 25
Early America & The Savage Crimes of the Harpe Brothers
In the years following the American Revolution, when the country was still uncertain of itself and the frontier was still a place of violence, two brothers carved out a story of fear across the wilderness. When their story was first published in 1824, many people thought it was s ... Show More
1 h
Aug 12
The Grafton, The Invercauld and the The Multiple Wrecks of the Auckland Islands
In the winter of 1864, two ships met their fate on one of the most remote and unforgiving stretches of the Southern Ocean. The Grafton and the Invercauld were wrecked thousands of miles from civilization, leaving their survivors stranded on the desolate Auckland Islands. What fol ... Show More
1h 7m
Aug 3
Summer Break - Charlotte Riddell: The Open Door
Hey Everyone! here is a little episode to tide us over til next week when I'll be back to the usual posting schedule. I took a short, mid-season break to sort some bits and pieces out and enjoy a bit of the summer weather, but I do love a good ghost story, so here's one for the t ... Show More
1h 16m
Oct 2024
Inside the Witch Trials: Pendle | The Child Who Condemned Her Family
People in the 17th century were at spiritual war with the devil. It was a time of huge upheaval. What became known as the witch trials soon followed.In this first episode of a limited series, Inside the Witch Trials, we go back to the English village of Pendle in 1612, to find ou ... Show More
36m 18s
May 2023
Episode 168: Witches, Demons and Fairies
In this episode, we explore the Elizabethan fascination with witchcraft and mysterious creatures like fairies and demons. Those subjects feature prominently in the literature of the period, and they reveal a lot about the world view of the people who lived in England in the late ... Show More
1h 56m
Mar 2024
England's Worst Witch Trial: Pendle Witches
Inside the heavy walls of Lancaster Castle, the darkest & deadliest of English witch trials played out in 1612 - the Pendle Witch Trials. By the end ten people would be executed and many more lives ruined. At their heart was a little girl, Jennet Device, and a book, Daemonologie ... Show More
46m 18s
Nov 2024
A Victorian cult: inside the strange world of the Agapemone
In the 1840s, a strange, secretive community known as the Agapemonites set up camp in Spaxton, Somerset. Presided over by a rogue Anglican priest who believed he had a hotline to god, this religious cult attracted wealthy members in search of a deeper connection to the Lord. But ... Show More
36m 17s
Mar 2023
Elizabethan witchcraft: a trial that divided a community
In the 1580s, the remote Essex village of St Osyth was beset by poverty and social tensions – and when a servant accused her neighbour of witchcraft, it sparked a crisis that engulfed the entire community. Speaking with Charlotte Hodgman, Marion Gibson explores what this late 16t ... Show More
29m 9s
Nov 2024
Practical Magic: Spells, Prayers & Cunning Folk
<p>Long before witch trials, magic was the domain of ‘cunning folk’ who were part of the fabric of medieval and early modern life. Their charms, filters and spells - for personal advancement, aiding fertility, predicting the future, even exacting revenge - offered people sol ... Show More
33m 59s
Oct 2025
187: Possessed Nuns, Mass Hysteria, and an Influencer Priest: DH of Exorcisms
Hi friends. Happy Wednesday. More importantly...🎃 Happy Halloween!! 👻Grab your holiest water and close the curtains, because I've got the perfect episode to button up spooky season. We are diving headfirst into the real Dark History of Exorcisms — and it’s crazier than the movi ... Show More
57m 29s
May 2023
331: American Witches
It’s 1647, and in New England, where puritan settlers live in fear of God’s wrath and a hostile indigenous population, there are rumours coming from Boston, and up the Connecticut valley, that witches are to blame for the death of local children…
In today’s episode, Tom and Domin ... Show More
55m 6s
Aug 2024
Practical magic: curses, spells & cunning folk
From love spells to enthral the object of your desires, to charms to influence the outcome of a trial, people turned to cunning folk for all kinds of practical magic in medieval and Tudor England. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, historian Tabitha Stanmore reveals the amount of power ... Show More
33m 55s