Consistently Eccentric History
The British Isles have thousands of years of history, so it's weird that all most people were taught at school was World War Two, how many wives Henry VIII had and that the Battle of Hastings took place in 1066 (always worth a try if you are trying to guess someones pin number).If you've always wanted to learn about all the bits between these events, but only if it can be done in a random and eclectic manner why not try Consistently Eccentric History? A podcast where each week you can listen in while I tell one of my friends...
Episodes
Elstow Abbey - (or) Nuns Gone Wild!
This week we are lucky enough to have an extra bonus episode written and presented by friend of the show Pamela Loetterle, who has been delving into the rather naughty history of the Nuns of Elstow Abbey.A tale of longstanding religious ins…
Wojtek the Bear - Do bears transport artillery shells in the woods?
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Dr Robert Clements - (or) why marriage can be hazardous to your health
This week we are heading to my hometown of Southport to discuss Dr Robert Clements. A man who saw marriage as a means of improving his bank balance, and who was willing to 'divest' himself of his wife as soon as the money ran out.While you …
The Bargarran Witches - (or) you need to be Shaw before you start throwing accusations of witchcraft around
This week we are getting spooky in Scotland, with the tale of how a volcanic eruption may have contributed to the country's last mass witchcraft trial.When little Christian Shaw began experiencing fits, she was soon able to convince her par…
John St. John Long - (or) sketching out a medical career
Get ready for another extra special episode from friend of the show Pam Loetterle!This time she is bringing us the tale of John St. John Long, a handsome Irishman who decided that actually studying medicine should not be a requirement for b…
Joseph Pocklington - Building a reputation (and a fort) in the Lake District
This week (on the hottest day of the year) we are talking about Joseph Pocklington. A man with a dream to become an architect, and who was fortunate enough to have enough money to make that dream a reality despite a complete lack of skill.C…
The consequences of Robert Clive - An abused membrum (Robert Clive Part Three)
As we end our series on Robert Clive we discuss his second attempt to break into UK politics and the results of his governorship of Bengal... It turns out that trying to reform corrupt business practices is much harder if everyone knows tha…
Lottie Dod - (or) what does one do after their tennis career?
This week we are taking a quick break from Robert Clive to mark the beginning of Wimbledon by talking about the most interesting of the early champions, Charlotte 'Lottie' Dod. Due to the success of her father's cotton business Lottie knew …
Anna Atkins - Being a pioneer of photography can be fatiguing
Strap in for the first ever Consistently Eccentric episode written and hosted by Evie!We are heading back to the Georgian era to discuss the life and achievements of Anna Atkins, a botanist with a passion for reproducing what she saw in the…
The Second Coming of Robert Clive - Trying to get out of a black hole (Robert Clive Part Two)
We are returning to our tale of Robert Clive, picking back up with his return to England as a celebrity and the way he managed to blow through a fortune in only two years.Luckily the East India Company were more than happy to welcome him ba…
The Origins of Robert Clive - A love of fighting out of all measure (Robert Clive Part One)
We are heading back to the Georgian era this week to begin the tale of a man who is arguably the single person most responsible for the British taking control of the Indian subcontinent for nearly 200 years.But how did the son of a minor c…
Thomas Morton - Trying to get merry with the Puritans (and failing)
We are making our way across the Atlantic this week to discuss one of the shortest lived, but undeniably most fun settlements on the New England Coast.When Lawyer, Thomas Morton, was left in temporary charge of a small group of indentured s…
Margery Kempe - (or) a full and honest account of every time I wept
This week we are heading back to the 15th century to discuss the life of a middle class housewife who just so happened to also regularly speak to Jesus Christ.Following the traumatic birth of her first child, Margery Kempe began experiencin…
Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester - I would do anything for love, but I won't fight a duel with a Bergundian Duke.
This week we are heading back to the middle ages to discuss the life of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester. A man who became a Prince at age 9, but somehow still managed to make life unnecessarily hard for himself.Determined to expand his territo…
Margaret Damer Dawson - Recognising the police force could use a woman's touch
This week we are heading back to the turn of the 20th century to discuss the life of Margaret Damer Dawson, a one woman campaigning machine who had a strong sense of justice, and enough money to ensure that her voice was heard.After seeing …
The Daphne Disaster - (or) a serious Scottish shipping snafu
Happy 200th EpisodeThis week we are looking into the biggest disaster in the history of Glasgow shipbuilding, when a relatively small ship designed to ferry people and cargo to Northern Ireland instead became a sunken tomb for over 100 peop…
Sir Thomas Sopwith - (or) flying through 100 years of aviation
We are heading into the skies this week to talk about Sir Thomas Sopwith, a man who had a natural talent for two things. Engines and business. Luckily for him he was born just in time for the dawning of powered flight. Slightly less luckily…
Gerrard Winstanley - Digging the idea of communism
This week we are delving into the brief period when Britain was a republic, and when anything seemed possible...At least it did to Gerrard Winstanley, a failed businessman who took the promise of more equality to the extreme when he founded…
The many fires of the Theatre Royal - Bringing the house down (multiple times)
We are treading the boards this week as we investigate a series of theatre disasters that took place across Britain, but always in a building named the Theatre Royal.Starting with the most famous theatre fire in 1613 we discuss how, over th…
Robert Liston - He knows the quickest way to get you legless
This week we are are dipping our toes into medical history, discussing the life and times of the fastest surgeon (possibly) ever. A native Scotsman, Robert Liston was already an accomplished surgeon while still in his teens. But while his t…
Lilly Maxwell - It is always a Bright idea to use a vote when you are (accidentally) given one
This week we are heading back to the world of the Women's Suffrage movement to discuss how a clerical error gave one shopkeeper a chance to vote in a General Election.Having worked her way up to the point where she met the property threshol…
Baron Spolasco - (or) proof you should always check your doctor's credentials
This week we are delving into the world of early Victorian pseudo-medicine with a man who can literally be described as 'a bit of a character.'Born into obscurity near Manchester (possibly), young John Smith (at least we assume that was his…
The Gentleman's Magazine 1756 - Why not have a butchers?
This week we are viewing the events of 1756 through the editorial decisions of The Gentleman's Magazine. One of the premier publications of Georgian London.Join us as we discuss the criminal inclinations of butchers, the impact of war with …
Robert Fortune - Was practically never home for tea
This week we are following a tale of transcontinental industrial espionage from the Victorian Era.Robert Fortune was a poor Scots horticulturalist who just so happened to have been born at a time when plant hunting was deemed to be of vital…
Dr John Donne - (or) I have Donne a lot more than just write a poem
This week we have an extra special episode, researched and presented by the birthday girl, Pamela Loetterle.We are talking all about Dr John Donne. Born a Catholic and a child genius, we follow his career, love-life and eventual conversion …
Richard the Lionheart - Going on Crusades can be taxing
This week we are talking about a King who was immortalised by Disney, and who was given the nickname 'The Lionheart' due to his prowess in battle.Unfortunately being a king isn't all about battles, and in every other aspect it could be argu…
Jasper Maskelyne - Having a magical time in war (perhaps)
This week we are learning about what happens when a magician tries to apply his skillset in an active war zone with the tale of Jasper Maskelyne.Determined to serve during WWII, Jasper ended up in Cairo where the British were facing off aga…
The Cadbury Brothers - Keeping it fancy since 1870
This week Emma is taking the lead to tell the tale of how two brothers took a failing drinking chocolate business from the brink of bankruptcy and made it into a chocolate colossus that still exists to this day.Following their father losing…
Sir Julius Caesar - (or) what do you mean the king needs to stick to a budget?
We are back with another episode written and researched by the extremely knowledgeable Pamela Loetterle who wanted to shine a light on one of the forgotten nobles from the Elizabethan / Stuart era, Sir Julius Caesar. The son of immigrants J…
Barry Williams - Having neighbours isn't up everyone's street
This week we are talking about a rare event in British history, a spree shooting. Though it could easily have been two.Barry Williams was a man who struggled to see other people as anything other than objects, and who had a fascination with…
Mother Shipton - How to make profit from a prophet
This week we are talking about a woman who was forced by circumstance to live in a cave, and made it work.Denounced by her neighbours as a witch, Mother Shipton leaned into the role in order to survive and did such a good job that she is st…
Dr Roderigo Lopez - Sex, spies and enemas in Elizabethan England
We are delving into the world of Elizabethan espionage this week to discuss a displaced Jewish doctor who realised that the way he communicated with his fellow exiles across Europe could just so happen to be turned into a readymade spy netw…
The Dublin and Gorbels Whiskey/Whisky floods - Another reason to consider a dry January
For our first 2025 episode we are discussing two separate occasions when whisky* related disasters caused death and destruction within the British Isles.With a brief history of whisky production over the years, explaining how a monopoly of …
Hannah Snell - A life too fantastical to be true?
This week on Consistently Eccentric we are discussing the life of a poor Georgian woman who enjoyed 15 minutes of fame due to a sensational biography and her willingness to wear pants.When she was abandoned by her husband Hannah Snell decid…
The Penlee Lifeboat Disaster - A coastal Christmas calamity in Cornwall
This week we are heading to the Cornish coast to discuss a history of shipwrecks that culminated in a lifeboat disaster that still holds a grim record in the UK.From the initial wreckers of the middle ages, through early attempts to formali…
The Hong Kong Plague of 1894 - trading lives for profit in the Empire
This week we are joined by Ang from 'Dissecting Medical History' to discuss the origins of the Third Plague Pandemic, and how everything was made worse by the British.When the plague was threatening the colony of Hong Kong the British Colon…
Sabrina Sidney - (or) The story of a Georgian incel
Welcome to season 3 of Consistently Eccentric History!We are coming in hot with the story of Thomas Day and his 'experiment' to try and raise a girl to become his perfect wife. Taking Sabrina from an orphanage at age 12 (under false pretenc…
Lady Marjory Allen of Hurtwood - The architect of many childhoods
This week we are discussing a woman whose advocacy for the wellbeing of children should be much better known; Lady Allen of Hurtwood.Starting out with a passion for plants and a plan to make a career creating beautiful gardens, Marjory Alle…
The Rum Rebellion - Trying to say bye Bligh to authority in Australia
When setting up a brand new colony it is important to ensure that you have a long term plan. Unfortunately for the convicts being sent to Botany Bay in Australia, it seemed that their ongoing welfare was more of an afterthought. And when th…
Adrian Carton de Wiart - (or) Eye would give my left hand for the British Army
To commemorate Remembrance Sunday this week we are talking about a man who gave more than most to the British Army, during a career that spanned both world wars.Despite being born in Belgium, Adrian Carton de Wiart's desire to see excitemen…