Consistently Eccentric History

This week we are welcoming the youngest member of the Heathcote clan, Milo to his first episode!And as a result we are covering a subject that is currently rather close to his heart. The pseudoscience of Cryptids. Covering 10 questionable critters that span the entirety of the 20th Century we will answer the question, is there a Cryptid in the UK that is better than Nessie?As this episode is recorded in 2 locations with 2 children the audio quality is at times a bit iffy, but that is a small price to pay for how much they enjoyed it, and we hope you will too!Guest Hosts: Milo, Evie and Emma Heathcote.

This week we are talking about how an imagined love triangle (which contained absolutely no love) resulted in the death of a sitting MP and nearly sparked both an international incident and mob-rule on the streets of London.Because in Restoration England any noble woman who had a fortune but no husband was in constant peril. Due to the way the law worked, any man she married would instantly take possession of whatever she owned and could do with it as he pleased. So marriage carried much more risk... Especially if you were only 14 years old.This is a tale of murder, scheming and gossip, all hidden behind the veneer of courtly propriety. Proving that, just because someone is posh it does not mean that they know how to behave. Guest Host: Pamela Loetterle

This week we are heading to the Mills of Bradford to meet a Yorkshireman whose unshakable self-belief led to one of the most longwinded self-destructions in history. Having survived the horrors of WWII (and the retail industry), a chance encounter with some Yogis set in motion a series of events that would see Maurice Wilson defy the British Government, and find himself 23,000 feet up the side of Mount Everest.He may not have had any training, he may have had the wrong equipment, he may have been explicitly told by the locals that he was mad, but could Maurice survive to tell the tale?*Guest host: Oliver Green*No, he could not.

To celebrate international Midwifery day, Pam is back in the hosting chair to tell us the story of a pioneering Doctor who didn't let their lack of balls stop them from becoming one of the top medics in the entirety of the British Armed Forces.Originally only pretending to be a man in order to get through medical training, James Barry was planning to practice as a woman in service of Francisco de Miranda in Venezuela. But when this job offer fell through he decided to leave his old life an Margaret Bulkley behind for good, embarking on a globetrotting career that included a notable first in the field of midwifery. Guest Host: Joseph Heathcote

After a series of unfortunate events we are back with a spooky tale from the early 19th Century that resulted in multiple deaths. The Hammersmith Ghost was initially a local oddity, but as the winter of 1803 progressed it became a source of increasing fear for the local population.But as any good Georgian knew, the best way to protect yourself from the supernatural is with a bloody big gun!Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

This week we are heading across the channel to talk about how one of the many Anglo-French spats during the middle ages resulted in the creation of one of the most effective pirates who has ever sailed the high seas (of the English Channel).After her husband was executed (murdered) by the French king, Jeanne de Clisson swore revenge. However being an eminently practical woman, she ensured that her revenge. would have staying power. Two decades to be precise. This is a tale of dysfunctional marriages, power grabbing and justified anger. Which could only be untangled by a man from Yorkshire named Walter.Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

Finally we have reached the end of the cautionary tale of Oswald Mosley, as we talk about his period as Britain's best known Fascist. However unlike in Italy and Germany the population of Britain were not interested in lurching to the right, leaving Oswald waiting for a revolution that stubbornly refused to come.Featuring secret Italian funding, wives dying of apathy and a framed picture of Hitler!Guest Host: Oliver Green

This week we are jumping back into the world of quack medicine, following a nearly-doctor called James Graham as he blazed a path through multiple medical fields (none of which he was remotely qualified for.)While James Graham was searching for the pseudo-treatment that would make his fortune, he stumbled upon the idea of providing a medicalised model for improving marriage, specifically the procreation part. This led him to pivot from wellness guru to sexpert and creating one of the marvels of the Georgian age... but one that is now sadly lost to history. The celestial bed.So join us for a story of love, innovation, excess and madness...... but at least it is guaranteed to smell nice.Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

This week we are heading back to 1938 to talk about a very odd crimewave that plagued the people of Halifax during the cold, dark days of November. When Mary Sutcliffe reported being attacked by a man wielding a blade, it was assumed that it was an isolated incident, however as the attacks rapidly began to pile up a sense of panic seemed to engulf the people of Halifax.Was it a maniac? Was it more than one person? Were copycat attacks now outnumbering the genuine ones? And why had almost this exact thing happened two previous times in living memory?We will attempt to answer all these questions and more!Guest Host: Oliver GreenWith a special appearance from Tod Shaker!