Consistently Eccentric History

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 back with open arms, provided he agree to settle down into the life of an administrator in Madras......so naturally part two features pirates, political coups and lots of battles, fought in the traditional Robert Clive manner: All attack, all the time.But will Robert be able to revive his fortune? Will he finally lose a fight? And how big a bribe should you extort from your puppet rulers?We answer all these questions and more!Guest Host: Ollie Green

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 country gentleman end up wielding such enormous power and influence? In this first part of the story of Robert Clive we will reflect on the trauma of his childhood and how this influenced his worldview. And how he found himself in the perfect place to quickly rise in the military ranks. Guest Host: Ollie Green

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 servants, he decided to try setting up his own communal utopia. Offering to free his charges (which he had no authority to do) he suggested they live as equals, engage on friendly terms with the locals and try to have as good a time as possible.But while the members of this newly-named colony of Merrymount were having a good time, their puritan neighbours to the south did not approve......and they just so happened to have access to an armed militia. Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

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 experiencing religious visions which would last for the rest of her life, and would eventually (after a misstep into the world of brewing) lead her to become a professional religious fanatic. It is a tale of miracles, prophesy, pilgrimages and more than one accusation of heresy. All to the backdrop of constant weeping...... so much weeping.Guest Host: Ollie Green

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 territory onto the continent Humphrey came up with what he thought to be a foolproof plan... ...even if his older brother has explained to him in detail exactly why it wasn't.So join us as we discuss his ambitions, his marriages and his eventual downfall.Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

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 way that women in the 1910s were experiencing the criminal justice system, Margaret decided that the only way to improve things would be to have women on the front lines as police officers in their own right, and she would not rest until it happened......which thanks to the start of WWI wouldn't actually take as long as she might have feared.Guest Host: Evie Heathcote

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 people. Even worse it was a disaster that occurred in front of a large audience, and only a biscuit throw from shore.A tale of cutting corners and entirely predictable consequences the story of the Daphne goes to show that the Victorians were experts at putting profits before people. With a bonus discussion of over 500 years of ship building on the west coast of Scotland that features a cameo from at least two separate King James'Guest Host: Ollie Green

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 he was also in prime position to influence he development of British fighter planes during both world wars.So join us as we shamelessly name drop some of the most important men in aviation history and discuss how the RAF were able to have the edge on the competition in spite of the Government as we delve into the life and times of centurion Sir Thomas Sopwith (who may or may not have murdered his father in cold blood....)Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

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 a commune in Surrey with the belief that God had told him to prove to the people of England that private property was against the teachings of Jesus.Regardless of if this was true or not, the local landowners were not about to let Gerrard potentially prove that communal living without any attempt to profit off your fellow man could work, so they wrote to the new republic government and soon the head of the army became involved.So join us for a story of naive optimism in the face of state power and vested interests as we see if anyone in the country actually dug the Diggers.Guest Host: Pam Loetterle