Consistently Eccentric: Recent Episodes

Joe Heathcote

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? A podcast where each week you can listen in while I tell one of my friends a story about a lesser known person or event in British history, the weirder and less believable the better.

We are back to conclude our breakdown of the eight attempts on the life of Queen Victoria during her reign. This time the motives for regicide range from Irish Nationalism to underappreciated poetry and we finally get some variation from simply trying to shoot her... which is nice.

If you have not listened to part one yet, I would strongly suggest that you do so, otherwise there will be quite a few references and callbacks that will likely not make sense. Though I can appreciate it may be hard to tell if the episode seems any more chaotic than usual.

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

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This week we are discussing the first four attempts on the life of Queen Victoria, which all took place during a two year span from 1840-42.

While most of her subjects seemed to love the young Queen, the inequality in Britain meant that there were plenty of people who felt that life was rigged against them and at least three of these subjects had access to guns.

So join us for a tale of poor marksmanship, even poorer assessments of mental health, and weird historical quirks in the first of a two part series on the people who wanted to show the establishment that they were very, very frustrated with their position in Victorian Britain.

Gust Host: Emma Heathcote

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It has been a long time, but we are back to the world of true crime this week with the tale of Catherine Hayes, a disgruntled wife who saw a convenient solution to all of her marital problems.... Murder.

Hatching a plot alongside not one, but two lovers, Catherine figured that the bustle of London would allow her to get away with bumping off her husband. Just as long as they could quickly get rid of the evidence. After all, no body no crime, right?

But even without a formal police force, would Catherine's plan succeed, would she finally get to enjoy her husband's money in the thruple of her dreams? And how exactly do you figure out who a head belongs to before photographs were a thing?

Guest Host: Ollie Green

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This week we are talking about one of the longest lived of all royals as part of our ongoing series focused on queen consorts of England and the UK. When little Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was born at the dawning of the 20th century it would have seemed practically impossible to her family that she would also see the beginning of the 21st, while being one of the most recognisable people in the entire country.

It is a story of not following conventions and updating the image of the royal family into the recognisable state it is today, and is one of the few stories we cover where my lifetime overlaps with the subject (which amazed Evie no end.)

Guest Host: Evie Heathcote

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This week we are meeting Mary Willcocks, a young woman from a poor family who didn't want to accept her lot as a future housewife scraping an existence in a tiny rural village.

Armed only with her own sense of self importance and a gift for making up stories, she left for London, determined to make her fortune. Free to reinvent her past she began presenting herself first as a globetrotter and then as a foreigner with a persona that drifted further and further from Britain as time passed.

The end result was Princess Caraboo, member of a Javanese royal family who excited the nobility of the small village of Almondsbury.

Would Mary be able to keep up her deception? What was her end game? And did she finally get to travel the world as she always wanted? We answer these questions and more.

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

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This week we are heading Stateside with a young Welshman who was determined to prove that the continent had been discovered by a Welsh Prince.

Convinced that somewhere in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains was a Tribe of Welsh native Americans, John Smith headed out into the wilds with only the clothes on his back and less than two dollars in his pocket. Did he find the tribe? Did he even survive? And what legacy did his adventures leave. Join us to find out.

Guest Host: Pamela Lotterle (who you can find on instagram: @porters_rest) a fellow history buff.

Apologies for the sound quality on the episode, we hope the story more than makes up for it

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Deciding what to do with your retirement is always difficult. But for Arthur English an advertisement from Canada provided him with a chance to fulfil a lifelong dream at the age of 48.

That lifelong dream was to become an executioner.

Donning a fake name and a sharp suit he became the go to guy for hanging prisoners throughout the 1910s and roaring 20s. But would even a former soldier be able to cope with such a stressful job into his old age?

It was all likely to be fine, just so long as his wife didn't find out what he was actually doing on his trips away...

Guest host: Ollie Green

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This week we are discussing a woman who broke multiple glass ceilings in the world of Victorian Science.

The daughter of a Jewish Watchmaker, Phoebe Marks couldn't have expected to climb too far socially, however her intelligence, tenacity (and the fact that her aunts just so happened to run a school) allowed her to pursue her love of science and mathematics all the way to Cambridge university.

An inventor, a suffragette, and a woman responsible for saving countless thousands of lives on the front lines of WWI. Hertha was a force to be reckoned with no matter what she turned her mind to.

Guest Host: Evie Heathcote

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Science! This week we are discussing the life and times of one of the most influential scientists of the Georgian era. Henry Cavendish was a man who liked playing with acid much more than spending time with people, and was fortunately rich enough to dedicate his entire life to scientific discovery. Pausing only for his weekly dinner with the Royal Society Henry spent over half a decade dedicating himself to scientific discovery, and was so prolific in his work that he often forgot to write things down.

Was he able to avoid ever seeing his housekeeper? What happened if someone wanted to ask him a question? And just how does one go about weighing planet Earth? These questions and more will be answered.

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

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All aboard! This week we are going to be sailing with one of the lesser known of Queen Elizabeth's sea dogs. Sir George Somers, a boyhood friend of Sir Walter Raleigh, was a man with almost obscene amounts of luck. Everything he tried his hand at seemed to go well and by his 50s he was a rich and successful landowner, MP and Mayor.

However when his old buddy Walter needed someone to lead a fleet to save the Jamestown colony, George answered the call, taking to the seas one last time...

...what could possibly go wrong?

Guest Host: Ollie Green

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No more cats! This week we are discussing an inventor/adventurer from Devon whose large family meant he had to get experimental to find ways of feeding them. Originally a wool trader, and probably aware of just how many ships were sinking as global trade increased, John Lethbridge realised that the sea floor was now awash with free money. If only there was a way of getting to it.

With a simple plan and more bravery that engineering know how John set out to begin harvesting the ocean floors for profit. Just watch out for the leaks.]

Guest Host: Evie Heathcote

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150 Episodes of Consistently Eccentric History!

After nearly four years of talking about the weirder bits of history I have finally relented and agreed to give Emma a full episode of nothing but cats cats cats.

Specifically a motley collection of eight moggys who have held the prestigious role of Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office over the past nearly 100 years. It is a story full of scandal which is at times equal parts tragedy and farce. We hope you enjoy, and here's to the next 150!

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

This episode was written with the help of Magic Mind productivity shots. To learn more about how Magic Mind can help you increase focus and beat procrastination you can go to: www.magicmind.com

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This week we are looking at how the English were out of sync with the rest of Europe for nearly 200 years because of a refusal to accept that a pope might be right about something. The history of identifying where in the yearly cycle you are is an interesting one and, for the most part, one that has been defined by a move to ever greater accuracy over the centuries. That was until a minor adjustment was suggested by the Vatican, at which point the Anglican Bishops decided that being approximately right was good enough.

Join us as we discover how England was finally able to sync up. Why the tax year begins on April 6th and how the hell you actually calculate Easter.

Guest Host: Ollie Green

This episode was written with the help of Magic Mind, a productivity shot to boost energy and focus and help you to overcome procrastination. To learn more visit www.magicmind.com

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This week we are talking about a princess born in the midst of a civil war and whose future plans had to change on an almost yearly basis. Despite the constant uncertainty, the potential marriages to foreign princes and the deaths of most of her family members, Elizabeth of York managed to remain in England and eventually managed to help end the war with the power of love....

.... well, arranged marriage at least.

Guest Host: Evie Heathcote

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This week we are talking about a man who dealt with his grief in a particularly extreme manner. Former petty London Criminal Edward Low was a man of extremes, which is why he responded to the untimely death of his wife by becoming a pirate and engaging on a three year campaign of death and destruction.

Capable of extreme cruelty which he would justify with a very idiosyncratic moral code Ned Low provided the exclamation mark to the end of the golden age of Piracy and has gone down in history as the most bloodthirsty pirate who has ever existed.

So join us for a tale of badly named ships, questionable cooking techniques and blood, blood, blood!

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

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We are over in the North East of England today to meet a radical preacher and sometime asylum inhabitant, Jonathan Martin. A man who was never backwards in coming forwards about his views on the state of the Christian Church.

Born into a nomadic family, Jonathan consoled himself by convincing himself that his life would be in service of a greater purpose. While this allowed him to cope with extreme situations it also lead to him developing a very singular moral compass which at times brought him into direct conflict with the authorities.

So join us as we follow him over the high seas and into conflict with multiple long-suffering vicars toward his ultimate, god-directed purpose.

Just remember to hid the guns....

Guest Host: Ollie Green

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A day late but with double the content, this week we are discussing two sisters who married the King of England (luckily it was not the same king each time, or we might have needed a Jerry Springer style intervention) in order to shore up the position of their father Charles, the mad king of France.

However despite both Isabella and Catherine doing the dutiful thing it was a later decision by Catherine to marry a simple Welsh Knight that would actually have the most long reaching impact on British History.

Guest Host: Evie Heathcote

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This week we are delving into the murky world of espionage during the interwar years, with a tale about a man who took advantage of the fact that the emerging intelligence services were not actually sure how to run a spy network effectively.

Arthur Owens, a Welshman with a chip on his shoulder, was a man who wanted money and was not in the least bit concerned about the amount of treason he might need to commit to get it. Flip flopping wildly between the British and the Nazi's he somehow managed to convince both sides that he was just about useful enough to not shoot in the face...

But was he able to keep up his double dealing once WWII kicked off and the stakes were raised?

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

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For our first episode of 2024 we are talking about a son of William the Conqueror who couldn't help but to sabotage his own chances of inheriting all the lands his father had fought for

Robert Curthose, the oldest son and heir to William, was a young man with a chip on his shoulder. This was partly due to his derogatory nickname, but also due to the fact that his father made it clear that he wasn't willing to give him any responsibilities. Unfortunately it turned out that his father was right to keep Robert as far away from the administration of his kingdoms as possible...

...but at least he was relatively good at hitting other people with his sword.

Guest Host: Ollie Green

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No official episode this week as we are busy celebrating the holidays. However for those of you who love to know what goes on behind the scenes, please enjoy this bonus conversation with Jack when we stumble upon the story of the first official transatlantic swim attempt.

See you for more official new episodes in 2024.

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

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It is a very Merry Christmas from all at Consistently Eccentric, as this week we talk about how the festive season has been celebrated in Britain over the past 10,000 or so years.

Beginning in the Neolithic, join us for a whistle stop tour of how a pagan celebration of renewal developed into the unstoppable juggernaut of presents and overeating that we enjoy today. Just watch out for the hot cockles!

Guest Host: Evie Heathcote

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This episode we are venturing into outer space to discuss a very British UFO encounter in 1950s Scotland.

While our American cousins had been seeing aliens regularly for almost a decade, the British had been much less willing to disclose any extraterrestrial encounters. That was until pulp fiction writer and amateur astronomer Cedric Allingham spotted a saucer while walking on the Scottish coast.

Cedric wrote a book on his experience of meeting and trying (with little success) to chat to a Martian. But would he be believed, or derided as nothing but a hoaxer?

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

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This week we are heading to the other side of the world for a story of how the British desire for tea accidentally led to the creation of a truly unique city. After forcing China to give up Hong Kong for the grave offence of having tried to stop traders from the East India Company smuggling opium into the country a plan to extend the newly British territory led to a small area in Kowloon being essentially outside of the control of either government.

Which is a situation that would never lead to any negative consequences...

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

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This week we are discussing one of the lesser known Queen consorts of England, Catherine of Braganza. Promoted to princess status at the age of 2 thanks to her dad's efforts to kick the Spanish out of Portugal, little Catherine was destined to be Queen of France. But plans change and new alliances suddenly left Catherine with the prospect of having to sail across the channel to a wet little island to become the new wife of Charles II... which I am sure was just as good.

Guest Host: Evie Heathcote

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This week we are talking about beer, so naturally I have a guest host on board who hates the stuff. The development of porter in Georgian Britain led to a boom time for brewers across the country including the Meux family, who were able to become fabulously wealthy supplying the people of London with the means to forget their troubles.

Unfortunately the chasing of profit above all else does not sit particularly well with good health and safety practices.

Join us as we follow three generations of the Meux family and see how, if you are wealthy enough to begin with, you can ignore all sense of responsibility and consequence. But at least that is no longer true in Britain today...

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

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This week we discussed what it takes to become a saint, and it was so exciting that I did it twice. That is to say that I thought I had recorded the episode with Emma, but it turns out the recording had cut out after 15 minutes, so we had to re-record with Ollie stepping into the breach.

And what a story it is! covering over 500 years and thousands of miles we follow the four men (possibly 5) who were destined to be remembered evermore in the British Isles as the patron saints of each country...

And an Emma episode will be along presently.

Guest Host: Ollie Green

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This week we are going back to a story we told before releasing our first episode back in August of 2020. The Loch Line was a shipping company set up by two idealistic Scotsmen who wanted to recreate the golden age of sail ships in the grime of Victorian Britain. But while their cause was noble, their business sense (and ability to choose competent captains) left much to be desired. It is less a case of 'will they succeed' and more 'will anyone survive?'

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

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This evening we invite you to join us for a tale of blood and death as we discuss one of the more unique execution methods ever used in England.

A head chopping machine with a lovely view of the nearby brook, the Halifax gibbet was essentially a business sponsored initiative to reduce the amount of cloth theft in the local area. An obscenely over the top (though arguably very successful) method of ensuring profits were protected, the gibbet was infamous throughout the land for over 100 years, during which time the blade was reportedly never sharpened...

...though at least the people facing the gibbet in Halifax could console themselves that they weren't being executed in Hull.

Guest Host: Ollie Green

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This week we are discussing a man who could be described as the perfect example of a truly British eccentric.

Sir Patrick Moore's enthusiasm for astronomy was a passion so intense that he was able to create a 50 year television institution based on the sheer force of his personality alone.

A man who believed that the truth should never get in the way of a good story, he was more than happy to continually update his own biography in order to increase his status as a national treasure. So join us as we go beyond the monocle and try to sift the facts from the fictions in the life of one of the most successful amateurs of the last 100 years.

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

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WE'RE BACK!

... and ready to get rolling with the new series of episodes by introducing Evie to the concept of family history via the story of a fellow Heathcote made good.

Hailing from the same area of Derbyshire as the forefathers of Consistently Eccentric, Gilbert Heathcote was the eldest of a set of very industrious brothers who raised the bar for the concept of social mobility. To the point that he was even able to claim ownership of a swan or two. We follow his sometimes rocky rise from an apprentice merchant to the heights of Georgian society.

With a special appearance from an irate Queen Anne.

Guest Host: Evie Heathcote

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This week we are trying to satisfy Emma's need for transport based history by talking about Claude Grahame-White, an early aviation engineer who loved to design planes, oh so many planes.

Convinced that planes were the key to future wars, Claude launched a one man crusade (sponsored by the Daily Mail) to ensure that the British would be the premier European force when it came to air power. Despite lacking both the creativity of the French and the discipline of the Germans. What resulted was a wild decade of creative output with dizzying highs and frustrating 3.3bhp lows.

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

In the second part of our discussion of the Darien scheme we cover the voyage to South America and the experiences of the would-be settlers once they arrived. This is a tale of incompetence and bad luck conspiring together to create a the perfect conditions for misery.

Even the endless naive optimism of William Paterson is no match for the sheer amount of reality that the expeditions experienced over the course of two harrowing years that almost bankrupted a country and set Scotland on the path to agreeing to the Act of Union.

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

This week we have a story so big that we will not be able to get through it all in one sitting. The tale of William Paterson and his dream of setting up a trading colony on the isthmus of Darien.

He was not bothered by the fact that he had never visited the place. By the fact that he could not get anyone to invest outside of Scotland. By the open hostility of the English East India Company and the lack of support from the King...

William knew that so long as he was in charge everything would be great, and it would only cost the low, low price of half of the totality of the Scottish economy.

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

This week we are dabbling in the world of organised religion to discuss a dissenting Christian Lay-preacher who is remembered to history for a singularly grizzly reason.

Starting out as a middle-class draper with all the advantages of a private education and tonnes of family connections it seemed like Edward Wightman would be living life on easy street (or as easy as it could be in Elizabethan England). Unfortunately his education turned out to be a bit more liberal than his parents might have expected, introducing him a world of non-conformist Christian worship and new-fangled religious ideas.

Still, so long as he kept his head down it was sure to be fine...

Guest Host: Ollie Green

Many English people erroneously think that the last invasion of mainland Britain took place in 1066. While this was indeed the last successful invasion it was not the last time a military leader managed to get boots on the ground.

That honour goes to William Tate, an Irish-American working on behalf of the French to invade England in order to support republicanism in Ireland at the end of the 18th century. This week we follow his ill-fated mission, trying to decide if he was merely overly confident or downright delusional as he led his ramshackle force of men into the wilds of western Wales for the glory of the new French Republic.

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

John O Gaunt was a man who was loyal to a fault. As the third son of King Edward III he spent most of his life dutifully doing whatever his father, his brother or even his Nephew (King Richard II) wanted him to do.

Naturally this led to him being hated by the people of England and always seeming to be quite unhappy.

Eventually he decided that if he would never be king of England he may as well try to be king of somewhere, that somewhere being Castile in modern day Spain.

Join us this week to find out how he got on.

Guest Host: Evie Heathcote

We are delving into the world of civil rights this week to meet a man who inadvertently contributed to the single most important moment in Gay rights history.

Peter Wildeblood was a man happy to keep his public and private lives irreconcilably separate. A successful journalist with many friends he had no reason to think that the regressive anti homosexuality laws still on the statute books would ever be used against him. That was until the threat of communism in America led to a crackdown on homosexuality in high office, and as foreign correspondent for the Daily Mail Peter Wildeblood just so happened to be friends with many a successful gay man.

Finding himself on trial to suit the government's agenda of appeasing the Americans Peter decided that he was not going to try and disown his sexuality, instead making a stand that helped to shift the public perception on same sex relationships in the process... A bold strategy indeed, but would it keep him from being sent to prison?

Guest Host: Ollie Green

This week we are looking into the origins of the Great British detective by following one of the pioneers of the new form of policing through his groundbreaking career. Johnathan 'Jack' Whicher was considered the gold standard for investigating in the early Victorian period. However at a time when a man's home was his castle, how far was Whicher willing to go to get his man.*

With special guest appearance from Richard Tanner! (See episode 113 for details)

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

*Gender of killer may vary...

This week Evie is learning all about how women gained the right to vote in the UK (as well as how they lost the right in the first place). It is a tale of steadily increasing tension with an inspiring cast of characters and a surprise twist-ending that no one could have predicted.

With special guest appearances from Winston Churchill and the Daily Mail (neither of whom come off well).

Deeds Not Words!

Guest Host: Evie Heathcote

This week we are entering the world of British Folklore to look at some of the many accounts of supernatural Black Dogs that have troubled good God-fearing people since at least the middle of the 14th Century.

So prepare for tales of blood, flame, mind-bending terror and a lord of darkness seemingly obsessed with building civic infrastructure.

Guest Host: Ollie Green

To start the new year we are dipping a toe into the world of the late-Georgian/ early-Victorian world of the travelling menagerie. Caravans of cages that offered the people of Britain their only opportunity to see animals from different continents.

Possibly the most successful of these pre-zoo proprietors was George Wombwell, a man who traded in a shoe making business in Soho to start his own travelling menagerie in 1810.

But did 40 years of travelling in close quarters with some of the most awe inspiring animals ever lead him to question if his business was ethical?

You better believe it didn't!

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

For a special extra-long Christmas episode come with us into the swashbuckling world of Colonel Thomas Blood. A protestant Irish landowner who was determined to keep alive his family legacy. Claiming things he hadn't technically been entitled to by cosying up to whoever was in power at the time.

But when the powers that be took away his lands and titles Thomas decided that he would just cut out the middleman, arrange a quick coup and make himself ruler of a country (preferably Ireland, but any country would do at a pinch).

What followed was a decade of daring escapades that made Thomas the king of all traitors in the British Isles. All he really needed to confirm it was a crown of his very own....

Guest Host: Ollie Green

This week we are discussing the most deadly disease of the 1800s and the self-made doctor from the poorest part of York who set out to defeat it.

John Snow may have been born into filthy conditions but he grew up to be a poster boy for clean living. A vegetarian teetotaller who regularly attended church, he seemed like the kind of guy you would listen to when he suggested that contaminated water might be the cause of Cholera...

You know, as long as posh London doctors wouldn't discriminate based on what class someone was born into.

Guest Host: Evie Heathcote

It's time to book passage on a steamship (of questionable reliability) this week, as we follow in the wake of Isabella Bird, a Victorian travel writer for whom staying at home was literally bad for her health.

Born into a rich family Isabella would almost certainly have lived as a respectable, if boring, upper-class Victorian housewife, but luckily for her she developed a spinal tumour and was prescribed travel by her doctors as part of her recovery.

This sparked a lifelong love of going places and writing about what she saw. Which would see her visiting five continents, observing many buff young men and even managing the most impressive feat of all. Being accepted as competent by Victorian men!

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

This week we are learning all about the relative nature of mental illness with Joshua Norton. A man born in Kent who decided to promote himself to Emperor of the USA after an unfortunate incident with Peruvian Rice.

Join us as we travel from the UK to South Africa and beyond before settling in San Francisco to look at how one of the most liberal cities in America was happy to accept the rule of an Emperor from England for over 20 glorious years. Featuring Freemasons, false arrest and a dog called 'Bummer.'

Guest Host: Ollie Green

This week we discuss what happens when former siblings-in-law have a disagreement, and access to hundreds of warships. Following the death of Queen Mary, her former husband, King Philip of Spain, was determined to continue the enforcing of Catholicism in England by moving on to Mary's half-sister (and new Queen) Elizabeth.

When she rebuffed his advances, he did not take it well. Leading to a decades long spat that eventually escalated to Philip deciding that his only option was to plan an all out invasion of England. The resulting marine mobilisation has become known to history as The Spanish Armada, a sea based army that surely could not fail...

Right?

Guest Host: Evie Heathcote

We are venturing into Essex this week to explore the tale of the most haunted house in England! Borley Rectory may have only been build in the mid Victorian era but it's holy custodians were convinced that it was a hotbed of paranormal activities. Join us as we discover ghostly nuns, spectres in dressing gowns and all manner of poltergeist shenanigans over the course of nearly a century.

Featuring special guest star, Harry Price!

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

We are heading off to warmer climes this week. To the island of Trinidad, in order to meet Ulric Cross, a man who can claim to have both helped to preserve and dismantle the British Empire.

After seeking adventure as part of the RAF in WWII, Ulric yearned to reinvent himself as a lawyer. Struggling for opportunities in England he accepted an invite to head over to West Africa to help in the process of disentangling brand new nation states from their colonial pasts...

Which was sure to be a relatively simple task, surely?

Guest Host: Ollie Green

We are going a bit more in depth than the rhyme everyone knows this week to give Evie a primer on the love life of our most corpulent King. Six wives in less than six decades on the planet, Henry was a marrying machine. But were any of the marriages good? And more importantly why does Evie insist that he once married a woman called Amber Lynn?

Guest Host: Evie Heathcote

Thomas Briggs was an old banker who will go down in history as the first person who was murdered on a train in the UK in 1864. But who killed him? Why did they do it? And what pair of amazing Met Detectives could be relied upon to crack the case whatever it took? Tune in this week to find out the answers to all of these questions and more.

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

Following on from last week we complete the alphabet (mostly) with tales including the snobbiest man England has ever produced, a prolific poisoner and yet another elderly fraudster!

Warning - There is discussion of suicide in this episode

Guest Host: Ollie Green

Over the next few weeks Consistently Eccentric HQ is moving, so to tide you over we are doing a collection of mini stories about eccentrics throughout history in a two part special. 24 stories in alphabetical order (I couldn't find a good one for X or for Z at short notice)

So settle in for 12 stories including: An avid fan of funerals, a terrible murderer, an elderly fraudster and an attempted assassination... of a Queen!

Normal service will be resumed with episode 113 on October 21st.

Guest Host: Ollie Green

We are taking a trip back to the 1300's and the aftermath of the plague this week, to talk about how the decimation of the English population impacted on the working classes.

While you would expect that there being few workers for many jobs would push up wages, the King and his nobles decided that they didn't want to pay more so they instead introduced laws to force the working class to accept a real terms cut in living standards (Imagine a government trying to do similar today?!)

I am sure it didn't cause any long term issues though....

Guest Host: Evie Heathcote

This week I am joined by Ang and Mel from 'Dissecting Medical History' to talk about a pair of executioners working in London at the time of Henry VIII.

Needless to say they were never short of work, or variety, from a monarch who sent tens of thousands of people to their deaths during his 36 year reign. What kind of impact does a lifetime of torturing and killing have on the human mind? Well, needless to say that neither man died peacefully in their bed.

Guest Hosts: Ang and Mel

Due to the events of the previous week we at Consistently Eccentric are finally going to dip our toes into the world of current events, with an episode dedicated to the recently deceased monarch. Due to the time constraints I asked co-host Ollie if he wouldn't mind taking the lead, writing a few brief words....

anyway, buckle up for nearly 2 hours of Royal facts and borderline treasonous chat.

Guest Host: Joe Heathcote

Time for another history lesson with my daughter as we cover someone almost as strong-willed as she is! Boudica, queen of the Iceni

We talk about the reasons Boudica became a bit miffed with the Romans, and how she decided to teach them a lesson. All to the backdrop of many, many people dying. With a special guest appearance from Caractacus.

Guest Host: Evie Heathcote

This week we are meeting the first Strongman in England, former carpenter Thomas Topham. A man of limited business acumen but abundant muscles Topham was a strength savant who was lucky enough to be befriended by an upper class Frenchman who was able to channel his raw power into a money making machine.

But how would Topham cope with his sudden fame and fortune....

...badly. Really, really badly.

Guest Host: Ollie Green

This week we are covering a year in history that is so well known is is the PIN number of choice for 30% of all pensioners in the country, 1066!

However everyone has to hear the story for the first time at some point and I have found a willing six year old volunteer (my own child) to hear about it all for the very first time. Will she understand the reasons for the conflict? Will she be happy with the outcome? Does she have the attention span to complete the episode?

All these questions and more will be answered!

Guest Host: Evie Heathcote

To celebrate two years of weekly episodes we are heading to Australia to discuss the rocky first few years of the state of Victoria. Specifically how the exploitation of gold miners led to an armed rebellion!

Proving that big business using politics to protect their interests has always been a thing, and that the law has always favoured the rich this is a story of the plucky underdogs standing up to a powerful bully (played to perfection by the British army!) which, rarely for this show, has a generally positive ending.

Guest Host: Ollie Green

This week we are talking about trains, specifically the many deaths they have caused in the UK over the past 200 or so years. Starting with an unfortunate incident with a former leader of the House of Commons we make our way to the biggest railway disaster, which took place just North of London seventy years ago this October.

We should all just be thankful that there was an American on hand....

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote (and her glass of wine)

Daniel Mendoza was a man with a dream. A dream to become the premier biscuit maker in all of Georgian England. Unfortunately it turned out that he was much better at breaking things than making things. And when I say breaking, I mean people's faces, with his fists!

Mendoza was reluctant prize fighter who nevertheless birthed some of the most enduring tropes of boxers to come, including the idea of a trilogy of fights against a single opponent and using the press to drum up interest. Now with exclusive discussion of shoe measuring systems!

Guest Host: Ollie Green*

*Former Husband of Julian Clary.

We are heading back to the time when years only contained 3 digits to talk about a Roman who wanted nothing more than to expand his empire. Septimius Severus was, in many ways, exactly what you would expect a Roman Emperor to be; a charismatic, tactically astute strongman, who enforced his right to rule at the point of a sword.

But then everyone thinks they are tough until they try to invade Scotland...

Guest Host: Ollie Green*

*Special bonus feature!!! A Scottish dialect based quiz!!!

100 episodes down and we are celebrating with a feast of culture from north of the border!

William Topaz McGonagall was a man who knew that the had the spirit of an artist. Unfortunately he had the occupation of a weaver and would have to wait until he was over half a century old before he could begin pursuing his dream in earnest.

With a long-suffering wife in tow he vowed to become the greatest poet in British History, determined to achieve fame, fortune, Royal favour and the respect of his fellow man...

One out of four isn't too bad, right?

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

It is off to a small street in London this week to look for a ghost. A tale of sex, death, money and betrayal that required investigation from a super team of professionals, the Cock Lane haunting captured the imagination of the Georgian public... well, for a month or so at least.

Was it real? Was it a hoax? And what was the interest rate on a 13 Guinea loan in 1760?

We answer these questions and more!

Guest Host: Ollie Green*

*with special guests: a group of youths revving their dirt bikes.

In the week leading up to Bastille Day we are celebrating one of the most enduring of Anglo-French cultural exchanges. Anna Maria Grosholtz!

We follow Anna Maria as she navigates the decadence of Pre-revolutionary Paris, the uncertainty and paranoia of 'The Terror' and the absolute horror of marriage (Though it did provide a snappier name). It is a story of death, extortion and above all lies upon lies upon lies. Though how can a successful business be built upon anything else?

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

On a slightly longer episode we are covering two teachers who influenced educational practices in late Georgian / early Victorian England, for all the wrong reasons. Joseph Lancaster and Thomas Hopley both started out as idealistic young educators, convinced that they would be the person to bring good quality education to the poor of the industrialised cities.

However the near absolute power they were given over their students did eventually corrupt each man leading to a missed opportunity and a completely avoidable tragedy.

Guest Host: Ollie Green

This week we are talking about a half Scottish, half Indian gentleman who had the misfortune to be the chosen successor to one of the most formidable leaders India has ever produced.

With no discernible skills in diplomacy, war or financial management David Ochterlony Dyce Sombre would have found the transition from heir to ruler hard at the best of times, but at a time of East India Company expansion it was virtually impossible. At least he could appeal to the English Courts for justice though...

... right?

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

We are heading about as far north as it is possible to get on mainland Britain this week, to the shores of a lake near John O Groats to meet a young Scottish inventor who had the misfortune of having to travel south to London in order to try and make a go of his passion for electrified clocks.

Alexander Bain was a man with hundreds of good ideas but an unfortunate habit of encountering people determined to steal the credit (and cash) that came with them. Join us as we discover if he was able to survive the cutthroat world of the upper class Victorian Gentleman-Engineer.

Guest Host: Ollie Green

Sometimes a truly awful person can find themselves in the right place at the right time to become a hero. This was definitely the case for Harold Cole, a career fraudster who found himself behind enemy lines in Northern France in 1940. Presented with a chance to save hundreds of British Soldiers by organising a clandestine people smuggling network it looked like he was destined to be remembered as a true patriot.

So long as he could suppress his urges to commit crimes....

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

We are in the Stuart Era this week to look at a few generations of the Herbert family, holders of the title 'Earl of Pembroke'. Specifically the 4th Earl and his incredibly cosy relationship with James I and the 7th Earl who was once described as 'a homicidal maniac.'

But don't worry, it is very unlikely that anyone in this story will face any consequences for their actions*

Guest host: Ollie Green

*Aside from Charles I, obviously.

We are heading back to the early part of the 20th Century to meet Emily Davison, a woman who believed in action. After being shafted once too many times by the patriarchal society she lived in Emily joined the cause of the Suffragettes, quickly becoming one of the most notorious members.

Starting out writing pamphlets for the group she quickly progressed to taking part in direct action, engaging in ever more daring and dangerous protests before eventually creating one of the the most enduring images of the struggle for women's votes in 1913.

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

Let's go North of the border to Glasgow to meet an engineer and football superfan called Archie. Disillusioned with building factories, Archie wanted nothing more than to somehow contribute to his beloved Glasgow Rangers. But what could an engineer specialising in large-scale functional buildings possibly offer to a football team who had more fans wanting to attend than their stadium could hold?

Guest Host: Ollie Green

We are learning all about the Pacific theatre of WWII this week as we discuss the Japanese invasion of China and the impact this had on the British Empire; looking at the counter offensive through the eyes of one particular sergeant in the Indian Artillery Division, Umrao Singh. Umrao was the son of a farmer who had an affinity for big guns and when he was given a big gun all of his very own he was damned sure that no one was going to take it away from him.

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

Let's talk about female empowerment, Tudor England style.

Meet Elizabeth, a young daughter from a family that barely classed as nobility. Not satisfied with the idea of being married off to incrementally improve her family's standing Elizabeth set out to climb the social ladder right to the very top using a carefully blended mix of good business sense, keen political instincts and of course aggressive marriage contracts.

She also loved building country houses, because everyone needs a hobby.

Guest Host: Ollie Green

Today we are talking about a truly remarkable feat of engineering, made all the more impressive by the fact that no engineer was involved in the project for over half a century.

William of Orange wanted to make Plymouth his main naval dockyard, with the only slight issue being a square mile of razor sharp rocks 9 miles offshore. But not to worry, it would be a simple fix. All it needed was someone to figure out how to build the worlds first open ocean lighthouse, and if they could front the money themselves then that would be just perfect....

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

We enter the world of the supernatural this week as we discuss a Scottish Woman who claimed to be able to summon spirits. Helen Duncan and her pet spirit Albert spent the inter-war years happily reuniting the living and the dead at seances in the two most important cities in Britain... Edinburgh and Portsmouth. However when WWII started Helen's knack of 'knowing' sensitive state secrets led to one of the weirdest trials the Old Bailey has ever hosted.

William Churchill will not be pleased!

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

This week we are heading back to the middle ages to tell the tale of the most bombastic end to a blood feud in Scottish history.

Not content to wait for the complex politics of the Clan system to resolve a dispute that had lasted for over 26 years, King Robert III decided to get a bit Roman and built a mini colosseum in Perth where the two sides could thrash things out (literally).

Featuring booze, blacksmiths and a cat's bot!

Guest Host: Ollie Green

We explore the world of the spiritual in this week's episode, heading back to Tudor times to meet a Polymath called John Dee who wanted to know all the things.

Convinced that Mathematics was the key that could unlock the gates of heaven itself all he had to do was convince the royal family that he was not a heretic, and find some way of talking to angels. Both tasks that proved to be quite difficult.

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

This week we are going to Hull to follow the romantic career of trawlerman William Burkitt.

Forced to support his mother and eight siblings from the age of 14, William never had the chance to let his hair down and sow his wild oats at the time that most young men do. However after a (very) brief jaunt in the Navy William finally found time for love. Join us as we see how this worked out for William, and the women of Hessle Road.

Now with two extra Burkitts for no extra cost!

Guest Host: Ollie Green

On this week's episode we switch allegiances to talk about a woman who was a spy for the Axis powers in WWII. But mainly, she was a hairdresser.

Born in Scotland, Jessie Jordan was a woman on a lifelong mission to find a place to belong. Burdened with a family curse forbidding her to be able to find a satisfying romantic relationship she was more than willing to seek a sense of family in more clandestine circles. Because hairdressers are well known for keeping secrets... Right?

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

This week we will be going further back than we ever have before (by at least 3 billion years) to try and answer the question 'why did anyone ever want to settle on this rainy little rock that we call Britain in the first place?'

In order to answer that question we have to discuss the origin of Humans, the rise of the Homo Sapiens and, of course, bears.

With special appearances by: Diprotodon! Gigantopithecus! and more!

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

This week we are looking into the origin of a piece of Naval Slang from the Victorian Era. An origin that has nothing to do with sailors, boats or the sea.

So join us in the Market Town of Alton to see how a little girl called Fanny Adams became famous in the worst possible way, with a legacy that endures to this day,

Guest Host: Ollie Green

WARNING - This episode does contain graphic descriptions of child murder. If this is triggering for you please feel free to give this episode a swerve

Join us this week to meet a man who wanted nothing more than to be famous. Aubrey Beardsley was a truly modern artist, a man who curated his persona and artistic output to create the most drama possible in pursuit of his goal to be more notorious than any one else in 1890s Britain (Oscar Wilde included)

With a bold style and liberal use of nipples and penises he quickly rocketed to the top of the London artistic scene... Unfortunately the only way to go from the top is down.

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

This week we are heading back to the Georgian era to meet what may be the only example of a dishonest Quaker. John Tawell was a man who only wanted to do two things in his life; join a strict religious organisation and lie, cheat and steal his way to fabulous wealth...

... and no, he didn't see the inherent problem in wanting these two diametrically opposed things at all.

As you can imagine his life was not the smoothest sailing (though he did end up spending quite a bit of time on boats).

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

This week we are heading across the channel to Flanders for the story of a very special hill. A focal point for some key conflicts in WWI, Hill 60 became a hot potato that was occupied multiple times by both sides until the British finally decided they were going to settle the question of who got the high ground once and for all.

Their decision, interestingly, turned out to be no one...

Guest Host / Poet: Ollie Green

This week we are talking about a little boy from Wales who wanted to live a life of adventure on the high seas. Unfortunately with no actual sailing skill he was forced to resort to nefarious means.

Meet Perce Blackborow, a man who managed to pick the absolute worst way to try and live his dreams. But don't worry, at least he didn't lose any body parts...

...probably.

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

This week we take a whirlwind tour of the most famous sexual deviants of the 17th and 18th centuries. A motley collection of perverts who for some reason wanted to take their frustrations out exclusively on buttocks.

Guest Host: Ollie Green

This week we are following the daughter of a Protestant Landowner in Western Ireland. Countess Constance Markievicz was born into the rarefied air of Victorian Nobility but had an innate sense of justice that could not be denied.

Always ready to pick a side in the major issues of the day, once her mind was made up Constance was all in and would accept no compromises. Also she was pretty handy with a gun....

....I am sure it will all be fine.

Guest Host: Matt Hare

Today it is the promise of free healthcare that tempts Americans to move north to Canada, but in the 1800s for slaves toiling in the plantations of Virginia it was the promise of freedom in general that drew them to the great white north.

Unfortunately for Madison Washington it was only once he had made it safely to Canada that he realised he had forgotten his wife. Returning to rescue her proved to be more eventful than Washington was hoping, sparking an international incident and indirectly contributing to the start of a war.

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

To start the new year we are heading to the classic English resort of Blackpool to talk about a woman who just wanted to retire to a nice bungalow in the sunshine.

Never mind that Louisa Merrifield was only 46 and had no savings and a drinking problem when she made this decision. She was the kind of person who believed that where there was a will their was a way...

...in this case the will of a 79 year old widower called Sarah Ricketts.

Guest Host: Ollie Green

A shorter but still very sweet episode this week so as not to interrupt your New Year's Eve merrymaking too much.

We are covering the tale of a Scottish noblewoman who was singularly unimpressed with the English having another bash at conquering her homeland and who decided that she was not going to just let them into her castle.

Despite the presence of siege weapons and being outnumbered by well over 2,000 to 1.

Was she brave? Was she suicidal? Did the English fight fairly or resort to dirty tricks? Find out the answers to these questions and more in the final episode of 2021!

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

This Christmas Eve why not get snuggly in front of a roaring fire and join us to listen to the tale of Thomas Wyatt Bagshawe. Despite his Antarctic scientific mission falling apart almost immediately he was young and naive enough to think he would have no problems spending a winter in one of the coldest places on earth with only one friend, a handful of tools and barely any condiments at all.

A feat of human endurance that was as pointless as it was completely avoidable Thomas Wyatt Bagshawe proved beyond a doubt that you can always find some science to do if you look hard enough (though obviously not too hard to minimise the risk of snow blindness.)

Guest Host: Harry Heathcote

This week it is a Mutiny Episode with Emma telling the story and Joe being completely clueless to what is going on.

We are going to the tip of Cornwall and the 16th century to discuss the legend that is a fisherman called Tom, who may or may not have saved an entire village from resorting to cannibalism. We discuss the cultural impact of his heroism that persists to this day, and the modern addition of cats to the story.

With a bonus recipe for a vert special fish pie!

Guest Host: Joe Heathcote

This week we travel to Burton to reflect on the strange tale of Thomas Darling, a young boy who found himself plagued by witches and demons. Was he really cursed? Was he just trying to get out of chores? You can be the judge, but either way you will hopefully learn a valuable lesson about farting on your elders.

Featuring guest appearances from a Puritan Exorcist and Beelzebub, the lord of the flies!

Guest Host: Ollie Green

This week we are covering a man who definitely lived his life in two distinct phases with three different names. An Englishman who wanted to see the world, Edward Muggeridge risked it all to emigrate to America. He was living the dream until a horrific accident would change the course of his life forever.

A study in the pros and cons of acquired brain injury, join us as we cover the two sides of Edward 2.0, reborn as Eadweard Muybridge!

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

Everyone knows that the British were ruthless in maintaining order in the Empire and today we will be talking about possibly the most egregious example, the Anglo-Zanzibar war.

A standoff between a wannabe sultan and the forces of the British protectorate. The entire conflict hinged on the calculation that the British would want to disrupt trade less than they wanted to handpick the next ruler (as was explicitly stated in the constitution that they had helped the previous Sultan to draw up.)

Join us as we cover the tense days that led up to the war with the British forces initially outnumbered, but definitely not outgunned.

Guest Host: Matt Hare

This week we are taking a 400 year trip through the phenomena of spontaneous human combustion. Focusing on some of the more famous British cases we will see how scientists slowly refined their hypotheses of what the hell is going on when bodies suddenly become roaring fires.

Of course I have also managed to shoehorn in a murder or two for good measure (you've got to give the people what they want).

Guest Host: Thomas Heathcote

We are back with the Quakers this week as we delve into the medical career of Joseph Lister, a surgeon who had the gall to care about his patients even after he had sewn them up.

With a cameo from Queen Victoria's armpit and a short detour into American capitalism, this is a story that goes to show that innovation will always be challenged and that ultimately it is the opinion of the coming generation that matters most.

Guest Host: Ang from Dissecting Medical History

This week we are following the fortunes of a French-Roman noble who kept getting posted to a depressing little island right at the edge of the Empire. Most others would have actively avoided the thankless and near impossible task of subjugating Britain, however Agricola possessed a number of skills that helped him rise above the petty infighting and power plays of the Senate and Emperors (He saw quite a few of these in his lifetime) with the result that he could be considered the most successful Roman Governor Britain saw in over 400 years of occupation.

With special (and generally brief) appearances from at least half a dozen Roman Emperors this is story of truly epic proportions, not least of all because the author couldn't help but exaggerate!

Guest Host: Matt Hare

This week we are covering the life of a man who can lay claim to being the most successful pirate ever, despite spending less time as a pirate than most people spend at college.

Join us as we chart Henry Every's rise from relative obscurity, using only his drive, his ambition, his possible sociopathy and his definite disregard for any sort of long-term thinking to become the most notorious man on the planet. Though we will leave it up to you to decide if he deserves his enduring legendary status as 'The Pirate King'

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

This week we are talking about a poor country peasant from the early 1700s who managed to get the attention on the King himself and lead to the humiliation of several prominent doctors.

Although it did involve the contents of her knickers and she did spend time living in a brothel, it is nothing like you are thinking, you dirty minded person...

Guest Hosts: Jack Heathcote and special bonus guest Kate Rimmer!

This week we are covering what was almost the most famous true-crime event of the 1800's (until Jack The Ripper came along late in the day to steal the crown.)

Set in the idyllic village of Polstead this story not only created a brand new genre of play, but could also be considered the spiritual grandfather of 'Midsomer Murders'. There will be jilted lovers, there will be family betrayals and double dealings, there will be scandal and melodrama aplenty and, of course, there will be a dead body or two.

Guest Host: Ollie Green

A perfect example of life beginning at thirty William Calcraft was a man who only realised what he wanted to do with his life at the age of 29. And that thing was hanging other people on behalf of the British Crown.

Despite starting his third decade he still managed to spend 45 years sending unfortunate souls on a short drop to meet their maker, negotiating the transition from Georgian to Victorian Britain and the inexorable decline in support for capital punishment by becoming ever more bitter and misanthropic.

Guest Hosts: Emma Heathcote and Ang from Dissecting Medical History.

The world of court intrigue is no place for the unprepared, and definitely no place for a mild mannered lawyer. This week we follow the short career of Thomas Overbury and his friendship/ partnership with Robert Carr, a man over incredible charisma and absolutely no intellect whatsoever.

With Thomas as the brains and Robert as the face it seemed like the sky was the limit in a bromance for the ages...

What could possibly go wrong?

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

This week we are talking about a young woman who was expected to give up everything for the good of her family. Which may have seemed quite hypocritical considering how narcissistic and selfish literally every member of her family was.

We follow Sophia Dorothea's attempts to find some crumb of happiness, however small, though if you have ever listened to our podcast before you probably already know where this is heading...

Guest Host: Ollie Green

The third in our triptych of Scottish episodes sees a return to Edinburgh to share the story of the most famous criminal the city has ever produced; Deacon (William) Brodie.

Born into a privileged position William was a man who always wanted more, and wasn't particularly fussed about how he got it. He had no limits, no impulse control and (apparently) no real clue how to commit a robbery. But does it really matter when you are considered a gentleman?

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

This week we will be covering a football pioneer who literally stumbled across the game in a Glasgow park. Andrew Watson may have been born in Demerara but he proved that he was more Scottish than a haggis soaked in Irn Bru, quickly rising to become (arguably) the best player in the world.

Join us as we chart his meteoric rise and his heartbreaking fall, all the while questioning why this amazing sportsman is not better known.

Guest Host: Matt Hare

This week we are delving into the life of Scottish doctor Elsie Inglis, a woman for whom the word no simply didn't exist. From her origins in India to her work both in Scotland and on the continent Elsie deserves to be as well known as Florence Nightingale because, to be quite frank, her story is much more interesting...

...even if it takes a while to get into top gear. About 50 years to be precise.

Guest Host: Ang from Dissecting Medical History

This week we are going back to the time of the Stuarts to meet a revolutionary lawyer who was the only man principled enough to take on the job of prosecuting a king. A Puritan who was idealistic to a fault John Cooke wanted justice for all and was prepared to always practice what he preached. It should come as no surprise to regular listeners that things were destined to not end well.

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

For the first episode of year 2 we decided to do a story about a story based on a story!

Join us as we discuss the origins of the terms 'Albion' and 'Britannia' as understood by the average person from the middle ages. It may be questionable in terms of historical accuracy but when you have giants, daemons and classical Greek heroes in the mix do facts really matter.*

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

*Yes, yes they do.

It is a bumper hour and a half episode this week as we celebrate our first anniversary by talking about an event that is truly unique in British history.

Join us as we talk about two men and their single fateful meeting. The first, Spencer Perceval, was a lawyer turned prime minister with conservative values and a mission from god. The second, John Bellingham, was a merchant who seemed to be completely incapable of understanding the concept of a bribe.

There will be corruption, madness, violence and even a guest appearance from the Duke of Wellington.

Guest Host: Matt Hare

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu was left to her own devices as a child. She responded by teaching herself to read and write before cataloguing her entire life via a constant stream of letters to anyone and everyone in high society. We can't say she always made the best choices, but her constant desire for new experiences led her to save the lives of potentially hundreds of thousands of British people... Which isn't a bad legacy at all.

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

We here at Consistently Eccentric believe that you should always chase your dreams, even if those dreams are a bit morbid and disturbing. With that in mind meet James Billington who, as a child, dreamed of being able to hang fellow humans from the neck until dead.

This week we will follow his struggles to land his dream job and the subsequent career he forged as a hangman without equal. We even have a special guest appearance from Victorian poisoner Dr Thomas Neill Cream!

Guest Host: Ollie Green

We return to the depressing world of Asylums this week, only this time in Yorkshire.

Following an unexplained death one York Quaker will challenge the system by setting up his own version of a hospital for the mentally ill, one without restraints and where you aren't even purged regularly. I mean can you even call it healthcare? I bet he doesn't even embezzle.

Guest Hosts: Jack and Harry Heathcote

This week we are finally going to talk about the battle of Flodden Field, the biggest scrap between England and Scotland that has ever occurred (apart from Wembley 1977 obviously).

And for the fans of our random snippets of unrelated conversations, we have added it to the end of this episode. Also, you are weird and we like you.

Guest Host: Matt Hare

We are heading into uncharted waters this week as we present the first part of a two part episode on the history of England and Scotland beating ten bells out of each other. In this episode we chart the beginnings of the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France.

Special guest appearance from a plucky Wales!

Guest Host: Matt Hare

Meet William Williams, son of a Cornish miner of limited imagination. This week we will be following him as he chases his dreams across the ocean to the New World.

Unfortunately those dreams are questionable and lead directly to his morbid claim to fame.

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

Welcome to the Golden Age of Alpine climbing (meaning the bit where the British were suddenly doing rather well at it) and the race for the last great unconquered summit; the Matterhorn.

Join us as we follow a young Brit called Edward Whymper attempting to make a name for himself in the crowded field of Victorian adventurers and explorers by reaching the summit of a mountain thought by many to be un-climbable . He may not have supplies, he may not have a plan, he may very well have alienated most of the competent local guides but what he lacks in all of these important areas he makes up for in a strong desire to beat the Italians!

Guest Host: Harry Heathcote

Lewes is a little town is Sussex that happens to have many claims to historical fame. Today we try to cover a few of these, culminating in a macabre record that was set in 1836 during the Christmas Holidays.

It also happens to have been only 7 miles from where my Guest Host lived for 3 years... There is a chance he might actually guess this one.

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

Today we look at the globetrotting life of Freya Stark, a woman who overcame a traumatic childhood only to willingly place herself in danger to explore the most remote regions of the middle east.

This episode was written over a year ago so it was just as much a journey of discovery for me as Freya's travels were for her!

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

Join us as we take you on a brief tour of the British relationship to slavery, from Pre-Roman times to the colonisation of the New World. We will cover all the different re-branding and moral arguments that were used to justify the ownership of others before reaching our final destination of Virginia. There will be some laughs along the way, I promise.

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

This week we engage in a whistle stop tour of prostitution through the centuries in England, culminating in the pinnacle of saucy Georgian erotica; The Harris List.

A collaboration between a drunk poet from Dublin and the self-proclaimed 'Pimp Master General of All England' This little leather book proved to be a Christmas bestseller and a high tide mark for the sex trade in the country.

Guest Host: Ang from Dissecting Medical History Podcast

Be aware there are discussions of a number of sex acts and mentions of rape during this episode

Meet sensitive young Francis Galton; a polymath from Birmingham who wanted to travel the world and do all of the things. Expect international sexual misadventures, a gumption reviving machine and lots and lots of statistical analysis.

And that is just his average Tuesday...

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

"Odin be praised! These Christians don't seem to want to put up a fight!"

After over half a century of raiding with practically no consequences, Ivar and his brothers decided that they might as well stay a while longer. Join us this week as we tell the tale of the time that the vikings almost conquered England. Featuring a special guest appearance by Alfred (not yet great), who's reaction to the threat of heathens from across the ocean helped to shape the British Isles as we know them today.

Guest Host: Matt Hare

Mary Ann, the daughter of a Colliery Sinker, lived a quiet life in the Northeast of England. But when tragedy strikes she will gain the superpower of complete disregard for other human lives!

This is the kind of woman you definitely wouldn't want to bring home to your parents (as they might not survive the experience.)

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

People from Yorkshire are as tough as they come, however no one is tough enough to stand up to an onrushing wall of water.

Join us this week as we talk about how two of the biggest dam related disasters in British history are linked by a single family.

Guest Host: Matt Hare

After civilising (read 'exploiting and ruining') the Gujarat region of India the British you can imagine their indignation when the locals suggested that maybe they could do a better job on their own.

Enter Dadabhai Nasroji, a man who held a mirror up to the hypocrisy of Britain's administration of India, kick-starting the push for home rule and taking his mission all the way to Parliament. He is without a doubt one of the most important men you have (probably) never heard of.

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

Join us this week as we learn about how black magic informed laws that are still in force in England to this day!

We talk through two important cases of attempted regicide from two of the worst named magicians in history; John and Roger. Learning how the paranoia of Kings can have unforeseen consequences for centuries.

Guest Host: Matt Hare

We are sailing into the golden age of Piracy this week with a Welshman who could pirate harder than any pirate had pirated before, and look fabulous while doing it.

Terrorising honest sailors (and less-than-honest sailors) on both sided of the Atlantic Bartholomew Roberts was a force of nature who seemed naturally gifted in the art of taking things that didn't belong to him while floating on a body of water, but he might never have become a pirate in the first place if it wasn't for a lonely Captain who just wanted someone to speak Welsh to.

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

Bonus Episode!

It's time to share a transatlantic tale of a malevolent medical misfit with the only American I know. We discuss the life and career of Dr Thomas Neill Cream a man who had a level of ambition and self confidence which was far above his actual abilities. Join us as we see how white male privilege in the Victorian era could literally help you get away with murder.

Guest Host: Ang from Dissecting Medical History - A cool podcast you should definitely check out as soon as you have finished listening to this episode.

It's our April Fools day episode! (A day late but the Friday scheduling MUST be maintained) So we are telling a tale that starts in Germany and doesn't even have a human protagonist.

Meet Oscar, a cat forced to sea who was going to make sure everyone knew how upset it made him. He was a true agent of chaos who arguably had more of an impact on WWII than entire battalions of soldiers.

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

PLUS BONUS CAT STORIES AT THE END!

This week we head off to South America to meet a man who had the audacity to think his British owners might be terrible people (hint: they were!) It's a story of how businessmen have always put profit before human decency and how the British myth of civilising the people they subjugated doesn't stand up to even the most casual analysis.

On the other hand it it harder to become obscenely rich if you have to actually pay your workers.

Guest Host: Matt Hare

Finally, a person who truly embodies the term 'eccentric' meet Edward Walker. Pilot. Inventor. Avid fan of nudity. A man never afraid to take a risk (or your hand in marriage) we follow Edward as he steers his own course through the 20th century, seeing more than anyone from his parent's generation could ever have imagined. Often quite literally.

Guest Host: Ollie Green (our brother from another mother who hosts History Emporium and Pals Podcast. Check him out for even more history goodness!)

Maureen O'Sullivan had survived two wars by the time she was in her teens. So naturally when WWII kicked off she had all the skills needed to take on one of the most difficult jobs available.

We'll follow Maureen through five countries and two continents during a whirlwind adventure which proves without a doubt that all the cool spy gadgets in the world are nothing compared to the quiet competence of an unflappable Irish woman.

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

The Dark Ages are the time that Britain forgot. With that in mind let's try to pierce the veil with a story that almost definitely didn't happen!

When the Romans abruptly pack up, leaving the locals with no protection one enterprising British Warlord will look to upgrade with some German muscle in the form of two guys who can trace their lineage back to the gods themselves. As long as they don't have an ulterior motive everything should be fine.... Right?

Guest Host: Matt Hare

What could you do when you wanted to be a rock star centuries before the advent of rock and roll? If you were John Rann you dressed yourself up to the nines and became a notorious highwaymen in good old London Town. Join us for the tale of one of the most fashionable and polite criminals England has ever produced (though he really could have done to have bought his own pocket watch).

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

This week we will be jumping on the late Georgian fad for suspension bridges (because we are all about current affairs). From their birth in the mind of a genius Scotsman to the ever more disaster prone knock-offs that followed. It is a story filled with tension because tensile strength is an important consideration when designing a suspension bridge.

In fact it gets so tense that we may have to run away and join a circus!

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

This week sponsored by Champis!

How did a doctor specialising in corpulent Victorian gentlemen become synonymous with the female orgasm?

By horrible accident of course!

This week meet Joseph, a medical polymath who would be turning in his grave to see how he has been misrepresented over the last century. A wrong we intend to right on this special Valentines Day episode.

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

Your father was nearly king. Your older brother is currently king. Your younger brother will one day become king. You however are an idiot.

Welcome to the world of George Plantagenet, a spoilt little rich boy who is easily manipulated, has no sense of self-preservation and takes years to form an independent thought.

And those are arguably his best qualities.

Join us as we look at a man who, in spite of himself, was within a whisker of failing upwards to the point of gaining the throne of England.

Guest Host: Matt Hare

The North South divide needs to be abolished and we here at Consistently Eccentric are doing our bit! Join us and verified southerner Ollie Green (From History Emporium and Pals Podcast) as I attempt to demonstrate that there is at least one person from my home town who is worth learning about.

It is a story of a late blooming Wesleyan who avoided the lovefeasts to pursue a career when most people were settling into retirement. Meet Lucy Boston. The Sandgrounder who lived two lives!

Guest Host: Ollie Green

Let's jet off to the sunny shores of Jamaica this week to meet Mary. Avoiding slavery by virtue of a Scottish father Mary spent her life being all the things she could think of. Part herbalist, part hotelier, part entrepreneur, part nurse, part chef; Mary was a well travelled tour de force who couldn't imagine a situation so dire that her presence couldn't turn things around!

And if that failed there was always the restorative power of tea.

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

Law and order 1600s style. Join us for a tale of Northern family drama which is as convoluted as it is ultimately pointless. There will be murder! There will be litigation (oh so much litigation). But most of all, there will be poetry!

Guest Host: Matt Hare

It's time to go boating down England's most famous river. Just try to avoid the dead bodies and try not to breath too deeply. Our omnibus episode covers three stories that confirm beyond a doubt that the Thames has claimed more lives than any other river in the UK.

And, because it is Emma, of course we are going to talk at length about at least one boat.

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

This week we are living life in the fast lane as we look into the origin of arguably the most British car company of all time (notwithstanding current German ownership).

It is a story of three unlikely partners who had just the right mix of skills and connections at the perfect moment in history. It is just a shame that none of them ever seemed to be even remotely happy.

Guest Host: Matt Hare

Today we are journeying back to the beginning of organised education in England. Developed initially as a means of ensuring the local monks could keep buying the top quality cassocks to which they had become accustomed; no one could have foreseen the resentment that would build up between the poor townsfolk and the privileged and unruly students.

They should have been able to foresee it though.... I mean, they were supposed to be intelligent.

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

Not named after the racehorse*, Caractacus was a Chieftain in a time of Emperors. Not one to let being hopelessly outmatched deter him from a good scrap Caractacus was determined to resist the Roman invasion no how many times he was beaten and how much he lost, after all the British do love an underdog.

*With bonus pre-episode-episode to ring in the new year!

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

It's time to get wild. John Wild in fact, a carpenter from Wolverhampton who would rather build a criminal empire than a cabinet. We discuss his rise to power and the mismatched feud with a lithe young London native called Jack that could cost both of them their very lives! Who will survive?

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

The British East India Company wanted it all, and they weren't above kidnapping as a way to ensure they got it. Meet Sophia, a princess in exile who Queen Victoria herself was sure she could turn into a perfect British citizen. Sophia did end up becoming a national hero, though possibly not in the way the Royals wanted her to...

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

Ahoy There! Join us as we indulge in some local history concerning the Ribble Estuary; childhood home to the entire Consistently Eccentric team!

It is a Victorian tale of rough seas and high stakes as we follow the ups and downs of the local lifeboat crews and their attempts to keep the beaches shipwreck free. Culminating in a dark and stormy night that proves that in some situations two outta three really is bad.

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

Let's discuss the history of the humble lock. A story that is more interesting than it has any right to be. Including but not limited to:

Unpopular marriages!
Child labour violations!
The Royal Navy!

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

Preparation, preparation, preparation. This is something John Franklin was habitually incapable of doing.

A man who lived life at a faster pace than most, no matter what the adventure was (or how dangerous) you could always count on John to volunteer.

We will follow him up, down and all around the world to see if there is any situation that can slow this Georgian powerhouse down

(Spoiler There is!)

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

100 years and still going strong! A British icon with more longevity than the Queen, Rupert Bear is a snappy dresser with an eclectic group of friends. Join us as we try to pinpoint the reason behind his appeal. Emma will get excited enough to sing!

Guest Host: Joe Heathcote

Our first ever "Mutiny Edition" where resident host Joe gets overthrown and one of the co-hosts (Emma this time) takes over.

A story of a British institution created in Canterbury, join us to discuss the life and work of Mary. A woman brave enough to marry into the surname 'Tourtel', and lucky enough to be in the right place, with the right set of skills to make history. This is a story so big it will need two parts...

Guest Host: Joe Heathcote

Let's get spooky! This week's episode focuses on the consequences of a confirmed haunting back in the 1600's.

There are deaths, political manoeuvrings and undeniable proof that if your mother-in-law doesn't like you there is no escape from her wrath!

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

For our 13th episode on Friday the 13th we are learning all about the daughter of an Irish sheep farmer called Violet Jessop. It doesn't matter if it is her health, her romantic life or her job Violet is unlucky on all counts.

It is just very unfortunate that her job involves massive boats...

With a special (though reluctant) appearance from Ned!

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

Come meet William Davidson. An illegitimate son to a racist dad who just wants to be in control of his own life.

He has an innate sense of justice and an indomitable 'can do' spirit, but unfortunately he is very poor at choosing who he should associate with. Leading to the most depressing birthday in recorded history.

Guest Host: Matt Hare

Bedlam. A name that struck fear into the population of London that it served. This week we take a look at Britain's most famous insane asylum. The treatments, the doctors and the most corrupt set of governors to have ever governed anything, ever.

You'll need a strong constitution or we won't be able to admit you.

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

When your child-bride is not shipped from Scandinavia as expected there can only be one explanation. Witches.

Join us as we look at how the early life of King James I (& VI) sowed the seeds for the single biggest witchcraft trial in British history. There will be pilliwinks.

Guest Host: Matt Hare

A parson’s son from Gloucester who may be responsible for saving more lives than any other person who ever lived. Meet Edward Jenner; cuckoo expert, ballooning enthusiast and avid experimenter on children.

Special guest appearance by Blossom the Cow!

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

Old Henry Cole was a merry old soul, who loved championing the arts and industry.

Let's follow him in the creation of a national event that was everything the Millenium Dome wished it could be. Famous people. Royalty. Pay toilets and a giant lump of gold. Henry Cole made sure that no one would go home disappointed.

With a special guest appearance from the world’s premier banana farmer.

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

When an English princess is made Empress of the Holy Roman Empire by the time she is 16 you best believe she will be returning at some point to lay cliam to her birthright.

Join Matilda on her quest to become the first Queen to rule England outright. She doesn't need a man, but she may need to accept an arranged marriage or two.

Guest Host: Matt Hare

When the British finally decided that slavery was wrong (after nearly 250 years of making massive profits) they decided to put a stop to it for good. In order to do that they would need a figurehead; a representative of all that was good and noble in the world; an unstoppable force that would strike terror into the heart of any slaver. What they got was a ship named vagina. This is her story.

Guest Host: Jack Heathcote

If you need to kill two dozen traitors at a time you will be needing a specialised piece of equipment. In fact you will need the Tyburn Tree; the most morbid piece of road furniture England has ever seen.

Join us as we spend the better part of a week talking about this iconic execution landmark and the 200 years it spent taking care of the wronguns' of London and the surrounding area.

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

From humble beginnings in the nail mills of Birmingham rose an artisan for the ages. An amoral money making machine called William Chaloner!

Join us as we explore the repercussions of one of the most epic midlife crises in recorded history. With a special guest appearence from Sir Issac Newton.

Guest host: Matt Hare

When Civil Engineers go wild! This week we are talking about an Edwardian gentleman who's side hustle made him the toast of housewives across England. You'll be amazed at what he could do with his hose.

Guest presenter: Jack Heathcote

Today we learn about the origin of the worlds oldest football trophy. If the origins of the FA prove anything it is that even in Victorian England people in London have always assumed that the rest of the country don't matter, and that nobody can really be bothered travelling to Scotland. Look out for the fancy socks!

Guest Host: Matt Hare

Meet Dorothy, an idealistic teenager dreaming of becoming a respected journalist. When a world war breaks out she looks beyond the unspeakable horror and sees the chance of a lifetime. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll ultimately agree that it really wasn't worth the effort and sacrifice.

Now with completely unrelated bonus musical intro

Guest Presenter: Jack Heathcote

Richard Grenville, a Tudor noble with a point to prove, though quite what that point was is hard to figure out. Come with us as we follow an entitled toff on misadventures across the globe.

Guest presenter: Matt Hare

The Loch Line Company. Founded by a pair of Glasgow industrialists with the noble goal of preserving the sanctity of sail power in the new world of steam. Their sailors loved them but, as we will learn, it appears that God didn't. Prepare to get wet with the most cursed ships that have ever sailed from the British Isles!

Guest Host: Emma Heathcote

Welome to the last of our three part miniseries on Edward.

In this concluding part we follow Edward in his final attempt at revenge and see if he can at least ensure a smooth succession.

As you can imagine by now, neither of these go quite as he would have wanted.

Guest Host: Matt Hare

In this second part of our tale we join Edward in exile (the vikings predictably got the better of his dad).

Can he regain his throne?

Will he get the hang of revenge?

Join us to find out!

Guest Host: Matt Hare

Join us for the first of three bonus episodes looking at the life of Edward the Confessor!

In this first episode we focus on Edward's father, Aethelred the Unready, and see what lessons young Edward was being tought about how to rule a kingdom.

Poor little guy never stood a chance.

Guest Host: Matt Hare

Welcome to Consistently Eccentric,

Interesting stories from British History that will hopefully make you laugh, and give you a different perspective on what it has meant to be British over the last 2000 or so years.

Episodes uploaded weekly starting with a bumper episode Friday 21st August 2020