Today In History with The Retrospectors

Abducting Ellen Turner


Listen Later

Kidnapped from her prestigious Liverpool boarding school on March 7, 1827, 15-year-old Ellen Turner was led to believe her family would be financially ruined if she didn’t marry her 30 year-old abductor, Edward Gibbon Wakefield.

Before she was able to deduce that his story was a sham, Turner was whisked off to Gretna Green and inadvertently passed over the keys to her father’s estate, Shrigley, to her assailant - until an intervention from the House of Lords, and a trial that captured Britain’s imagination. 

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly divulge the loopholes to England’s marital age limits; explain how ‘impure’ marriages were a get-rich-quick habit for Wakefield; and reveal the extraordinary next chapter for this conniving scamster …  

Further Reading:

• ‘10 of History’s Worst Marriages’ (History Collection, 2018): https://historycollection.com/10-of-historys-worst-marriages/5/ 

• ‘Gretna Green: The bit of Scotland where English people go to get married’ (BBC, 2014): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-28679430 

• ‘Wakefield & the NZ Company’ (CBHS History, 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=We-VfjxHbRA 


Ten minute daily episodes bringing you curious moments from this day in history, with Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina and Arion McNicoll: The Retrospectors. New episodes Mon-Wed; reruns Thurs-Fri.


The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill. Edit producer: 

Ollie Peart

Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders.

Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2025.


This episode originally aired in 2023

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Today In History with The RetrospectorsBy The Retrospectors

  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5
  • 4.5

4.5

97 ratings


More shows like Today In History with The Retrospectors

View all
Answer Me This! by Helen and Olly

Answer Me This!

820 Listeners

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4 by BBC Radio 4

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4

2,123 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,937 Listeners

Comedy of the Week by BBC Radio 4

Comedy of the Week

491 Listeners

RHLSTP with Richard Herring by Sky Potato, Go Faster Stripe and Fuzz Productions

RHLSTP with Richard Herring

371 Listeners

No Such Thing As A Fish by No Such Thing As A Fish

No Such Thing As A Fish

4,840 Listeners

The Modern Mann by Olly Mann

The Modern Mann

144 Listeners

Curious Cases by BBC Radio 4

Curious Cases

820 Listeners

The Week Unwrapped - with Olly Mann by The Week Unwrapped

The Week Unwrapped - with Olly Mann

76 Listeners

Evil Genius with Russell Kane by BBC Sounds

Evil Genius with Russell Kane

377 Listeners

Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster by Plosive

Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster

2,795 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

2,973 Listeners

What The F*** Is Going On? with Mark Steel by WTF Productions

What The F*** Is Going On? with Mark Steel

99 Listeners

Firecrotch & Normcore: THEY LIKE TO WATCH by Sara Barron/Geoff Lloyd

Firecrotch & Normcore: THEY LIKE TO WATCH

115 Listeners

We Can Be Weirdos by Global

We Can Be Weirdos

199 Listeners