In 1811 a series of brutal murders on the Ratcliffe Highway in the east end of London shook the locals to the very core with their unrivalled brutality and seemingly random, everyday targets. The murders exposed a fear in the city that had been bubbling away beneath the surface for several years and made some of the first inroads into the long debate over the reform of the way the police operated throughout the country. Considered as the crime of the century and unparallelled in the fear and panic it provoked amongst the population of the city, it was only overshadowed by a group of five murders in Whitechapel during the summer and autumn of 1888, attributed to the elusive and infamous Jack the Ripper.

SOURCES

Flanders, Judith (2011) The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime. Harper Press, London, UK

James, P.D. & Critchley, T.A. (2010) The Maul and The Pear Tree. Faber & Faber, London, UK.

Phillips, Watts (1855) The Wild Tribes of London. Ward & Lock, London, UK.

King, Peter (2010) The Impact of Urbanization on Murder Rates and on the Geography of Homicide in England and Wales, 1780-1850. The Historical Journal, Vol. 53, No. 3 (SEPTEMBER 2010), pp. 671-698, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.

Morning Chronicle (1811) Horrid And Unparalleled Murders. Mon 9 Dec, 1811, p3. London, UK.

Morning Chronicle (1811) Depositions Before The Magistrates. Sat 21 Dec, 1811, p3. London, UK

Morning Post (1811) The Late Horrible Murders. Wed 25 Dec, 1811, p3, London, UK.

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The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye

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Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.

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In the late 1500s, Britain was, spiritually speaking, in something of a confusing place for the average citizen. With the protestant reform in full swing, many old traditions were being unceremoniously cast aside by the officials, whilst still being clung to by the public, leading to a thriving underground trade in charms and trinkets and the quiet trade of conjurers, folk healers and those ministers willing to indulge the old Catholic rituals. In Cleworth Hall, an estate manor on the outskirts of Manchester, the owner, Nicholas Starkie was forced to dig into this deep underground market, when he found his household ravaged by a host of demons. Fortunately there was an exorcist willing to help, though with his ministry as controversial as it was, it would not be long before the officials would sweep him away with all the other traditions that they felt no longer had a place in a society that was rapidly changing, seemingly at times, without a rudder.

SOURCES

Darrell, John (1600) A True Narration…. The English Secret Press, London, UK.

More, George (1600) A True Discourse…. Richard Schilders, London, UK.

Harland, John & Wilkinson, T. T. (1867) Lancashire Folk-Lore. Frederick Warne & Co. London, UK.

Almond, Philip C. (2004) Demonic Possession & Exorcism in Early Modern England. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.

Orchard Halliwell, James (1642) The Private Diary of Dr John Dee. John Bowyer Nichols & Son, London, UK.

Young, Francis (2014) A History of Anglican Exorcism. I.B. Tauris, London, UK.

Walsh, Brendan C. (2021) The English Exorcist: John Darrell & The Shaping of Early Modern English Protestant Demonology. Routledge, London, UK.

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The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye

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Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.

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In an old estate situated just outside Chichester, on the South coast of England sits the HInton Ampner manor house. Rebuilt several times over its 1000 year existence, its current iteration is an innocuous brick building with little in common with the Tudor mansion that stood before and no hints to its creepy past. Once considered by the locals to be haunted, it was the site of an old gothic style haunting, a hundred years before they were all the rage of Victorian readers. Suggested by many to be the influence for Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw, the haunting of Hinton Ampner was a ghost story that took place long before its time.

SOURCES

Doubleday, Herbert Arthur (1901) A History of Hampshire & The Isle of Wight, Vol I. Victoria County History, London, UK.

Page, William (1908) A History of the County of Hampshire, Vol III. Victoria County History, London, UK.

Price, Harry (1945) Poltergeist Over England: Three Centuries of Mischievous Ghosts. Country Life Ltd. London, UK.

Parsil, Tim (2022) Certain Nocturnal Disturbances: Ghost Hunting Before the Victorians. Brom Bones Books, UK.

The Gentleman’s Magazine (1872) A Hampshite ghost Story. The Gentleman’s Magazine, v.233 1872 Jul-Dec. London, UK.

Lindley, Charles, Lord Halifax (1936) Lord Halifax’s Ghost Book. Geoffrey Bles, London, UK.

Howard, Catherine Mary (1838) Reminiscences For My Children. Charles Thurnham, London, UK.

Barnham, Richard (1870) The Life and Letters of the Rev. Richard Harris Barnham. Richard Bentley, London, UK.

For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com

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The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye

Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017

Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.

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Amid the opulence of Belle Époque France, a trial took place that threatened to unravel the very meaning of human legal justice. Michel Eyraud and Gabrielle Bompard, two French citizens living their lives quietly in Paris were launched into the spotlight following the discovery of a decomposing corpse, the reconstruction of a destroyed wooden trunk and an international manhunt. Whilst their names eventually disappeared into obscurity, the crime they were involved in left an indelible mark of legal history, as the first case using hypnosis as defence for murder, offering the jury the unique opportunity to not only decide the fate of the convicted, but to reshape the legal definition of free will in a courtroom forever.

Levingston, Stephen (2014) Little Demon in the City of Light. Doubleday Publishing, London, UK.

The Daily Telegraph (1889) Paris Day By Day. The Daily Telegraph, Wed 25 Dec 1889, p5. London, UK.

The Standard (1890) The Trial of Michel Eyraud and Gabrielle Bompard. Wed 17 Dec 1890, p5. London, UK.

The Pall Mall Gazette (1890) The Extraordinary Paris Murder Trial. Thurs 18 Dec 1890, p6. London, UK.

The Pall Mall Gazette (1890) The Eyraud-Bompard Murder Trial. Fri 19 Dec 1890, p6. London, UK.

The Pall Mall Gazette (1890) The Eyraud-Bompard Murder Trial. Sat 20 Dec 1890, p5. London, UK.

The Pall Mall Gazette (1890) Eyraud-Bompard Murder Trial - Sentences. Mon 22 Dec 1890, p7. London, UK.

Corydon Hammond, D. (2013) A Review of the History of Hypnosis Through the 19th Century. American Society of Clinical Hypnosis, Routledge, USA.

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The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye

Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017

Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.

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For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com

Support the show by using our link when you sign up to Audible: http://audibletrial.com/darkhistories or visit our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories

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The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye

Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017

Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.

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In the winter of 1922, a bizarre series of events fell across an isolated Nova Scotian farmhouse, leaving the locals grappling with a set of mysteries that were as terrifying as they were exciting. Unseen forces braided horses' tails and moved livestock, while bluish lights danced eerily around the property and soon, the situation escalated to a series of unexplained fires igniting within the farmhouse, forcing the occupants to flee their home amidst the harsh Canadian winter. As the press descended onto the farm, a series of investigations sought to dig deeper into the events, hoping to find answers for the phenomena and exonerate the occupants in the eyes of the locals, though their successes were mixed in their results and the answers given would prove to be inconclusive for many, leaving Canadian folklore with a new mystery.

SOURCES

Prince, Walter F. (1922) An Investigation of Poltergeist & Other Phenomena Near Antigonish. Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research. Volume 16. pp.422-441. ASPR. NY, USA.

Whidden, Harold B. (1922) Statement of Fact of My Experiences at the MacDonald Homestead. Self Published. Canada

Graham, Monica (2013) Fire Spook: The Mysterious Nova Scotia Haunting. Nimbus Publishing, Canada.

Colombo, John Robert (2000) Ghost Stories of Canada. Dundurn Press, Toronto, Canada.

Whidden, David Graham (1930) Genealogical Record of the Antigonish Whiddens. NS, Canada.

The Evening Mail (1922) Antigonish Farming Community Is Aroused By Mysterious Actions Believed To Be The Work Of Spooks. The Evening Mail, 19 Jan 1922. Canada.

The Evening Mail (1922) Story Of Spooks Setting Fires In Antigonish Farmers Home Confirmed. The Evening Mail, 24 Jan 1922. Canada.

The Evening Mail (1922) Eye Witnesses Tell Of Mysterious Fires In Home Of Antigonish Farmer. The Evening Mail, 25 Jan 1922. Canada.

The Evening Mail (1922) Antigonish Chief Of Police Puzzled Over Mysterious Fires. The Evening Mail, 03 Feb 1922. Canada.

The Evening Mail (1922) Where Detective And Reporter Will Live Until Mystery Is Solved. The Evening Mail, 04 Feb 1922. Canada.

The Evening Mail (1922) Detective Carroll Becomes More Mystified Over Mysterious Fires At Caledonia Mills. The Evening Mail, 06 Feb 1922. Canada.

The Evening Mail (1922) Detective And Reporter Leave For House Of Mystery As New Rumours Of FIre Origin Open Up. The Evening Mail, 07 Feb 1922. Canada.

The Evening Mail (1922) Detective And Reporter Are Mystified As They Probe Mysterious Fires And Play Forty-Fives In House Of Mystery. The Evening Mail, 11 Feb 1922. Canada.

The Evening Mail (1922) Mystery At Caledonia Mills Deepens As Detective And Reporter Get Slap. The Evening Mail, 13 Feb 1922. Canada.

The Evening Mail (1922) Detective And Reporter Driven From House Of Mystery And Move To Barn To Start Probe Into Strange Antics There. The Evening Mail, 14 Feb 1922. Canada.

The New York Times (1922) Scientist To Seek Antigonish Ghost. The New York Times, 26 Feb 1922. NY, USA.

For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com

Support the show by using our link when you sign up to Audible: http://audibletrial.com/darkhistories or visit our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories

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The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye

Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017

Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.

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In the 1920s as the world reeled from the first world war and the great flu pandemic, people in their collective grief turned to alternative systems of belief. Spiritualism, already making a new rise, was launched into the spotlight as proponents like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle waltzed around the globe giving lectures on the benefits of communicating with the dead. At the same time, there were others who found the subject altogether distasteful. The infamous magician Houdini had a particular fondness for uncovering false mediums, a past time that would wind up causing some heavy controversy when one of America’s oldest magazines proposed a competition, to pay $2,500 to the first medium that they could prove to be genuine.

SOURCES

Jaher, David (2016) The Witch of Lime Street: Séance, Seduction, and Houdini in the Spirit World. Crown Publishing Group, NY, USA.

Conan Doyle, Arthur (1917) The New Revelation. Hodder & Stoughton LTD. UK.

Conan Doyle, Arthur (1922) The Coming of The Faeries. Hodder & Stoughton LTD. UK.

Conan Doyle, Arthur (1923) Our American Adventure. Hodder & Stoughton LTD. UK.

Kuritz, Hyman. (1981) The Popularization of Science in Nineteenth-Century America. History of Education Quarterly, 21(3), 259–274. https://doi.org/10.2307/367698

Bird, J. Malcolm. A Square Deal for the Psychics. Scientific American 127, no. 6 (1922): 388–445. 

Bird, J. Malcolm. Our Psychic Investigation. Scientific American 128, no. 1 (1923): 6-7.

New York Times (1923) To test Mediums Psychic Control. Friday April 6 1923, p.10. NY, USA.

New York Times (1923) Spirit Messages Impress Scientists. Wednesday October 17 1923, p.1. NY, USA.

Bird, J. Malcolm (1923) Another Mediumistic Failure. Scientific American 129, no. 6 (1923): 6-7.

New York Times (1923) Tie Up Boy Medium; Find Trance Is Real. Wednesday December 19 1923, p.1. NY, USA.

Houdini, H (1924) “Margery” The Medium Exposed. USA

New York Times (1924) Margery Passes All Psychic tests. Wednesday July 22 1924, p.19. NY, USA.

Bird, J. Malcom (1928) The Margery mediumship. Proceedings of the American Society for Psychical Research. New York: American Society for Psychical Research. USA

Dingwall, E.J. (1928). A report on a series of sittings with the medium Margery. Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research 36, 79-158.

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Support the show by using our link when you sign up to Audible: http://audibletrial.com/darkhistories or visit our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories

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The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye

Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017

Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com

Support the show by using our link when you sign up to Audible: http://audibletrial.com/darkhistories or visit our Patreon for bonus episodes and Early Access: https://www.patreon.com/darkhistories

The Dark Histories books are available to buy here: http://author.to/darkhistories

Dark Histories merch is available here: https://bit.ly/3GChjk9

Connect with us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/darkhistoriespodcast

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& Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dark_histories/

Or you can contact us directly via email at [email protected]

or join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/cmGcBFf

The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye

Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017

Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.

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It's time for a mid-season summer break and to tide us over I've got a couple of tales for you from the genius of M.R. James. I've picked two of my favourites to read, I hope you enjoy them!

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The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye

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Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.

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Deep in the Pacific Ocean, 350 miles off the coast of Central America sits a small, unimposing island, surrounded in natural beauty. One of the island's lesser known claims to fame is that its tropical climate and lost-world appearance were the original inspiration for Jurassic Park's fictional Isla Nublar. Better known, however, are the myths and legends that pertain to the hoards of pirate treasure, buried beneath the surface and lost for over two centuries. Hundreds, if not thousands, of expeditions have sailed to its isolated shores in the hope of uncovering the untold riches, with little to show for their efforts but the wild stories that have helped to continue the legend of the Lost Treasure of Lima for over two hundred years.

Pim, Bedford & Seemann, Berthold (1869) Dottings on the Roadside in Panama, Nicaragua and Mosquito. Chapman & Hall, London, UK.

Montmorency, Hervey (1904) On the Track of a Treasure. Hurst & Blackett Ltd. London, UK.

Plumpton, James (1935) Treasure Cruise. Witherby Publishing, London, UK.

The Buffalo Commercial (1854) The Cocos Island Treasure. The Buffalo Commercial, 12 Dec 1854, p1. USA.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (1854) The Cocos Island Treasures. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 12 Dec 1854, p2, USA.

Smith, David (1932) El Dorado. Blackwood's Magazine  July-December 1932: Vol 232, The Leonard Scott Publication Co. NY, USA.

Cooper, Stephen (2017) Cocos Island & The Treasure of Lima. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

The New York Times (1855) News from the Cocos Expedition. The New York Times, 9 Feb 1855, USA.

For almost anything, head over to the podcasts hub at darkhistories.com

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The Dark Histories Butterfly was drawn by Courtney, who you can find on Instagram @bewildereye

Music was recorded by me © Ben Cutmore 2017

Other Outro music was Paul Whiteman & his orchestra with Mildred Bailey - All of me (1931). It's out of copyright now, but if you're interested, that was that.

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